Benchmark DAC 1 still a good buy today?

I was able to audition one for a few weeks recently and my impressions were very good.  I'd say it's still a good piece of kit if you can get a used one for a good price.  That said, I havn't seen used prices drop much on these, which is likely another good indication that it still holds it's own in the market.

The DAC1 is still one of the top DACs. There aren't very many DACs or headphone amps with flatter frequencies, lower THD+N, or less jitter. Better measurements would be beyond audibility anyway. You might want to buy new to try it, Benchmark has a 30 day return trial.

That said, it's pretty expensive and you can get comparable quality for less. The DAC1 is backed up by extensive measurements though, so if you get one you know the specs aren't lying.

Consider the Cambridge DacMagic, Matrix Quattro, CEntrance DACmini, even the Asus Xonar Essence STX if you use a computer as your source. Personally I think I'll be returning my DAC1 for the Xonar and an Objective2 DIY amp. I had a thread in the Sound Science section asking for DAC recommendations if you want to track it down. These were some of the stars.

The DAC1 has been around a while, yes, but it's a studio product first and foremost and they don't tend to have such a vicious update cycle as consumer gear. Benchmark seem to focus more on incremental updates (DAC1 USB, DAC1 HDR, etc) so I doubt you'd buy one today and find a new one released tomorrow. That's just gut feeling of course, I don't have any insider information to back that assertion up. 

I purchased my DAC1 in 2007 for around £850 (that's 1380USD at today's exchange rate) so I would expect to see a used unit (non-usb) coming in at £600 or less - these things tend to hold their value well because of the studio equipment thing and because there's little to go wrong with them.

You can read my review of my DAC1 here if you want some more impressions: http://www.head-fi.org/products/benchmark-dac-1-pre-preamplifier-dac-headphone-amp/reviews/4348

Good luck with your purchasing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DjAmTraX 

Besides, in/outs and features, are all the DAC1 the same DACs and sound the same?  I really don't need the preamp or remote.  The lowest $999 version has the same performance as the HDR?

As far as I know they all use the same DAC unit. I only researched the cheapest version though.

No way. There are tens of better options today. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DjAmTraX 

This DAC has been around for a long time.  Do you think it's still a good buy or should I wait for a DAC 2?  If I do buy one, I would get a used on without USB.

Not a bad price for the condition:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlconv&1317926097&/Benchmark-DAC-1

You see them hover around the $6xx. mark for non-USB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cortes 

No way. There are tens of better options today. 
 

 

Such as? 

I think a used DAC1 is very competitive at 600.00. Solid HP amp, solid DAC, flexible and well-built and you'll sell it on for pretty much what you paid. The USB model seems to be the sweet spot if you don't need the pre-out/remote capability. 

o

I have a DAC-1 and it drives my Sony MDR-SA5000 and AKG K701 headphones admirably via toslink. Definitely recommend one if you can snag one used sub $700.

How about the Matrix Quattro Dac? Has a lot of similarities build wise and it sounds great. 

Can learn a bit more about it here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/564028/matrix-quattro-dac-unboxing-and-initial-impressions

Please name a few as I'm very interested in products with similar DAC 1 features, quality and price point. Your listening impressions are a +.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cortes 

No way. There are tens of better options today.