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KMair
05-08-2008, 18:04
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac1pre/

Just read a really good review of this piece in the Absolute Sound. It appears to be a great value and am considering buying one as soon as funds are available. Do any of you own or possibly auditioned this item? Any info will be appreciated! Thanks!

StanleyB
06-08-2008, 07:00
I was so underwhelmed by it that I designed my own DAC/pre-amp/head-amp at less than a quarter of the price. Do a google search of Beresford TC-7510 and see how mine stacks up against the DAC1.

DHT
06-08-2008, 09:11
I thought you just bought them in from China ,I am pretty sure I have a link to the manufacturers site somewhere, they make quite a range of dacs.

StanleyB
06-08-2008, 19:15
Any suggestion that I buy them in China are pure lies.
The factory you probably refer to is our factory in Taiwan. UK manufacturing is costly, which in turns would mean a hefty additional premium on the price. We make a lot of stuff, but I only sell the DAC from the UK these days. We only make one DAC by the way, not a range of them. So you are probably confusing me with someone else. Maybe Ori from OMZ, with his Zhaolu conversion?
When I sold it from the factory in Taiwan, customers in Europe used to get hit with massive import duties and Customs charges.

The worst thing about all these false rumours about me buying the DAC in from China is the ignorance of all the hard work put in by a number of people on the various forums towards helping me design and build a better product over the last few years.

The MK3 sound signature and headphone noise improvements were largely down to our own JLAND100.
The MK6/3 design changes can be credited to Alex on wigwam and his Chord64 DAC.
Some of the power supply improvements are down to John (Thru) from this BB. He is better known for his work with the Denon 103 and tone arm weights. See the DIY section on this BB for example of his skills.

I think that they must be seething with anger every time they read any mention that I buy the DACs in from China. Those three guys alone spent endless amount of time helping me with the design and improvements.

Stan

Primalsea
06-08-2008, 21:46
Hi Stan, Was it you who used to sell the Phono amp with input extender and passive volume control. Its in the same design of enclosure as your dac. I got it on Ebay but there was a web site, I think it was called Homehifi.

I have one of those and was quite impressed by the quality. I had to make some minor changes to make it really sing but overall very good.

StanleyB
06-08-2008, 22:59
Yep that's me. I dropped the phono pre-amps from my site due to ever increasing competition from Chinese companies on eBay price wise. But I have been asked to bring back my MM/MC version after Revolver started selling it under their brand name at 5X my original price!
Maybe I should find out what tweaks you made, before I put it up again for EU buyers:;).

Stan

Primalsea
07-08-2008, 06:05
Sorry to take this thread off topic Kmair. Probably best if I open it up and send a pic to you Stan and keep this as a separate topic.

As for the Benchmark Dac, I can't comment. I find these days I don't but it unless I have either heard it many times or have tried before I buy. Most good dealers will let you buy one on the understanding that you are only going to try it and will return it in about a week or so for a refund.

gary
07-08-2008, 08:07
Hi Stan
As you no doubt know naim cdps have a very distinctive sound my point to this is that though your dac is getting very favourable reviews from people on naim forum will it significantly change the sound of a naim system, I am looking at changing from CDX to computer based source however I bought naim cdp to start with because of the way it presented the music they seem to be quite laid back players not the in your face presentation that a lot of others have. What can I expect from using your dac instead.

Regards

Gary

Marco
07-08-2008, 08:25
As you no doubt know naim cdps have a very distinctive sound my point to this is that though your dac is getting very favourable reviews from people on naim forum will it significantly change the sound of a naim system...


Gary,

How are they connecting Stan's DAC to their Naim CDPs in order to "significantly change the sound" with no digital out connection? :scratch:

Last post before I leave for Glesga! :)

Marco.

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 08:44
Hi Gary, I find that I get more and more emails and phone calls from people who have been using my DAC with PC based music. Just about each one of them mention that my DAC makes PC music sound almost as good as CD. That's kind of hard to imagine TBH, but the first person to make that observation was Gazgam on wigwam more than a year ago.

