Stopping here. Choosing B.

Returning the Benchmark DAC3 B tomorrow. Nice, but not a good synergy with my system and my ear as compared to my former DACs based on how my speakers and equipment sounds today. Nothing against Benchmark at all. Neat unit, just not for me.

Isn’t is great you can try it out at home with your other gear to see if it is a fit? Low risk.

Yes. It's awesome in fact, and many direct-internet sales based companies seem to be trying this now days which is great for all parties. My guess is the odds of success increase sales more than not doing this. "Fit" has to do with so many other variables but it offers a new path. Well, we'll see, still gotta get my RMA# and refund, but I'm not suspecting any problems. Was really helpful to try it though. If someone is looking for "perfect" engineered output and sound, the BM DAC3 B is it. It turns out my preference with music and sound is something less than perfect thus retaining aspects of 2nd and 3rd order harmonics along with retaining some level of good old distortion. The best part of my tube preamp and tube amps is some pieces of the distortion and the added 3rd order harmonics. I guess I'm an old school fool but have a preference in how I want my music to sound I guess :)

There is a MHDT NOS Havana DAC for sale $400. It's cap coupled and uses one 5670 tube. I've had mine for years. Very musical with plenty of detail. If I replaced it I think I'd look at Audio Note.

There is an ebay seller, kievfilarmony200639, in Ukraine that has some interesting DACS. Someone here in the Shindo forum has one in his rig. I've looked at these for a while. :scratch2:

Your ears & your money. No one can listen for you. Do what's right for you. :thumbsup:

Good call. IME if you don't like the DACs basic sound, it's really hard to "fix" it with changes to downstream components.

FB, Thanks for the referral. I sort of live in "AudioNote Land" and "PassLand" 'round here, lots of both. Mr. Pass is 20 min away... Our only remaining hi-end audio store (20+ around herein the 70s-80s) now down to one guy, one store, been in business 52 years and he like the the AudioNote king, most of the entire store of all new gear is AN, heard it all. Super nice. Does not follow all the regular engineering rules, only those that sound the best. Maybe when I consolidate back down to a small system, read to retire, it will be AN in the future. Very musical for sure. Last DAC I saw there was only 16bit. Amazing. Agree.

Tyson,
I just know one thing, I want to be "engaged". I know I'm engaged with a system when even the bad recordings sound good too, or at least when I want to listen to the end of the song. When it sounds more like ProAudio, I immediately become fatigued, dis-engaged, and find myself looking for "other" tracks to play. My measure of a decent system is having it sound musical even when the recordings were not so good. Def gonna roll through some other DACs, including a few loaners from friends.

Thanks.

Agree 100%.

You should check out iFi - they make really good sounding DACs that are closer to analog than anything else I've heard under $5k. Most other DACs just don't get tone correct, but iFi does. Even their $500 Micro DAC is really good, but the $2400 iDSD Pro with tubed output is something else!

You guys are enablers. :D: I took a chance and bought a NOS DAC on ebay. Fingers crossed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DAC2-1-3-5v...72.m2749.l2649