DAC2 HGC Review - Steven Plaskin, Audio Stream
DAC2 HGC - "Sonically as Neutral a DAC as I Have Ever Heard"
"The Benchmark DAC2 HGC is sonically as neutral a DAC as I have ever heard. It borders on a somewhat light sonic texture with absolutely no digital hardness or extreme brightness. The sound is quite detailed and well defined with no warmth or added richness. One attribute of the DAC2 HGC I enjoyed was its very well defined and articulated bass."
"Playing Jane Monheit’s The Heart of the Matter 24/88.2 (HDtracks) I found that the Benchmark DAC2 HGC did a fine job of focusing Jane Monheit’s voice in the studio soundstage with exceptional clarity. This is a wonderful recording with Jane’s voice highlighted with a slightly up-front presentation. The interplay of the strings, flute, guitar and voice were beautifully reproduced by the Benchmark in the song "When She Loved Me". Each of the instruments were reproduced in their own acoustic space with no blurring of Jane’s voice."
"A fine example of what the Benchmark DAC2 HGC can do when it comes to reproduction of the sonic space of a recording was with the Chesky Binaural+ release C.C. Coletti Bring It On Home 24/192 (HDtracks). This recording captures the acoustic space of the room with a deep and wide sonic presentation of the vocals, guitar and percussion. C.C. Coletti’s blues vocals were floated in this acoustic space with excellent focus as were the accompanying instruments. The Benchmark DAC2 HGC was able to reproduce the three dimensional feel of the acoustic space on this recording."
"What I enjoyed most about the Benchmark DAC2 HGC was the way it handled native DSD files. DSD playback added richness to the sound with additional midrange weight that added realism to the reproduced music."
"This is the first DAC I have reviewed for AudioStream that is priced under $6,000. While my initial expectations were not great, I was surprised at the level of sonic and functional performance offered by the DAC2 HGC. The DAC2 HGC was a pleasure to listen to with PCM and especially with native DSD files. Its acoustic honesty and functional precision was easily observed and appreciated. No doubt, John Siau and his team have designed a DAC that does not have to make any apologies to DACs costing considerably more. At its price of $1,995, I consider the DAC2 HGC to be a solid value."
- Steven Plaskin, Audio Stream
Also in Reviews
DAC3 - Award Nominee - Best Digital Audiophile Product of 2024 (Cost No Object)
2024 Nominees
- Benchmark Media DAC3 B DAC, $1895
- Bricasti M3 DAC, $6000
- Bricasti M19 CD-SACD Player, $10,000
- T+A DAC 200, $7620
- Weiss Engineering Helios DAC, $21,995
"There was some debate about whether anybody can hear the differences above a good Chi-Fi DAC like the Topping D90. Unless you are missing most of your high-frequency hearing, you can hear where a high-end DAC makes a difference."
The Bricasti M3 is a great example of that performance in a $6,000 DAC."
"The Benchmark DAC3 B is an audiophile DAC, with pro audio roots, that punches way above its weight."
LA4 Review - Mike Prager, FutureAudiophile.com
"Benchmark Media Systems made its reputation in both pro audio and audiophile circles by designing gear with extraordinarily low noise and distortion, and selling it at reasonable prices."
"What Makes the Benchmark LA4 Preamp So Special?"
"A high-quality volume control is much of what makes a superior preamp shine, and the Benchmark’s volume control is outstanding. The Benchmark LA4 uses a bank of precision resistors switched by gold-contact relays to set volume in 256 steps of 0.5 decibels each."
"If accurate reproduction is your wish, you won’t find a preamp with meaningfully better objective performance than the Benchmark LA4, especially one made in the United States at anything near the LA4’s price."
"Very few preamps at any price reach the LA4’s level of objective performance."
"On the subjective end of things, the Benchmark LA4 preamp puts the lie to the old audiophile myth that neutrality means clinical, cold, or sterile sound. Instead, here neutrality means musical, involving sound, with precise, stable imaging, a sense of space (if one is on the recording), and exceptionally truthful timbres."
- Mike Prager, FutureAudiophile.com
AHB2 Review - Mike Prager, Future Audiophile
"For years, the audio world acknowledged one main contender (at least at sub-five-figure pricing) for the quietest, cleanest, most neutral power amplifier around. That was the Benchmark AHB2, whose specifications are still, for all practical purposes, unsurpassed, even by today’s excellent Class-D amps."
"10 years after its release, the Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 stereo power amp is still a standard-bearer in clean, neutral sound in the audiophile world."
"I greatly enjoyed having a pair of AHB2s in my system – their purity, neutrality, and seemingly unlimited power provided a clear window on the music and a lot of joy."
"I especially appreciated the AHB2’s smooth, well-integrated treble, free of splashiness or grain, and its natural reproduction of the human voice."
- Mike Prager, Future Audiophile