As for NAIM: I have been fortunate that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Naim owners must have read those threads on the Naim forum. I have dispatched my DAC to Naim owners as far as Japan since then. And I have to respect the views and listening experience of folks who may have a £20K+ system connected to a DAC costing possibly less than any of their interconnects. Did you notice that Naim closed some of the topics once people started writing that my modestly priced DAC was a fair match to their £5K CDP? Even I might have done the same if it was my CDP they were talking about...

But I am a lousy salesman, and that's official apparently! So feel free to try one of my DAC for a week or so on your PC. If it doesn't live up to the hype, you can send it back for a refund (excluding postage). No amount of BS on my part would turn a pig into a princess, so let your own ears and system be the real judge instead.

STan

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 08:47
Gary,

How are they connecting Stan's DAC to their Naim CDPs in order to "significantly change the sound" with no digital out connection? :scratch:

Not their CDP, but their system. People have been doing A/B testing of my DAC versus the Naim CDP and found my DAC to be no less inferior, apparently. High praise;).

gary
07-08-2008, 10:02
Marco

It is my understanding that quite a few naimees have changed source to mac or pc based system and are getting better results with stans dac than using cds3 cd player others are using larvy dac with similar reviews, Most seem to be waiting on naim bringing out their own dac and if this ever happens I am sure it will sell based on the naim but will probably kill off the cdp range.

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 10:53
Naim should perhaps work with me on a DAC. I have an expensive version in mind, but no funds or market for such a heavy hitter.

Peter Stockwell
07-08-2008, 11:49
Hi Stan
As you no doubt know naim cdps have a very distinctive sound my point to this is that though your dac is getting very favourable reviews from people on naim forum will it significantly change the sound of a naim system, I am looking at changing from CDX to computer based source however I bought naim cdp to start with because of the way it presented the music they seem to be quite laid back players not the in your face presentation that a lot of others have. What can I expect from using your dac instead.

Regards

Gary

I'm one of the Naim CSX/XPS clan that's working towards getting those lossless files on the computer through the main rig. I've taken Stan's buy and try challenge, however i'm waiting for the Dac and the airport express to arrive.

regards

gary
07-08-2008, 12:58
Naim should perhaps work with me on a DAC. I have an expensive version in mind, but no funds or market for such a heavy hitter.

It may surprise you about the market for such a machine Stan, I think a lot of potential customers with already expensive hifi may not even have considered your dac if not for the reviews on this and other forums the logic seems to be that if it's that cheap it surely can't be any good. I have to admit to thinking this before reading reviews. I would suggest making a few mods and advertising (A Special Edition Perhaps) at a consideribly higher price, can't hurt to try.

Gary

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 12:58
however i'm waiting for the Dac and the airport express to arrive.
The DAC is already in France. I expect it to be with you by Saturday.

Stan

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 12:59
I would suggest making a few mods and advertising (A Special Edition Perhaps) at a consideribly higher price, can't hurt to try.

Gary:eyebrows:

gary
07-08-2008, 13:13
:lolsign:

gary
07-08-2008, 13:16
Just a minute do I get commision for this :lol:

Peter Stockwell
07-08-2008, 13:29
The DAC is already in France. I expect it to be with you by Saturday.

Stan

Thanks, Let's hope so :) , but I'll have to go to the post office to get it. Could mean a delay. So much going on with the hifi rig, and so little time before a mothballing in October when the decorators are in!

I thought I'd be on the way to a CDS3 or a supercap or some such at the beginning of the year by this time, but a demo of that kind of gear left me unconvinced! The Technics SL1210 has completely revived my vinyl listening.

I can easily see that audiophools like me will lsiten to vinyl for the hands on experience and the music that's unobtainable on LP will be sampled by somekind of streaming system. I use an iPod in the car, for example, with lossless files, so i'm partly there.

