Reviews

DAC3 HGC - "At the Top of its Class ... Highly Recommended"

"I’m immediately struck by the way the depth presented by the current model immerses you in the recording."

"Having put the DAC3 through its paces with a wide range of tube and solid state amplifiers for The Audiophile Apartment, as the core of a high performance, yet highly compact system, the DAC3 is a charmer, indeed."

"The three-dimensionality is the best I’ve achieved on my reference system."

"This is a special digital product indeed."

"Since the introduction of the original DAC1, Benchmark has set the industry on its ear..."

"We gave the original DAC1 our first Exceptional Value award in issue 3, and the current DAC3 HGC is an equally good value, earning this award again in 2017."

- Marck Marcantonio, Tone Audio

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

AHB2 - "A Solid and Convincing Image"

"From the get-go, the amp lives up to its design specs by providing a very clean presentation. The Benchmark does a good job of layering vocals and instruments in all dimensions, with each element supported by a solid and convincing image."

"As desired in a studio setting, the sonics from the AHB2 are neutral, and in my home setup, there is no observable emphasis in any particular frequency range."

"Regardless of music type, bass through the Benchmark offers a taught presentation with the snap and punch one expects from percussion. Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” is engaging through the AHB2, with all the subtle synthesized sounds popping into position in the soundstage."

-Rob Johnson, Tone Audio, December 2014, pages 122 - 129

"In the end, the Benchmark AHB2 can become a great anchor to your system, offering high performance in a compact box. With an extremely neutral tonal balance, you can use it straight, or warm it up with a tube preamplifier, should that be your preference."

"The AHB2 is a stellar performer from a company known for excellence."

- Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio, December 2014, pages 130 - 131



DAC1 HDR - "Tone Audio Exceptional Value Award"

"I am proud to give the latest version of Benchmark’s DAC1 one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2010."

"This is a fantastic anchor to a system in the $4,000 – $10,000 range and one that you will have to pay quite a bit more money to outgrow."

- Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio