DAC3 Review - Audio-Head.com
DAC3 DX - "The DAC3 Hits the Mark"
"Once again Benchmark looks to set its namesake on the field of digital conversion. The DAC3 hits the mark with its acute sound quality and massively diverse application from DAC to pre to monitoring system."
"Replacing a previous generation with only a mild bump in cost, the upgrade makes perfect sense from both a technological standpoint and an acoustic one."
"Both the optical and USB connectivity started up without a hitch – no driver installation is necessary for Mac computers."
"It can fit on nearly any desktop for all-in-one headphone use and slides in under the television without too much fuss."
DAC3 DX with AHB2 - "A Significant Powerhouse in a Relatively Small Footprint"
"If you a take step back its easy to see how the Benchmark DAC3 can handle preamp capabilities just as easily and delicately as its digital duties are executed. Despite the pro styling and design elements, home theater and two channel endeavors are deftly covered much in the same detail-oriented manner as the now-mature conversion capabilities are. It is clearly one of the internal design elements for Benchmark, now offering a matching power amp called AHB2 ($3k) that plugs directly into the DAC3. Loaded into the theater-friendly ELAC UB-5 the pairing made for a very interesting system, one that really didn’t take up much physical space for the power and capabilities held within."
"If we had to categorize the sound of the DAC3 using three words, those words would be precision, precision and precision."
"Truth be told, the ELAC UB-5 never sounded so good as they do with the DAC3 plus AHB2 combination. That speaks volumes ... most DACs sound downright horrible as preamps, but not this fine specimen."
"Partnered with the AHB2 power amplifier, the system represents a significant powerhouse in a relatively small footprint."
"Overall the two part rig was so detailed and acute, resolution practically gushed out of the over performing bookshelf with little to no effort."
"While the combined price tag of over $5k may be out of reach for some, those in the market will find a complete system that pulls together some of the best parts of audiophilia without all the fuss and formality."
"Dynamics were surprisingly tight, quick and responsive in a manner that would make most audiophiles take another look at the “pro” side as a viable category to dip into for some two-channel populace."
"While most surprising may be the pre amp capabilities, the DAC3 would make for a great desktop listening station all on its own. But perhaps its greatest capability is the most obvious, it’s a solid DAC from end-to-end and fine complement to any system needing some additional digital to analog love."
- audio-head.com
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