The TC-7510 and AE is a first step, I know popping into the other room to juggle iTunes is going to annoy me, so Im' sure the AE, alone, is only interim.

cheers

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 14:01
Just a minute do I get commision for this :lol:
You are at the right station, but the wrong platform;). I have been toiling on an upgraded version, but using bog standard components so that it doesn't end up being an expensive exercise. But the credit crunch has come the wrong time. So no more Mr. Nice HSBC... So it is still fapourware. Mind you, I got two orders already for something that doesn't yet exist:scratch:. Sometimes I wonder about my beta testers:mental:.

leo
07-08-2008, 14:45
Its a shame there wasn't more diyers/tweakers on here, could start a new thread and post results on various tweaks etc

alb
07-08-2008, 15:24
Lead the way Leo.
Start a thread and see if it catches on.
Someone's going to find it interesting.
Just takes a few people to google ???? tweaks and you got an audience.

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 15:47
Yeah, great idea. I have a few stage mods of interest. All use inexpensive components, and one of them makes me a nice little earner on the side.
I guess I would have to take some pictures etc in order for people to see how to do these things....

Stan

Primalsea
07-08-2008, 17:09
Stan,

Your DAC uses an outboard DC supply doesn't it??

If so why don't you do a beefed up supply for it??

Now I know I was complaining about mains filters in another thread but for a outboard DAC PSU they would be a sensible choice as they current draw is fairly steady and predictable.

It will give existing customers the possibility to upgrade their existing units

:eyebrows::eyebrows::eyebrows::eyebrows:

Just an idea I thought I would throw out without thinking too much about it

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 18:24
Unlike most of those DACs that get sold and shipped directly from China, I have to have product approval for any electrical item sold within Europe. To get product approval on power supplies is a very expensive problem. So I designed something called a Virtual DC power supply. It relies on two capacitors acting as quick charging batteries. Internal regulators sort out the 5 different power supply lines. I ship a 1.7A switched mode power supply with my DAC to puts out 1.7A, but at home I use a 400mA linear power supply.The Virtual DC circuit in my DAC does not need a big external power supply.
You can however use it with a car battery for best noise rejection performance.

leo
07-08-2008, 19:02
Unlike most of those DACs that get sold and shipped directly from China, I have to have product approval for any electrical item sold within Europe. To get product approval on power supplies is a very expensive problem. So I designed something called a Virtual DC power supply. It relies on two capacitors acting as quick charging batteries. Internal regulators sort out the 5 different power supply lines. I ship a 1.7A switched mode power supply with my DAC to puts out 1.7A, but at home I use a 400mA linear power supply.The Virtual DC circuit in my DAC does not need a big external power supply.
You can however use it with a car battery for best noise rejection performance.

Bit like never connected eh Stan;)

leo
07-08-2008, 19:05
Lead the way Leo.
Start a thread and see if it catches on.
Someone's going to find it interesting.
Just takes a few people to google ???? tweaks and you got an audience.


We'll see Al, my next project maybe something like one of these dacs to play with or the new Sabre dac I've had my eye on

StanleyB
07-08-2008, 19:42
Bit like never connected eh Stan;)
The never connected has one severe fundamental flaw. It has a switching black spot.

thrunobulaxx
07-08-2008, 21:01
Sensimilia;16084]Hi Gary, I find that I get more and more emails and phone calls from people who have been using my DAC with PC based music.[/COLOR] Just about each one of them mention that my DAC makes PC music sound almost as good as CD. That's kind of hard to imagine TBH, but the first person to make that observation was Gazgam on wigwam more than a year ago.

As for NAIM: I have been fortunate that a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Naim owners must have read those threads on the Naim forum. I have dispatched my DAC to Naim owners as far as Japan since then. And I have to respect the views and listening experience of folks who may have a £20K+ system connected to a DAC costing possibly less than any of their interconnects. Did you notice that Naim closed some of the topics once people started writing that my modestly priced DAC was a fair match to their £5K CDP? Even I might have done the same if it was my CDP they were talking about...

