[nae45ro]

Benchmark is the one I have now but I do not feel is a perfect match to my HD800 headphones. Although the Benchmark has plenty of resolution, the sound is pretty bright and fatiguing in time while the mid-bass and sub-bass seem to flat for my tastes. At this time I'm upgrading the amp from Bada PH-12 to a Sonett but I'm also seeking a better source at reasonable money. The 2 other players are said to be pretty smooth sounding wich I think will be a good match for the very detailed HD800. So, here's the questions :

1) Do you think any of them will better my Benchmark in sound quality and wich one would be your choice (Bare in mind we're talking about the older versions of both palyers)?
2) How do the 2 players compare at reading scratched discs and how reliable are they in time (this is important as I will buy one second hand wich means they can have 2-3 years of use)?

Thanks !

 

[Todd R]

I had a DAC one hooked to my SA11-S1 and had the outputs of both hooked to different inputs on my pre-ap.
The Marantz is better, especially if you remember to turn the digital output off when not using it.

 

[nae45ro]

That's pretty cool, knowing the Marantz can be had for a little more than the price of a new DAC-1 now ! Can you define a little the differences between the 2 ? Also, what amp and speaker/headphone were you listening to ?

 

[Todd R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nae45ro /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's pretty cool, knowing the Marantz can be had for a little more than the price of a new DAC-1 now ! Can you define a little the differences between the 2 ? Also, what amp and speaker/headphone were you listening to ?

The Marantz was more detailed and was generally better all around.
The funny thing about the Benchmark is the headphone output is overly bright, while the line out is a bit on the dull and fuzzy side.
Pretty weird if you ask me.

Anyway I've had my Marantz for over 2 years now with no urge to replace it.
Headphones were HD-650, ER-4P.
Speakers are Merlin VSM-MMe, BEL amp, deHavilland Pre-amp.

 

[nae45ro]

I totally agree on Benchmark's brightness. I would like to keep its detail while adding some refinement to sound. I also feel the lower side of the spectrum lacks both level and speed !

 

[Dr.Love]

You could try a Bel-Canto Dac2 and a headphone amp.

 

[nae45ro]

From what I've heard, Bel Canto is very similar to Benchmark in sound !