[TwoEars]

Quote:

 
 
TwoEars,  On this quest I'm not looking for enjoyable sound so to speak.  I'm looking for a revealing sound.

I understand what you're asking for - both the anedio and benchmark and very neutral and revealing.
 
But then there is a difference - where the Anedio is "open, musical, clear and flowing" the benchmark I find "compressed, harsh, tight and overly aggressive" in comparison.
 
The both do the same thing but in very different ways.
 
And don't get me wrong - the benchmark is not bad, it would do for studio work if you want to find every single thing that possibly could sound bad on a recording. But it would never be my choice for personal use.

 

[preproman]

Gotcha..

 

[complin]

Quote:

*****Recommendations Please*****​

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 ​

I'm looking for what I call a listeners DAC for critical listing.  What you might call Analytical or Transparent.  I want it be be highly revealing and very detailed.  Any Ideas?
 
Does the Benchmark DAC1 still fit this bill?

 
The JKenny Dac32 is worth a listen and wont break the bank
https://sites.google.com/site/hifacemods/

 

[complin]

Quote:

 
 
TwoEars,  On this quest I'm not looking for enjoyable sound so to speak.  I'm looking for a revealing sound.

 
The M2Tech DAC is also very revealing if thats what you are looking for http://www.m2tech.biz/young.html
 
It may depend on what you are looking in terms of features inputs/outputs so a pro DAC like the Metric Halo might be more appropriate? 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
The M2Tech DAC is also very revealing if thats what you are looking for http://www.m2tech.biz/young.html
 
It may depend on what you are looking in terms of features inputs/outputs so a pro DAC like the Metric Halo might be more appropriate? 

 
 
AES input
 
Balanced outout

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

 
 
TwoEars,  On this quest I'm not looking for enjoyable sound so to speak.  I'm looking for a revealing sound.

 
Lavry might fit that bill better than anyone.

 

[googleli]

The old generation Esoteric offerings may suit your needs - say, P-01 / D-01.
Quote:

*****Recommendations Please*****​

 ​

 ​

I'm looking for what I call a listeners DAC for critical listing.  What you might call Analytical or Transparent.  I want it be be highly revealing and very detailed.  Any Ideas?
 
Does the Benchmark DAC1 still fit this bill?

 

[Solude]

Quote:

AES input
Balanced output

 
Not sure why AES matters since your transport doesn't likely have one but... PS Audio PWD2 w/ 2.1+ firmware.

 

[customcoco]

Quote:

The old generation Esoteric offerings may suit your needs - say, P-01 / D-01.

where can you find a 01 setup at a reasonable price?

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
Not sure why AES matters since your transport doesn't likely have one but... PS Audio PWD2 w/ 2.1+ firmware.

 
 
Offramp 5 or Alpha USB

 

[DaveBSC]

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
 
Yes Dave,
 
I've been looking at this.  For this particular rig I guess it's come down to:
 
 
Master 7
Lavry DA11
Banchmark DAC1:  what's the benefit of this high current op-amp?
 
 
                                            DAC1  DAC1 USB   DAC1 Pre
 
 

State-of-the-art LME49860/LME4562 high-current op-amps

NO

Ouput stage only

Throughout entire analog stage

 

[grokit]

The Yulong D18 has AES/EBU; perhaps not expensive enough to qualify however.
 
http://www.audiophilechina.com/cp-show.asp?C_id=236&S_id2=37&s_id=38

 

[Golfnutz]

I think a used MSB Platinum III would be a good choice. They go for around $3K used (w/remote). Nice detail retrieval, includes both AES input and Balanced output.

 

[googleli]

Quote:

where can you find a 01 setup at a reasonable price?

 
In Hong Kong, the price is more or less fixed at distributors. There are rarely used ones for sale - the last set I saw on the Hong Kong market was around US$50,000 (UV version).