Improve on Audio Note DAC 3 Sig for a grand - Opinions?

I have an Audio Note DAC 3 Signature (not the NOS) one, and a VALAB NOS DAC. I bought the VALAB because I thought the Audio Note was due for a service and wanted a backup. Sure enough by September the tube gave up the ghost.

Before it went I had the 2 DACs in side by side, and they were similar in sound. The AN was a bit more resolving and had a bit bigger soundstage but tonally near identical.

Now it is back with new CAPS (Audionote copper foil) and a new tube. I put it on my god it was painful, no bass and lots of top end. I have now had it burning in for about 150 hours. It is much better, but the compared to the VALAB the bass is gone and the soundstage is squashed.

So it is probably going back.

I had been planning to get a USB interface to plug the AN into my new vortexbox (brilliant by the way).

Any views is something like the Audiophileo worth the extra of say an Audio GD DI?

But have now started thinking maybe I should flog the Audio Note and buy a bang up to date DAC.

I know I should wait get the AN sorted out and then decide but hey we all get impatient.

So any Opinions what you would do. Budget £1000 ish. Pref cheaper of course. Is a vintage AN DAC still gonna be better than a brand spanking new import?

I don't have may hi rez files

Thanks for the feedback. 500 hours :(  Though to be honest it is exactly what I was hoping to hear, when I bought the DAC (ex display 11 years ago) I wanted it to be a keeper.

Any suggestions for a digital interface?

Just to complete the post.

The Capacitors have now burnt in. Took approx four weeks continuous running, and the improvements didn't happen until I turned it off and back on again. This wasn't a placebo effect as I was switching back and forth between a VALAB DAC and the difference had been very noticeable, the AN was much worse, after burn in the AN was better. Differences were pretty big