Best DAC $1000 and under used

Gixerman, I'll take a stab and say the Audio Mirror DAC might be a good candidate for your system. It's a non-oversampling DAC as Clio09 mentioned, so it sounds smooth, analog yet dynamic. It's the only solid state DAC I've tried that didn't have what I consider a recessed midrange. DACs like the Bel Canto and the Benchmark I'm guessing as well are brighter and leaner and impart will more detail. I found the Bel Canto to be a bit clinical and I thought the Ack! lacked pace and didn't create great scale in my system. The Audio Mirror has good boogie factor and throws a big soundstage, it's also darker sounding than the Ack!, and definitely more so than the Bel Canto and I'm sure the Benchmark as well. It's difficult to predict what effect a DAC will have on your system until you actually try it. The Ack!dAck! has a 21 day trial, so you can see how it will work in your home, and you can return it if you don't like it. How is the balance of your system now?

At this point my rig is fairly balanced.But the one thing I think could be inproved upon is: IMO the treble is just a little bit hard on the upper freq.thus contributing to listener fatigue.My rig boogies with some pre amps better than others.Boogie factor (#1)Rogue Audio 66 Mag w NOS RCA Cleartops (#2)Audio Research SP 6 C-1 revised (more detailed than the Rogue though) (3)Audible Illusions 2C (this will kick all their butts on unamplified accoustic music and I would call it a giant killer in that area)(4)Conrad Johnson PV11 (too laid back,great on vocals but at the expense of the rest of the music/band)

Yeah, I think the Audio Mirro would be a good one to investigate. It doesn't deviate excessively from neutrality, it has a nice smooth top end and is very dynamic and transparent.

How do you think a Cal Audio Alpha would compare to the ones listed thus far?

My friend and I directly compared his Audio Mirror D2 with my Bel Canto DAC2 in his system. Bel Canto sounds much smoother. Has stronger bass and dynamic drive. It is also much more fluid sounding in the midrange. And is not as bright as Audio Mirror, but at the same time does not lack detail. We compared the 2 dacs with the same interconnects and power cords, using the same digital cable, and both of us preffered the Bel Canto. It's all matter of synergy of course, but Audio Mirror, as good as it sounds, does not come close to Bel Canto. The difference is very audible.