Benchmark DAC 3 HGC or RME ADI-2 DAC


I will be buying a new dac, in order to replace my Lavry DA10. I am satisfied with the sound of the Lavry, but it lacks a remote control.
If I do, it will be one of the two mentioned as I am familiar with brands from studio applications. The RME seems like the obvious choice. It has some EQ ability which would be useful to me, reviews about the sound quality compared to everything else are pretty positive, and it's about half the price.

  So which would you choose and why? I'm wondering what I may be missing that might justify the price of the benchmark?
128x128wengr
In your place I'd order both from an online pro dealer, compare them in my own system, keep the one I like more and return the other.

Both are dead silent, high resolution, low distortion designs, with the Benchmark having a few dBs lower noise floor, but it's of no consequence to sound quality.

If you plan on driving the amp direct the RME offers a 6.5dB lower max analog level compared to the Benchmark (+1dBu vs +7.5dBu @ 0dBFS on the XLR outputs), so with the Benchmark you might have to use more digital attenuation depending on your listening level and the whole DAC-amp-speakers gain structure.
Thanks for the response. Yes I will be driving the amp directly. It will be a Bryston 4B cubed, so the system will be: transport - dac - Bryston 4B3 - Focal 1038Be.

You make a good point about the output level and the need for digital attenuation. And herein lies the main subject that I wish to understand between the units. When I purchased my Lavry, it was described as having a digitally controlled analog volume circuit. Meaning as I understand it, that the signal attenuation occurs in the analog domain, but is controlled digitally, as opposed to with an audio pot. 

   Now, provided that is correct, it seems that the DAC3 HGC is similar, and that is what they mean by "hybrid gain control".
I do not know how the RME differs in this regard if at all (even after inquiring on the RME site), and in the event that it is different, I don't understand the pros and cons of the different volume control methodologies.
No, the Benchmark's HGC is hybrid in the sense that its analog inputs are kept analog and the volume control is done in the analog domain, while for its digital inputs the volume control is done in the digital domain. So there is no AD conversion of the analog inputs.

Both the RME and the Benchmark (for its digital inputs) control the volume in the digital domain.

An advantage of the Benchmark would be that its analog inputs would allow you to use it as a preamp in the future if you add a phonostage or a DAC without volume control.
The DAC3 volume did not have enough granularity for me to be happy with it. It was rather coarse in the steps available. If I remember correctly I was not entirely happy at low volume. The new Benchmark preamp is supposed to be a big improvement on the volume.

https://benchmarkmedia.com/collections/preamplifiers