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Headphone amp for Benchmark DAC1?

post #1 of 8
10/28/07 at 9:56am
Thread Starter 
I've seen several comments that the DAC1's headphone amp is lacking in some way, and I'm curious as to what I might actually gain from a separate headphone amp. I was looking at the Headamp units, since they at least claim a flat frequency response. What is to be gained by a Gilmore Lite, or a GS-1, for example?
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post #2 of 8
10/28/07 at 10:46am
After the UK head-fi meet im sure that most people would recommend only 1, and this pairs beautifully with the HD-650's:

Graham Slee Solo
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post #3 of 8
10/28/07 at 11:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by adfinni View Post
After the UK head-fi meet im sure that most people would recommend only 1, and this pairs beautifully with the HD-650's:

Graham Slee Solo
And where can I find frequency response measurements for it?
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post #4 of 8
10/28/07 at 11:28am
I think the GS-1 is an excellent match with the DAC1. The advantages of an external amp such as the GS-1 aside from transparency is that it does seem to be able to drive "difficult" headphones such as AKG701 better than the DAC1's internal amp. I would not disagree with folks who have had positive experiences with other amps besides Headamp mated with the DAC1.
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post #5 of 8
10/28/07 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by twsmith View Post
I think the GS-1 is an excellent match with the DAC1. The advantages of an external amp such as the GS-1 aside from transparency is that it does seem to be able to drive "difficult" headphones such as AKG701 better than the DAC1's internal amp. I would not disagree with folks who have had positive experiences with other amps besides Headamp mated with the DAC1.
What do you mean by better?

I'm not discounting anyone's experience, but I'm curious as to what's happening. The DAC1 headphone amp, for example, claims a flat frequency response, very low distortion, and an almost 0 ohm output. What other factors affect headphone amp performance?
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post #6 of 8
10/28/07 at 12:50pm
If you have the DAC1, i recommend going all the way and push it to it's limit by going balanced. I've tried the GCHA, Corda Opera and they both sound great with my DAC1, but the GS-X tops them all.
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post #7 of 8
10/28/07 at 3:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverlethe View Post
And where can I find frequency response measurements for it?
Erm, ask manufacturer

Quote:
Originally Posted by riverlethe View Post
What do you mean by better?

I'm not discounting anyone's experience, but I'm curious as to what's happening. The DAC1 headphone amp, for example, claims a flat frequency response, very low distortion, and an almost 0 ohm output. What other factors affect headphone amp performance?
Well to my ears i heard the hd650's and k701's out of the DAC 1 directly, then the slee solo and heed can amp, and out of the amps they were both just better. i can't explain the frequency response or remember what the exact differences were as i demod soo much stuff, but the slee solo just sounded perfect in the following combination:

meridian g08 -> DAC 1 -> slee solo > hd650's
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post #8 of 8
11/3/11 at 8:12am

Hi, I'm Benchmark's applications engineer.  Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

 

Best,

Elias

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