DAC1 Review - John Marks, Stereophile

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

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