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  • Digital to Analog Converters

  • DAC1 Review - John Marks, Stereophile

    Stereophile Logo

    Benchmark DAC1 - Stereo Digital to Analog Converter

    DAC1 - "Genuinely High- End"

    "At $850, the Benchmark DAC1 is, in my experience, the lowest-priced piece of digital gear that can give sonic performance that is not just improved mid-fi, but genuinely high-end. There are less-expensive CD-playing solutions, but I think that the Benchmark (and anything else with similar performance) is at the watershed point—unquestionably among the hills that lead to the highest peaks."

    "This column will examine two bits of kit from the polar ends of the price spectrum: Benchmark Media System's DAC 1 ($850), and TEAC's massive two-box Esoteric P-70/D-70 CD playback system ($14,000)."

    "The Benchmark was slightly more articulate in the musical line, and slightly more detailed in spatial nuances, particularly the localization of individual images in space, and in soundstage depth."

    "All you need is a transport to feed the DAC1, a digital signal, a power amplifier, speakers, and a few bits of wire, and you have a stripped-down hot rod of a system that is ready to rock'n'roll."

    - John Marks, Stereophile

    Read the entire review


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    by Benchmark Media Systems September 15, 2023 1 min read

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    DAC3 HGC, DAC3 B - Receive Stereophile's Highest "Class A+" Rating

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    "The DAC3 was all about depths, in several respects...I heard deeper into the music."

    "All I can say is Wow!"

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