Which digital IC?

Husk 01...on my Esoteric P-05 / D-05 and G-03x clock combo - I liked the Nirvana T-2 Transmission cable. A relatively under the radar company that makes an amazing digital cable....and at a great price. See the 6 Moons review. I listened to a bunch of cables that and that one was the most tonally and musically balanced. See my add here

Teo Audio cables. The game changer for me.

I have had great luck with a Moray James digital cable with both Meitner and PS Audio Perfect Wave digital front ends. Several of my friends who also own reference level digital gear use Moray's wire. It killed my previous Kimber illuminati and Harmonic Tech Platinum cables. Retails for around $500.

That said, I would ask the manufacturer of the DAC you own for the wire they used to voice the DAC...sometimes you can get a special synergy.

I am looking for a few suggestions for a great sounding digital IC in the 1000 to 1500 price range.

As someone with very extensive design experience in digital signal transmission, I would offer the thought that although digital cables can certainly affect the quality and character of the sound that you hear, they do not in themselves have a "sound." By that I mean that their effects on sound quality are dependent on relationships and interactions between their parameters, including length, impedance accuracy, shielding effectiveness, shield resistance, etc., and the technical characteristics of what they are connecting, including signal risetimes and falltimes, impedance accuracy, jitter rejection capability, ground loop susceptibility, etc.

In other words, I would not expect a high degree of consistency between performance in one system and performance in other systems, or even between different lengths of the same cable type in the same system, and I would not expect a high degree of correlation between performance and price.

My suggestion is simply that you try a variety of different cables at different price points, and make your own choice. In so doing, focus on lengths of approximately 1.5 meters, if that is practicable, as explained in this writeup: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/spdif.htm

Regards,
-- Al