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In Reply to: RE: Matrix Mini i v2 out and Benchmark HDR in posted by raya on June 10, 2015 at 19:04:55
Another thing:
"I've read and heard continuous good things about the Benchmark" - I guess you haven't been reading this forum all that much then.
The real question is how it performs against competition in the same price range, not against a budget product at fraction of the cost.
If I had to guess, the lack of "organic sound", when used as DAC, will get more noticeable over time. One of the first generations of DAC-1 - not saying it's the same thing, but design philosophy sure hasn't changed much - survived at my home for 2 weeks, before being sent back where it came from.
Follow Ups:
The opamps have changed since the first edition DAC1 (which is now quite an old design based around an obsolete DAC), so the HDR will sound subtly different to the original DAC1 which used NE5532 opamps exclusively. My HDR uses LME devices (49720 throughout) even though Benchmark originally indicated strategic use of alternative opamps in their marketing.
The emphasis with Benchmark products is on neutrality and technical excellence and so you wouldn't expect them to have a "wow" factor or draw attention to themselves. I have one to monitor the output from a Benchmark ADC1 for my recordings via headphones, but have also used it as a temporary preamp to drive a Bryston 4BSST/MartinLogan Summits directly and compared it to my reference DAC (NAD M51). Tonally they are similar, but perhaps not quite as good as my reference in terms of "realism". However, when listening to music for pleasure (rather than analysis), it is more a matter of taste and not something that is distracting. I believe this is largely down to the choice of DAC and SRC (which is active the whole time). The analogue section (and digital for that matter) are very well designed (coming from an engineer's perspective).
As these are designed for professionals, they are designed to be as neutral as possible and therefore won't be to everyone's taste - after all it's disappointing to spend money on a component and not "hear it"....
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
I've gotten more mileage into the unit now and can give a better account of its signature. This unit is very detailed with excellent resolution and extension. It turns on a dime but reveals reverb trails nicely. It doesn't seem to add color to the instruments and subtle changes made to your mix are easily discerned. Overall it will provide a clean, razors edge, view of your recording that will draw you into the music while laying bare all aspects of the recording. It does not romantize your recording but rather gives you a very clear picture of what's there, warts and all. For me, that's a good thing. I like to add my own sugar to my coffee. For that duty I would rather leave the sweetening to my preamps or amps.
Bass is well extended and punchy. It is not bloated nor does it leave notes hanging, thus blurring them together. Each bass note can be discerned from the other when there is a run or walking, or if the kick is layering, and or doubling.
Vocals are revealed for what is on the track, making it easier to identify the mic used or type of environment the track was recorded in.
High frequencies are one of its many strong points. Rides, Hi-Hats and Crashes are all revealed for what they are. Overtones and primary notes from instruments are there in their full glory.
This is an honest tool that will play back what is on your tracks. It comes in a sturdy, well constructed package, has gobs of inputs and output and does its job in first class, workman like fashion. However, for someone looking for a DAC that is more like a crayon this is not for you. It will not make your recordings more romantic or fix problems elsewhere in your system. For that you will have to shop elsewhere. But for someone who is looking for what it brings to the table, this might be the unit for you and now that Benchmark has released the DAC2 these are going for a great price on the used market. You can even buy a refurbished unit from Benchmark at a greatly reduced price with a warranty.
Well....my question is how it sounds against the Matrix because that is what ir replaced....and the Matrix in turn replace my MSB Gold Link...with upgraded power supply. At this time the jury is out until I've had more listening time.
And, yes I've read and been aware of Benchmark since when these products came out. I've used their products in the field before they even made DACs. I have found use for their products and haven't had any major issues with them.
At this moment I'm listening to a live show I recorded in 24/96 resolution back in 2006 using a pair of Schoeps ccm4"s and a Grace Lunatic V3.it was recorded around 7th row center and this presentation through the HDR initially sounds honest to the source and space.
I've certainly have played some of my multi track maters e.g. an excellent Ivo Papasov as well as Marty Ehrlich Trio, Spyro Gyra, Bill Evans and even David Bromberg. All had some good to very good qualities. But again I'm not going to put too much into my thoughts until I have listened longer.
I've certainly passed the two week period and bloom is still on the rose.
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