Mark Levinson 36 dac or Theta Gen V Best?

I still have a balanced Gen Va DAC that I compare from time to time to my modded Sony. The Gen Va is a pretty good DAC with a high-quality analog section. However performance depends very much on the quality of transport. With either of these units you are taking your chances on service. Theta no longer supports the older models, and Levinson will probably charge more than it's worth to repair the 36.

dgarretson,so,does your sony sound better than the theta? Don't think a pd-75 elite could transport decent?

Gen Va slightly surpasses the stock SCD-1's DAC section, but my modified Sony DAC section is far ahead. In the price range of a used Gen Va or ML 36, perhaps think about something like a battery-powered Altmann Attraction with dejitter option. Any good reclocking DAC will tend to be less sensitive to transport quality. If budget allows another $1K, probably at least worth auditioning a new Bryston BCD-1.

Dgarretson,
This is my stereo,please don't make fun of it but it really doesnt sound to bad.Almost all pioneer elite, receiver 49txi,m-91 amp,dv-ax10 dvd-a player,79txi dvd-a,sacd player,cd players,pd-75,pd-65,pdr-99,pdr-19rw,elite minidisc player,samsung 5000 blu-ray,hd hybred player.The story goes like this.Was really happy with the sound of my system intil the monster 50lb dv-ax10 dvd-a player came in the door.Somewhat close to your sony but not moded.After hearing that for a couple of weeks plain cd's suck!Sound is night and day,you already know this but would like to get everyday cd's sounding somewhat close to that.Am I crazy? I have come across some threads on the net that have said some dac's can get somewhat close to that ballpark.That I guess is what I'm shooting for.Just not sure how to go about it.For speakers,I'm running 4 B&W 802's matrix series 3,and a center matrix and some crappy bose 301's in the middle making 7 speakers.

I don't know all the Pioneer stuff. But based on the Elite multiformat players that I've heard in showrooms, I think a good minimimalist 2ch DAC from a manufacturer other than the consumer giants, should get RBCD close to the level of SACD or DVD-A on the Pioneer. IMO the older ML stuff sounds sterile. The Gen Va is a better choice, but has a slightly synthetic mid/treble region by comparison to more recent top units.