Benchmark DAC1 auditions out there? latest model

"I'm just saying that John has never heard my reference DAC's."

I was hesitant to give my response to this comment as I'm not after an argument. But facts are facts. And the fact is that last year at this time I had the opportunity to listen to this "reference" dac for a couple of weeks in my home and was impressed only with its dynamics and a fairly high degree of articulation but in regard to the higher endeaver of caputuring the soul and life of the music it was NOT the last word in musicality. I had a gentleman in response to my earlier comment in this thread e-mail me his impressions after he had this modder mod his electocomp ECD-1 dac. He stated that the modders goal of retrieving all the detail with a balanced presentation actually ended up being less than musically involving. These are the facts and I ended up using none of his digital mods. His analog mods may be terrific but there it is a special blend of tech and art-form indeed to create musical magic out of bits.

Dne,

I have to agree. I just recieved my benchmark dac-1 and it sounds astonishingly good. It was a demo unit with less than twenty hours on it. I purchased it from a pro-audio internet retailer. I'm using the Ridge Street Audio top digital cable that Robert installed a BNC connector on for use with the benchmark.

As far as negative comments in this thread concerning this product, I'm at a loss. Perhaps the units weren't allowed proper break-in. This unit has tremendous "presence" and incredible coherence (balance, organic rightness) to its sound. Dimensional AND immidiate with far less edge and bite than I've heard from far more expensive "class A" rated digital. Like the overrated, expensive new Marantz one box players.
I think there are people here motivated by the prospect of selling mods. So it becomes advantageous for them to downplay the incredible achievement that the benchmark represents. Last year I had the opportunity to listen to the "flagship" dac (a modded perpetual technology) of a very well known modder on this forum, and I can tell you from memory his unit sounded like high resolution DIGITAL compared to the absolutely beautiful sound that is pouring out of my speakers right now. This was not meant to be a flame but when professionals all around the world all agree on the sound quality of a unit (regardless of price) and a handful here decrying negatives that are not present in the listening of everyone else (At least none that I've spoken to) a flag goes up. So far I hear nothing that is "a bit strident or bleached". I hear weighty, three dimensional purity at the edge of the most satisfying sound I've heard. I am using extremely neutral cables and and power cord. It's possible that the cabling some here are using in association with the dac-1 is more "revealing" than they are honestly natural and balanced. BTW, One of the systems here are the formidable, original Todao Horn system hand tweeked to perfection that is 105db efficient. No product can hide from the resolution and detail these speakers uncover. One more BTW, If anyone is in the Santa Barbara area and would like to hear audio history at its best e-mail me. These are easily on par or better than the now famous Klangfilm pair that pop up at the shows on occasion.

Again, Benchmark dac-1 GOOOOOOD!!!

Richdobs,

Back on track. To answer your initial question, the latest version is the one with a stepped volume control. Been out about a year. There is also a version with less output impedence upon request from the factory for passive folks. There is a mod that Steven at Resolution Audio does that bypasses one of the coupling caps and some wiring by jumping them with Bybees at the output. This is even better than the lower impedence change from the factory because you are losing a couple of stages and gaining the incredible benefits of the Bybees right at the outputs.
That was probably more than you needed to know but maybe helpful to some others.

Redkiwi,

I'm curious about something. I agree generally with your assesment of the limitations of the benchmark (when going through the volume control). But did you audition the benchmark set in the "calibrated" position? We found that the sound became bigger, smoother, clearer, more layered, with tighter, stronger bass. Actually, better in every way when swicthed from "variable" (volume control in) to "calibrated" (volume control out). The funny thing is that the output level drops slighlty when switched to "calibrated". At first you might think that the signal is going through another stage, but I believe the output level drops slightly because you are bypassing another gain stage that helps push the signal through the volume control. In "calibrated" position the signal is less degraded and the sound much more convincingly realistic...without ANY digital edge.

BTW, I considered the Lavry blue but it is strictly "balanced"...which is fine. Set up properly the Benchmark is the REAL deal.

Redkiwi,

Why do you want to tame the hype? Its not hype if the statements are true. (Properly set up) this dac is a stones throw (with a good arm) from the most realistic sounding dacs out there. I know of a gentleman who has sold his DCS set-up @ nearly $20k and has had a few bybees added to a few locations inside the dac-1 and he says it is 95% of his (former) DCS. A friend who is a major audio manufacturer and I agree that there are only a couple of areas where the dac-1 falls slightly short of the very best he has ever heard... In overall smoothness and expansiveness. I have spent time with the Forsell turntable and several $10k + dacs. The Benchmark deserves every bit of high praise it is getting. The Benchmark did not sound refined or engaging for a few weeks. But between break-in and allowing it to have the same level of cables as you would put with the best in the world this dac-1 is all the things I've heard and more. Including smoothness and a you are there expansiveness. Even though these two areas fall slightly short of the very best I've heard. And as far the ack dac comparisons there is no way a broken-in, properly set-up benchmark wouldn't sound MUCH better. Just a side-note... I didn't buy my benchmark dac-1 because of the high praise. I bought it because an industry friend that I trust said that it sounded nearly as good as his Audiomeca dac at 7 times the price... before the benchmark was fully broken-in! With my dac-1 there is no "up-front" presentation or "ever so slightly brash" sound whatsoever. It has one of the most out the box sounds I've heard. Tremendous layering and depth. I've had mine for a couple of months and it has astonished everyone who has heard it.
I don't think the dac-1 is hyped. I think its at least as good as the reports and with the addition of a few bybees in the right locations its easily one, if not THE best dac value ever. The Lavry Blue becomes irrelevent because how many people are going to completely change there equipment (to balanced) for a dac. So much for value.

bauhaus_2116,

The mod is done by a gentleman who manufactures his own electronics... not Empirical, and consist of 6 or 7 bybees and some rewiring, bypassing and parts improvements. But 70% of the improvement he says comes from the bybees alone. As the dac has all surface mounted parts it is not recommended that you attempt too much. There is one area that you can easily (with some skill) place a bybee in that is one of the most important spots for bybees in regard to dacs, right at the digital input. The reason it's easy to install is that the input isn't mounted directly to the board. There is actually a wire (the only one in the dac) that goes down to the board that you can cut and install a bybee in the middle of. The other locations include power supply and output but this requires some serious understanding of the circuit.
I am planning to send my dac to him to have several of these mods done. But since you've got a bybee and some skill, place it at he digital input and let know. Be careful, I doubt the warranty will be honored if its apparent you've been in there mucking about. I know there are different bybee devices and there is a specific one he likes at that location but I'm not sure what it is. No doubt though that any of them would yield some improvement.

Dne,

What dvdp are you using now as a transport?

Irregardless of what the Benchmark lit. says, it is as dependent on a good transport as any dac. Also, as with any dac it also needs the best digital cable you can afford. I love the POIEMA!! stuff from Ridge Street Audio cables. It needs time to settle in but it is VERY transparant. The transport that I like is a Wadia something from the early nineties out of a friends studio. But my S7700 that we hard-wired a nice power cord onto sounds nearly as good.

An S7700 that's working properly is at the entry level of truely high-end transports. The digital output on your 500v isn't in the same league at all. My suggestion would be to find an S7700 with as little use as possible as they can develop laser pick-up problems if used enough. If you can find a good one the improvement will be significant.