ADC1 Review - John Gatski, Pro Audio Review
ADC1 - "The Benchmark ADC1's sonic qualities are stunning"
"On original recordings of acoustic guitars, including a new Taylor concert-sized 712, the ADC1 transferred all the shimmer of the guitar and sound of the room space that could be heard during the performance, and there was no hint of harshness. The finger squeak decay from the guitar playing to the gradual fadeout of room reverb, this converter relayed all the information that was there. Stereo imaging at these high sampling rates is stunningly open. If you have the caliber of mics and preamps to make the best recordings, the ADC1 captures it in all its glory!"
"For those who are going to use multiple ADC1s for critical recording, I think they will be quite satisfied. For those who want it for archiving, mastering or other stereo tasks, the under $2,000 price per unit should make it attractive for those uses as well."
"Besides the pristine audio of the ADC1, I liked the word clock I/O and the auxiliary output, which parallels the main 24-bit output or outputs a separate simultaneous digital signal at 16-bit/44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. You can record high res and CD quality at the same time."
"The Benchmark ADC1's sonic qualities are stunning; the converter has the ability to realistically reproduce all the fine inner detail and presence subtitles that only the best high-resolution converters can. Impressive. Put a set of these in your Pro Tools rig."
- John Gatski, Pro Audio Review
The original review is no longer available after the merger with Mix, but the following link is a review by Barry Rudolph on Mix Magazine:
Also in Reviews
DAC3 Review - Alan Sircom, hi-fi+
"A Damn Good, No-Frills Digital Converter"
"Benchmark Media Systems’ no-nonsense approach to all things audio is rare today."
"Uniformly Good"
"This is a DAC that’s uniformly good at everything. It resolves well, has good imaging properties."
"It makes a balanced, honest sound that allows you to sit and listen to music for hours. That is what makes Benchmark’s products consistently popular with audio engineers. You don’t want ‘bright’ if you sit at a mixing desk 10 hours a day. "
"Leave No Trace"
"It also has the latest version of Benchmark’s jitter attenuation system (UltraLock3) and doubles down on the digital demon with its multi-mode asynchronous USB system."
"Benchmark also uses the distortion compensation facilities built into the ESS chip to reduce second and third order distortion."
"The net result is a DAC that delivers lower distortion, lower noise, less passband ripple, faster signal switching and locking onto signals and a more linear frequency response."
"The Benchmark Media Systems DAC3 B is very much in the ‘leave no trace’ school of good audio."
- Alan Sircom, hi-fi+
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