New Benchmark DAC1 HDR released... - Page 3

getting back to this issue, why is USB such a big deal?

spdif also works at 24/96 and is not 'hard' to do at all.

I agree that 24/96 over usb is somewhat rare but usb is NOT the only way to stuff bits into a dac from a source.

so again, why is this unit costing so much? it isn't the usb issue - that does not justify such a price, imho.

Well the upgrade of the remote is $300 , but interestingly there are no upgrades to the dac itself. However, as far as I know, dac1 usb and pre versions have their differences other than preamp section on pre. Maybe this is why I did not find the pre one too analytical. I might use it as preamp as well, but I do not want to take my chances with some other version like USB, which I did not listen to. Remote is a nice feature to have, but the additional cost of it is too much IMHO. In my home setup, I usually watch tv and living in a apartment in a building and having my better half living with me won't allow me to listen to music the way I like, that is a bit loud So, I prefer a computer setup and headphones...

The better half=headphones/no speakers.
By the way, I'm wondering if there will be some cheaper DAC pre in the used market because of the new version.

Regarding pre on used market, I do not think it will be very cheap, it is still very new, in fact they did not modify anything at all on hdr over pre.

Just curious about the "HDR-VC"

I guess the VR maybe like Spectral audio's "Super Fader Potentiometer"

HDR and DA11

The Benchmark DAC1 HDR and Lavry DA11 seem to match up pretty well against one another. A shootout between those 2 might be interesting ...

Lavry Engineering
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/system...R_cutsheet.pdf

i recently received a dac1 pre and as soon as i found about about the hdr i sent the pre back and am waiting to get the hdr... the pre was great w/ my setup (im running sennheiser hd 650's) through both my hdcd player and my computer w/ wav files i've ripped from cd's.... i also wanted to try the equinox cable so i have one of those on order now... i cant wait to get it b/c listening to my cans thou the iphone or computer really is a let down compared to what the dac 1pre could do

DAC1 HDR in black

Those wondering what the DAC1 HDR looks like in black can wonder no more:

DAC1 HDR | Benchmark Media Systems, Inc.
DAC1 HDR Photo Gallery | Benchmark Media Systems, Inc.

Enjoy!

DAC1 HDR Initial Impressions

I traded in a DAC1 PRE that I had for a few weeks for a DAC1 HDR soon after it was announced. The units are functionally identical except for the remote control.

The remote volume performs better than expected. With this remote, there are three ways to "mute" the volume: dim, soft mute, and full mute.

dim: Mechanically lowers the volume POT to a lower "dim" level. The dim level is user adjustable and moves to stay within full volume level rather than remaining fixed. I like it.

soft mute: Mechanically lowers the volume POT to the dim level, then mutes.

mute/off: Pressing the remote "off" button once causes the unit to mute and indicate mute by lighting all LEDs. Pressing "off" again puts the unit in standby.

on: Pressing "on" returns the unit to an active, full volume state, no matter which mute/standby state the unit was in previously.

I've been playing with all of the remote buttons and mute modes, exercising every possible combination, and the unit consistently performs in a logical manner.

The sound is identical to the DAC1 PRE: excellent.

This is a nicely engineered, well thought out product. Thank you, Benchmark!

i am still waiting to recieve mine ... i ordered the black one which i thought was already shipping thru sweetwater but still nothing... it really sucks to have to listen to my sennheiser hd 650's w/ equinox cables thru my computer

i have finally received it... sounds great so far and the remote is very cool

A couple of things: From what I gather, most people who speak poorly about the headphone amp in the DAC1 have not tried the newer version with the better op-amps. According to Benchmark, it wasn't just replacing the op-amp devices themselves that were changed, but the circuit was optimized around the new OPAs.

Also, several folks are commenting about the price increase when the only new feature is the remote. The volume pot was also upgraded along with the remote capability, and it is supposed to be significantly better than the volume pot (at least for channel balance) than on the previous DAC1s (including the PRE).

I have not purchased one yet. I would really like to see a comparison between the DA11 and the DAC1 PRE/HDR with the upgraded headphone amp.

well i had a chance last night to test this unit out with not only my headphones but also with my stereo, using my computer as the dac to connect it to my preamp... most of the songs that i played i ripped to my computer, to an external harddrive, in .wav format... when i was using my headphones, the sennheiser hd 650's with equiniox cables they really sounded great, but because both my cd players are in the shop for repair (a krell kav300cd as well as a krell kps28c) i figured that id try using the dac1 hdr with my computer as a source for my stereo... i the benchmark into my stereo using one of the rca outputs on the benchmark into one of the rca imputs on my preamp... and the associated equipment i was using with this was a krell kct pream, krell fpb 700 cx, and two b&w 802 speakers... to be honest using the dac1 hdr with my computer plugged into the preamp sounded nearly as good as my krell kps28c cd player; i do not have them side by side to compare them, but it was prob 95% as good, as i played many songs that i know very well and listen to very often... the only thing that i noticed is that when using the benchmark to drive my stereo with my computer as a source that i seemed to be turring the volume up and down more than i would with my other cd player (although i was using the volume on the preamp itself as in this configuration i was only using the dac in the benchmar)... but it really surprised me in how good of a dac it was and when i went from listening to the speakers to the headphones on the same track i did notice that the headphones were not as clear and open sounding as the speakers were playing the exact same track... this leads me to belive that either the headphones themselves could use improvement or perhaps the amp in the benchmark is not sufficent to drive the 650's... i really do not have a clue which it is, but nonetheless the headphoens did sound amazing, but in light of how the dac made my stereo play, it leads me to wonder if adding a better headphone amp would improve the sound.... my next move will likely be with a high end headphone amp but i am still unsure of what i want to go with, as i have been considering both solid state and tubes.... but my overall impression of the benchmark is that it is a great unit, and i really like the remote when using it as a headphone amp, to me it was worth the extra money for the remote... all that said, however, i am using the benchmark now with my computer and headphones playing some springstein and i just have to smile with how good it sounds