which bang for the buck DAC?

Dacmagic - good dynamics, soundstage and extension. Top end a little too hot for my taste.
CI vda-2 - smoother, did everything ok. Transport was a Pioneer 59avi and there was not a whole lot of difference between the pioneer and the vda2 in direct comparison, couldn't justify keeping it. Keces dac was a bit better at less price.
MF a3.24 - best of the lot, a great buy at the used price it sells for.

I've compared the Benchmark to the Apogee Mini-DAC head-to-head. The Benchmark was extraordinary, so detailed it was the musical equivalent of watching bodybuilders ripped for competition.

That is "lean" indeed! FWIW - a DAC needs to integrate with the speakers.

JeanLuc,

What kind of midrange do your speakers have? Is there a dip in the midrange - especially important to check off axis reponse? If there is then you might not appreciate a lean sounding DAC like the Benchmark, as it will just recess lower mids further making the presentation all articulation - all bones and no meat so to speak.

Shadorne, I am using Dynaudio S3.4. Anybody having good results combining using the Benchmark with the Dyns?

MHDT Havana

I am using Dynaudio S3.4

That speaker has a fairly flat response. It will probably work with the Benchmark DAC1 without sounding too "etched" or articulate. If you check the reviews on the Benchmark everyone says it is lean sounding particuarly in the lower midrange (even Benchmark states this in the manual). IMHO, this means it won't work well with a speaker that is already tending to recess the mids (lean = Louis Prima's Virginia Ham but lean + lean = anorexic). The dynaudios do not have a midrange scoop and their esotar tweeter is crossed over aggressively low (at 2 KHz) so you should get plenty of forward midrange sound - so you should be OK. (Of course, just return it within 30 days if you don't like the sound - this relatively cheap DAC is available from virtually any guitar or music store or anywhere they sell recording gear)