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W4S DAC2 vs Benchmark DAC1 my observation

The thread "Benchmark dac - why such diverging opinions?" inspired me to sell my Benchmark DAC1-HRD last week and give the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 a try... short story... I think the Benchmark is a better piece of equipment.... long story you may like the W4S DAC2 better.

I have a good bit of information to write and it will not all fit into this first post. I will post two parts as I go through the process. The first part will be comparing the toslink which is my preferred input and the second part I will get into details on the USB.

Please note I do not have a preamp and both units were used as a stand alone preamp.
james63
james63 OP
534 posts
 
Jerico,

I have never tried an airport express so I can not comment. I only have about 60 hours on my DAC2 but I have not heard much of a change in the sound yet, I am however getting more accustom to its sound.

Please post some comments after you hear "The Brick".

Cymbop,

Tonight I defiantly like the softer highs of the Wyred 4 Sound. My wife went out to a Backstreet Boys concert so I am at home listening much louder than my typical volume (just cause I can..) and my ears would have given up long ago on the Benchmark.

As I listen to my DAC2 I like it better and better but I really do not think it is any better than the benchmark, just a little different. I do not think the Benchmark has the best synergy with the Thiel line however. Thiels can get a little hard anyway so they do not need a hard front-end.
mjbuoni
3 posts
 
I recently added a Benchmark DAC1 to my system with Wyred STP-SE preamp, Wyred amp, PS Audio PPP and Legacy Focus SE speakers. My other digital source component is a Denon 3800 BDCI player.

My observations are improved focus to sound - greater delineation of voices and instruments, increased airiness and ambiance, increased precision to bass, deeper soundstage. Basically, everything top-to-bottom is more resolved. When I go back and listen to the Denon, it sounds a little thicker with softer edges to individual sounds. Here's a thought: sharp edges are represented as high frequency content (Fourier analysis tells us this). Perhaps one cannot have superior resolution without what may be perceived as "brightness" relatively speaking.
mjbuoni
3 posts
 
Also, I haven't experienced anything that I would describe as "glare" to the Benchmark sound. I'm not sure what configuration others are using, but I have found that setting the internal jumpers to 0dB attenuation and using balanced outputs to give a superior and purer sound quality compared to the other default settings.

Cheers,
Matt
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