Reviews

DAC2 HGC - "Pure Perfection"

"The sound as converted by Benchmark's DAC - rather than the external DAC I usually use - was so much better that I pretty much on-the-spot decided that I was going to replace my own DAC with a Benchmark DAC2 HGC. Once I'd decided that, I realized that ... I could simplify my system ... by getting rid of my preamplifier as well. For me, this was an epiphany ... I finally understood what the concept of the Benchmark DAC2 HGC's existence was all about: it's about reducing the component count in your system, and about keeping analogue in the analogue domain and digital in the digital domain. Pure perfection."

"Investing in a Benchmark DAC2 HGC will involve getting rid of the pre-existing notions you have about what components should be in a high-end audio system ... you should now be thinking Source(s) - Benchmark DAC2 HGC - Amplification - Loudspeakers. That's it."

- Ernest Denman,

SMS1 - "I Easily Preferred the Benchmark"

"I easily preferred the Benchmark SMS1 to the other three loudspeaker systems, for both the classical and the popular recordings. It provided the largest and most spacious soundstage, the most precise imaging, with solo vocals accurately placed in the center of the stereo image."

"If you’re in the market for a small, accurate monitoring system, the SMS1 deserves serious consideration."

- Gary Galo, Audioxpress

DAC2 vs DAC1 - "Prepare for emotional impact"

"The DAC2 measured specifications are a significant improvement over the already very impressive DAC1, due to the very high resolution ESS SABRE DAC, better components and improved circuit topology."

"However, the impressively improved measurements don't really prepare for the emotional impact of music played through the DAC2. Improvements in objective aspects of performances are there: I can hear keyboard, voice, drum, string and jazz saxophone articulation, timbre and instrument sound much more clearly. The intention of the artists through the mechanics of their playing is much more clearly audible."

"But the communication of emotion is even more greatly improved. Jazz swings better. Classical storms, soars and sings better ..."

- Jeff Chan, jeffchan.com

AHB2 - "I Have Never Come Across a More Emotionally Involving Amplifier"

"In my 25 years of of experience with mostly tube amplifiers of all sorts, I have never come across a more emotionally involving amplifier than the AHB2.""In my current setup with Benchmark DAC2 HGC/AHB2, I am driving a pair of Klipschorns with a 105 dB sensitivity..."

"This amplifier keeps me on the edge of my seat in excitement and anticipation ..."

"I almost exclusively listen to classical music and much of it in hi-rez, but I have to say that well-recorded CDs are also much more enjoyable and listenable now than before."

- Karsten, audioasylum.com

DAC2 DX - "Sonic Performance in an Entirely New League"

"The sonic performance of the DAC2 DX is in an entirely new league when compared to the DAC1 (I still have a DAC1 USB available for comparison). First, the tonal balance is extremely neutral, without any of the DAC1’s brightness. The DAC2 DX also has a harmonic richness which, by comparison, I find somewhat lacking in the DAC1."

"Since I reviewed the OPPO BDP-105 in audioXpress, I’ve been searching for a reasonably-priced D/A converter that will actually improve the OPPO’s performance as a stand-alone player."

"The Benchmark DAC2 DX is a hands-down improvement over the OPPO as a stand-alone player, especially in the areas of inner detail, soundstaging, high-frequency airiness, and bass. The extreme low end is both deeper and better controlled than the OPPO. Dynamics, across the spectrum, are excellent."

"Benchmark’s goal in all of its products is ultimate precision and accuracy, and the DAC2 DX tells the truth about every source it’s fed, while being free of unmusical artifacts sometimes associated with digital audio."

- Gary Galo, audioxpress

DAC2 and AHB2 - "Absence of Noise and Distortion ... Beautiful Cloak of Silence"

"It is so incredibly hard to put into words the experience that the DAC2 → AHB2 → Revel Ultima2 Salon setup produced. There was simply no distortion, no noise, just a blank stage. Regardless of genre, vocals and instruments popped to life and they did so with a almost true-to-life 'you are there' feel to them."

"The Salons are some of the most capable full-range speakers on the planet. When paired with the AHB2s in bridged mono, bass notes were the cleanest, most detailed, and most controlled I’ve ever heard out of the Salon2s."

