[drpje]

I have seen the posts regarding the new Airport Express. I have a Powerbook and just ordered the Airport Express It seems that to get the best sound I should purchase an external DAC. What are the main differences between the Channel Island VDA-1 and the Benchmark DAC-1 The Benchmark seems to be newer but costs a lot more. Is it worth the difference in price and is the difference audible. I will be using the DAC with the Airport Express as well as the Denon 2900 universal player. Thanks

 

[tyrion]

I have an airport express and the CI vda-1. To me it sounds great. I have never heard the Benchmark dac-1 but it is supposed a great sounding dac. I am sure one of the owners of a benchmark will chime in. The nice thing about the vda-1 is you can have it modded by Dan Wright for about $175 plus shipping. He does some nice work. My music hall cd-25 was modded by Dan. I may have my vda-1 modded but first I am going to purchase the vac-1 power supply. Adding the ps is supposed to help. The airport express is a very cool device.

 

[kunwar]

It would be best to listen to both if possible.
The Benchmark DAC is the a ver neutral dac, very clear gives you everything on the recording and i mean everything.
So to speak, It is one hell of a DAC.
I will not go on about its merits.
In my sig my setup is listed.
I aspire to colour my sound using headphones and not the components before it.
The headphone amp and the DAC in my case are very neutral and clear in presentation.
I don't know how people describe the sound of the VDA
Frankly I don't check out sources or for that matter amp or the headphones in my case, simply because I am totally satisfied in my knowledge that the setup is giving me exactly what I want.
I have heard other amps and dacs as well.
All those auditions have pointed out to me how the presentation I look for would not be possible or mimicked on another setup.
The Benchmark is a first class investment and worth every penny.
I still can't believe how good the sound is for the money.

 

[Nospam]

I hope no one minds me reviving this thread, but I was hoping someone here has actually listened to the two DACs and could provide some input.

I read in some other threads that the DAC-1 has a pretty good headphone amp built-in. If you go with a VDA-1 and a good amp, you're getting into the price range of the DAC-1.

So, I'm wondering two things:

1) How much better is the DAC portion of the DAC-1 vs VDA-1?
2) Just how good is the amp portion of the DAC-1? Comparable to a PPA?

Please help me spend my money wisely

 

[tiberian]

i will try to answer the 2nd part.
the amp of the benchmark is almost as good as a emmeline xp-7 ($495), that's like the cost of a basic PPA.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

In general my experience has shown excellent source + very good headphone amp > very good source + excellent headphone amp.

 

[Graz]

Huh?

Quote:

the amp of the benchmark is almost as good as a emmeline xp-7 ($495)

Sorry Tiberian, but I almost snorted coca-cola outa my nose when I read that one...

You're telling me that this $150 module here...

...is nearly the equivalent of an xp-7? I find that pretty hard to believe actually, but I'm interested to hear what personal experience you're basing this statement on...

If it's truly "all that", I'd love to buy one of these modules, wrap my own enclosure around it, and create my own emmeline xp-7 killer for less than half the price.

Peace,

Graz

 

[Zoide]

I don't know about the claim that the Benchmark amp > XP-7, but for sure we need to clarify that $495 is not like the cost of a basic PPA. It's definitely under $400, especially if it's a "basic" PPA.

(though I'd like people to think so, since I'll probably sell my PPA to get a SuperMacro when it comes out officially

)

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graz Sorry Tiberian, but I almost snorted coca-cola outa my nose when I read that one... You're telling me that this $150 module here... ...is nearly the equivalent of an xp-7? I find that pretty hard to believe actually, but I'm interested to hear what personal experience you're basing this statement on...

That $150 module is very similar in topology to the XP-7, even down to the output buffers. It's actually even a little more complicated than the XP-7. If anything, that module is the "better value" just judged on parts alone, but that's not the whole story.

The economies of production are different. The Benchmark module is wave soldered and mass-produced in decent quantities, likely in China. The XP-7 is hand assembled in very small quantities. Also, obviously, the Benchmark module doesn't come with a custom silkscreened metal case or battery holder. The XP-7 also uses higher quality caps and resistors and has a very careful layout.

Note that I'm not saying either one sounds better. I haven't heard either one, and parts alone are rarely indicative of sound quality, but price definitely is not, especially in this case.

 

[tofu]

i too am interested in these two dacs. i don't care about the headphone amp because i do not use headphones (just have a pair of lowly hd280).

i'm going to be using the dac like this:

av-710 -> DAC -> mcintosh mc250(amp) -> klipsch la scalas (speakers)

choosing has become even more complicated because the VDA-2 is just on the horizon, and i don't see too much info about it to help me distinguish whether or not it will be worth the $300 upgrade over the vda-1.

i've been seeing benchmarks on audiogon go for $600-700 used.

i don't think there are any retailers that carry the vda-1, and i'm not sure how/where to go about demo'ing a benchmark. it would be a bit hard to get an idea of hwo it performs if i can't bring it home to use on my own setup.

 

[thomaspf]

The Lavry Back DA10 might be another option to look at.

It comes with a discretely build headphone amp and an interesting digitally controlled analog volume control.

Cheers

Thomas

 

[tofu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomaspf The Lavry Back DA10 might be another option to look at. It comes with a discretely build headphone amp and an interesting digitally controlled analog volume control. Cheers Thomas

i could've sworn i read somewhere on these forums that the lavrys don't come with toslink inputs. is this true? i wouldn't want to have to go out and buy another $100 soundcard. these things add up

 

[thomaspf]

There is a cheaper solutuion to that problem.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/a...s.html#pof-830

but the DA10 comes with an optical input so this should not be a concern.

http://www.lavryengineering.com/productspage_da_10.html

Cheers

Thomas

 

[tofu]

thank you. i will research this lavry black some more.

 

[TheReds]

If i were to just get a DAC-1 for the time being (a tube amp to follow in a year or so), how do you think my HF-1's would sound being driven directly out of it?? I would be using the dig out of my Audigy 2 ZS.

Good times,
TheReds