With the Havana the other SPDIF options do sound better to my ears. I don't agree with the previous post - I think the Havana is a damn good DAC for the $, but I would not use the USB input. Use optical or single ended. If you must go USB I'd look at the asynchronous implementation by Wavelength, or options by Empirical to get zeros and ones off your box. Both are more expensive. I think the inexpensive USB/SPDIF conversion in DACs at that price point just don't sound that good to my ears. That said, the PS Audio DLIII in stock form and various forms of upgrade might be a good choice if you simply must go that route and want to stick to that budget. I have a stock one in my office system and use the optical input - I have compared and it does not give up much via USB as the Havana does. Not sure how it accomplishes that...perhaps better jitter reduction? On the used market a stock one is half your budget, while you can get a pretty pimped out version for $1k. No experience with the flashier versions. Good luck!