"The delicate notes of violins resonated precisely, perfectly laid out and you were able to discern the tonal character of the strings and the warmth of the violin’s body. The resonant timbre of brass notes was spot on. The entire orchestra came together in a coherent, dynamic whole. If this is high-res music, then I will take it with joy every time. There wasn’t a single note where the DAC2/AHB2 combination didn’t bring out the immaculate character of the Salon2s. Crescendo!"

- The Poor Audiophile

DAC2 DX - "Exceptional Value Award"

"The DAC2 projects a sonic image that reaches from floor to ceiling."

"The DAC2 also throws a huge soundstage and mines a lot of ambient detail from high-resolution recordings."

"Its versatility takes the value to another level, making me nominate this one for an Exceptional Value Award and give it an enthusiastic recommendation."

- Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio

HRA System - "One of the most rewardingly clean, natural, and engaging sounds at the show"

"At under $10,000 total, this system offered one of the most rewardingly clean, natural, and engaging sounds at the show."

"From the soup of the DAC2 HGC, AHB2 amplifier, and SMS1 monitors to the nuts of the speakers stands and system cabling, everything in the room was produced and sold by Benchmark. This was my first experience of listening to how the company actually intends their gear to sound."

"AXPONA presented me with my first chance to sit down and listen to something familiar. A neat Bruce Brown reworking of Neil Young’s “Old Man” hit the hard drive, and we took the system for a tear-jerking spin."

"Hearing it all put together makes clear just how massively Benchmark has refined their skills."

- Mal Kenney, Part-Time Audiophile

DAC2 HGC - "Sound Quality - Hey... Wow!"

"A high grade, high resolution, highly neutral DAC is an essential foundation point for any music system. If you are a serious music lover (you do not have to be a professional, or call yourself an audiophile), who wants to get the very most out of your playback system, I think you owe it to yourself to check out the Benchmark Media Systems DAC2 HGC."

"If you are interested in assembling an audio system to playback high resolution audio, the DAC2 is an essential starting point. You will need the exceptionally low noise, high linearity and exceptional clarity that this DAC has to offer before you can enjoy everything that high resolution digital audio has to offer."

- Rob Stewart, JustMastering.com

DAC2 HGC - "A Clean, Precise Presentation"

"This Benchmark is a fine performer. The first quality that grabs our attention is its tonal balance. It’s as even as we’ve heard from a DAC at this price, giving each part of the frequency spectrum just the right amount of emphasis."

"Rarely do we hear a recording laid bare this way; subtle instrumental strands are easy to follow and aren't lost when the music gets complicated."

"It’s a clean, precise presentation but avoids the clinical edge that often goes along with such an outlook."

- WhatHiFi.com

HRA System - "Beautiful Midrange and Well-Defined Extremes"

"The big news in the familiar-looking Benchmark room was ..."

"The AHB2 high-resolution power amp has been further refined."

"The crossover of the SMS-1 The Benchmark loudspeaker has been changed."

"The DAC2 DX adds pro connectors and dual output busses to familiar and well-regarded electronics."

"The sound was especially impressive from such a small loudspeaker. Keb Mo sounded great, with a beautiful midrange and well-defined extremes."

- Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile

DAC2 HGC - "Competes and Wins Against Anything at Any Price"

"Several readers have asked me how the OPPO HA-1 stacks up against my Benchmark DAC2 HGC. I can say that I love both but…"

"The Benchmark DAC2 HGC is a reference quality converter and functions as well as a preamplifier. It competes...and wins...against anything at any price ..."

- Mark Waldrep, realhd-audio.com, aixrecords.com

HRA SYSTEM - "The Whole System was Under $10,000 and Just Killed"

"I've enjoyed the Benchmark Media Systems rooms over the past few shows when they've shared their room with Studio Electric using their excellent sounding speakers."

"This time around, Benchmark were showing not just their excellent DAC2 L, but also their new AHB2 100 wpc amp and SMS1 speakers. With the exception of real deep bass (though certainly more than you would expect from speakers this size) this system the sound was smooth, expressive, dynamic and rich."

"The whole system was under $10,000 and just killed."

- Steve Lefkowicz, Positive-Feedback.com

AHB2 - "Revealed a whole new layer of chorused vocals, reverb trails and swirling ambient space"

"Playing the new Beck LP, the AHB2 revealed a whole new layer of chorused vocals, reverb trails and swirling ambient space. Pretty impressive."

