"Best" DAC for a grand or less

Chicagojtw, opamps like LM4562 use tons of negative feedback to get low distortion levels. Vanishingly low THD ( 110 dB) really doesn't correlate with accurate sound according to many makers of high end DACs, although they are compelled to have really good numbers to satisfy people like you. I have to agree them. I have a tube amp where you can adjust the negative feedback; up to certain point, negative feedback can be a good thing (may be up to 20 dB on my amp), but if I go higher, the more congested and thin the sound gets and the harmonic information gets lost. Now my understanding is some opamps use over 100 dB of negative feedback. The thin bright sound usually used to describe the Benchmark probably has a lot to do with opamps in the output stage. I attend live unamplified concerts and play acoustic guitar. DACs like Benchmark do not sound natural/accurate to me. A DAC with a simple discrete or correctly executed tubed output stage sound more natural/accurate to me. All DAC manufactures make components that measure very well (flat FR, vanishingly low THD, high S/N (usually >110 dB for most DACs). I really don't hear a correlation between these measurements and actual sound quality, as I have heard piss poor sound reproduction from DACs with extremely good specs.

Chicagojtw, you may be confusing thin, bright sound with accuracy, unless you're listening to Britny Spears all the time.