Best DAC $1000 and under used

I second the vote on the Northstar 192. Versitle conections,very clean and dynamic. Plus the oversampling can be defeated. I have had mine for 2 years and am very happy.

Yes I have come to some conclusions about the Msb unit (1)I believe the Link Dac is the week link in the digital front end.(2)I feel that the slightly hard sounding treble is the blame of the Link Dac.(3)most all things manufactured are built to meet a price point.For instance your car likely didn't come with the best stereo available,or the best tires money could buy,or for that matter the best suspension pieces.Your audio gear is no different.For around a $400 investment I could send the old Link DAC to Modwright and get it upgraded.This would include blackgate caps in the power supply,better op amps and other mods that are designed and tuned by ear to improve the sonic nature of the MSB Link.This is subject to the sonic tastes and opinions of the person doing the mod.I do think this appears to be a feasable concept.The orignal manufacture, MSB cut some corners to meet a price point.And for an investment of around $400, I can't think of any DACs in that price range that would be an improvement unless I were to spend double that.(or close to double)I think I will give Modwright a call and look into this a bit deeper.Thanks,John

I posted another thread about modding the MSB Link DAC.I was hoping to come across someone that has or had a MSB that has been modded.As of yet I have not heard from anyone that owns one other than with the factory upgrades.As Zaikesman has posted the MSB units might not be true to the music.I do wounder though if this can be improved upon with parts upgrades.Hell, its done all the time to the Sony units.(es9000,777, ect)Most people that have a modded Sony speak of them highly.

WRT Modwright... Dan modified my Perpetual P3 to his Level 2 and it totally changed the character of the beast for the better. Give him a call or drop him an e-mail about modding your Link DAC. He's a very nice guy, has a good ear and does good work.

I can't speak to the sonic differences between a modded Link and the Gold Link. But FWIW, a "hard" treble was not among the faults I found with the Gold -- quite the opposite in fact. Then again, reading your other thread, you and I hold pretty much opposite opinions of what the MSB upsampling does to the sound, and also the effect of the Monarchy DIP to a degree, so take that for what it's worth. And also this: I own a Pearl, and am familiar with the sound of the Data Basic. IMO, Theta transports have their virtues but treble sweetness is not prime among them. One thing you might also try, if you haven't already, is a "filtering"-type power cord on the digital stuff.