"One of the highlights for me was hearing the Benchmark amp in my own system ... paired with my DAC2 HGC. I was pretty stunned by what I heard. I expected quiet, resolution & transparency. What I didn't expect was the way the system relaxed and allowed the music to just flow." 

- Russtafarian, audiocircle.com

DAC2 HGC - "The One to Beat"

"The Benchmark Media DAC2 HGC is one of those components that not only raises the bar, it forces the entire industry to step up their game and move forward."

"While one can expect a fantastic digital to analog converter from the same creators of the classic Benchmark DAC 1, it’s hard to believe this company would also turn out one of the better sounding analog preamps I’ve heard. Combine the fact that you also have a reference class headphone section, and you now have a piece of equipment that is the one to beat."

"Easy recommendation from New Record Day!"

- NewRecordDay.com

DAC2 HGC - "Turn the PC Into a Hi-Fi Platform"

"Few devices are consistently praised in the audiophile community. The Benchmark DAC1 is one of the chosen few."

"The DAC2 is an entirely new device. It leverages what is one of the world's highest-end DACs, the ESS ES9018, adding to it, among other things, custom jitter-reduction logic."

"It lives up to its Hybrid Gain Control name by implementing separate volume controls: digital for digital inputs; analog for analog inputs."

- Filippo L. Scognamiglio Pasini, Tom's Hardware

DAC2 HGC - "One of the Highest Resolutions I have Measured"

"Note that I've had to extend the vertical scale to –160 dBFS to reveal the noise floor. The drop in the level of the noise floor with 24-bit data indicates that the DAC2 offers 21-bit resolution, which is state-of-the-art performance."

"With the very low level of noise and superb linearity, the DAC2's reproduction of an undithered 16-bit tone at exactly –90.31 dBFS was essentially perfect."

"Even driving a very demanding 600 ohm load, the DAC2 offered very low levels of analog distortion, with the third harmonic the highest in level, at –116 dB (0.00015%). Other than the second and fifth, all the other harmonics lie at close to –130 dB. Intermodulation distortion was also superbly low, again even into 600 ohms."

"Summing up the Benchmark DAC2 HGC's measured performance is easy: It's simply superb."

- John Atkinson, Stereophile

DAC2 HGC - "Fantastic Resolution, Even Tonal Balance, Engaging, Up-Front Perspective"

"What would normally be merely a pop song's background rhythm guitar was brought to the fore by the DAC2, allowing me to appreciate the subtle voicings and strumming patterns."

"The DAC2 HGC is a step forward in every way from Benchmark Media's DAC1 models."

"It offers easy computer interfacing, a myriad of input options, remote control, and solid build quality, all from a company that has been around a while, and that stands behind its products."

"The DAC2 HGC is a fantastic value in terms of its sheer musical ability. It offers fantastic resolution, an even tonal balance, and an engaging, up-front perspective on the music."

"I can safely predict Benchmark's DAC2 HGC will be a hit."

- Erick Lichte, Stereophile

DAC2 HGC - "The Best of the Best!"

"2013 Positive Feedback Writers' Choice Award"

"What an achievement! ... its incredible versatility and over-achieving sonic performance make it more than extraordinary!"

"This DAC just about has it all, ultra versatility and smooth, seductive sonics approaching state-of-the-art. It was such an over-achiever, I put my money where my mouth is; I bought it!"

- Greg Weaver, Positive Feedback

DAC2 HGC - "Sonically as Neutral a DAC as I Have Ever Heard"

"The Benchmark DAC2 HGC is sonically as neutral a DAC as I have ever heard. It borders on a somewhat light sonic texture with absolutely no digital hardness or extreme brightness. The sound is quite detailed and well defined with no warmth or added richness. One attribute of the DAC2 HGC I enjoyed was its very well defined and articulated bass."

"What I enjoyed most about the Benchmark DAC2 HGC was the way it handled native DSD files. DSD playback added richness to the sound with additional midrange weight that added realism to the reproduced music."

"The DAC2 HGC was a pleasure to listen to with PCM and especially with native DSD files."

"Its acoustic honesty and functional precision was easily observed and appreciated."

- Steven Plaskin, Audio Stream