LA4 - "Best of RMAF 2018"
"RMAF 2018 was really good, with significant numbers of attendees, and more new-product introductions than I remembered ever seeing there."
"Led by engineer John Siau and based in Syracuse, New York, Benchmark Media Systems has built a sterling reputation for making compact, well-engineered, moderately priced electronics that challenge the state of the art, both on the test bench and in the listening room. The prices of their well-known DACs hover at around $2000, depending on features, while their AHB2 power amp costs $2995. So when Benchmark brings out a new product, it’s pretty much mandatory to take a look."
"The LA4 has two pairs each of single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs, a volume attenuator with 256 steps of 0.5dB each, and a front-panel touchscreen with which you can select such options as channel balance, screen brightness, naming inputs, etc."
"What I took notice of were the specifications: total harmonic distortion of less than 0.00006%, and a signal/noise ratio exceeding 135dB from 20Hz to 20kHz."
"If those claims are true, and there’s no reason to believe they aren’t -- Benchmark gear has always performed as specified on the test bench -- the LA4 should be about as transparent-sounding a line-stage as you can find at any price."
"The LA4 is shipping now -- I want us to get one to review."
- Doug Schneider, SoundStage! Hi-Fi
