What other hi-fi company would introduce an important new product, with big improvements in specifications and several important new features, by questioning whether those improvements are likely to be audible? Nevertheless, there are some situations where the DAC2 can provide an audible improvement.' DAC1Is There an Audible Difference?' Their answer: 'The noise and distortion produced by is well below audibility in normal operating conditions. When they released the DAC3's predecessor, the DAC2, they published an Application Note titled 'Benchmark DAC2 vs. The contrast between Benchmark's relentless focus on engineering (about which I will have more to say forthwith) and this cable manufacturer's negligence was striking.īenchmark is so focused on engineering that the company routinely releases new products with changes they don't expect you to hear. When my friend called, I'd been deep into writing this review of Benchmark Media Systems' DAC3 HGC digital-to-analog converter, which lists for $2195$305 less than a pair of those interconnects. Punch line: Those cables retail for $2500/pair (footnote 1). This demonstrated unacceptable quality control. While both channels of the interconnect pair caused hum, one caused louder hum than the other (we'd switched channels to make sure). We traced the problem to the (balanced!) interconnects connecting the new preamp to his DAC their stray capacitance and inadequate shielding made them an effective antenna for random, stray electrostatic fieldsnot what my friend was wanting to listen to just then. He'd installed a new preamp and was getting a lot of AC hum. I regret the cynical snake-oil salesmanship, bad thinking, and clumsy engineering that pervade certain parts of our hobby.Ī couple of days ago, a friend invited me over to help him solve a problem with his system.

High-end audio is about experiencing musicthat's the whole pointbut scientific and technological rigor lie behind every real advance, past and future. I respect both sides and am skeptical of both extremes, and I like to think that's how most audiophiles feel. Much has been written about the divide in high-end audio between subjectivists, who trust their ears, and objectivists, who believe that anything not scientifically proven is fake news.

Benchmark headphone amp