But I am a lousy salesman, and that's official apparently! So feel free to try one of my DAC for a week or so on your PC. If it doesn't live up to the hype, you can send it back for a refund (excluding postage). No amount of BS on my part would turn a pig into a princess, so let your own ears and system be the real judge instead.

STan
The Beresford DAc has completely changed the way i listen to music, during the day i switch between the radio channels on sky to internet staitions and WMP and often in the evening if the T/T`s having a rest.
Its by far the most rewarding 99 quid i ever spent on the hobby.
Having tried many ways of powering all models since the Mk3 i have found the 6.3 needs none of them, its wall wart is more than adaquate and a lot quiter than the switched mode maplin one, that i had to disconnect while playing vinyl as it played hell with my phono stage, no such problem with the supplied unit, battery is slightly better but a load of hastle to keep charged up.

leo
08-08-2008, 00:04
The never connected has one severe fundamental flaw. It has a switching black spot.

Everything has flaws mate, the fun part is trying to sort out those flaws:eyebrows:

Peter Stockwell
09-08-2008, 18:16
The DAC is already in France. I expect it to be with you by Saturday.

Stan

Bingo!

thrunobulaxx
09-08-2008, 19:35
Bingo!

Well thats a a whole lot quicker despatch than that KAB outfit Peter :lol:

Have fun with the DAC.

Your feets are sliced BTW.;)

Peter Stockwell
10-08-2008, 09:42
Well thats a a whole lot quicker despatch than that KAB outfit Peter :lol:

Have fun with the DAC.

Your feets are sliced BTW.;)

Have to be fair to KAB, I asked them to wait because of my hols. They shipped thursday last.

I have the AE running and it sounds very good. That's without the DAC. I'm listening to www.tsfjazz.com , it's a 100% jazz radio station broadcasting on air at 89,9 in the Paris area. There's a 128 kbps feed that you can access through the website.

Next up the DAC.

I played golf yesterday, I know my balls were sliced :lol:

cheers

Peter Stockwell
10-08-2008, 10:42
DAC & AE working together. Nice'n'Clear, but light weight it seems, but then my ears haven't burnt in yet ;)

snapper
10-08-2008, 11:11
Hi Peter

IME Stans DAC sounds quite bright and forward to begin with,after a week or so the brightness,forward sound disappears.

It was probably nearly a month before I thought it sounded its best.

:confused:

Peter Stockwell
10-08-2008, 11:47
Hi Peter

IME Stans DAC sounds quite bright and forward to begin with,after a week or so the brightness,forward sound disappears.

It was probably nearly a month before I thought it sounded its best.

:confused:

It doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds perfectly enjoyable. The CDX/XPS has more grunt at present. But, it's been running for an hour two now, and I think it'll be running quite a bit in the future, so I have no worries.
:cool:

thrunobulaxx
10-08-2008, 15:17
It doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds perfectly enjoyable. The CDX/XPS has more grunt at present. But, it's been running for an hour two now, and I think it'll be running quite a bit in the future, so I have no worries.
:cool:

Everone that has had the DAC notices the difference after a coup[le of weeks, and i woukld agree with snapper, its a month before its finally settled down.
I often think how can this 100 quid DAC be partnering what was a 2.6K new pre-amp, but it does, and it does it well.http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb43/thrunobulaxx/DSC02919.jpg

leo
10-08-2008, 16:03
All devices require some burn in, some more than others, its part of the capacitor forming process

BTW some people do find CMOS Delta Sigma based dacs to be slightly light weight

Give it some running in and see how it goes, it should fill out

StanleyB
10-08-2008, 17:01
There is always the Stage-1 mod to take care of the 'forward and mechanical' sound that some system exhibit with my DAC, and the Stage-2 mod to take care of extended bass. Works on the MK1 to MK6/3.
I can supply details to those with soldering skills, or do the mod for a small price.

Peter Stockwell
10-08-2008, 17:43
There is always the Stage-1 mod to take care of the 'forward and mechanical' sound that some system exhibit with my DAC, and the Stage-2 mod to take care of extended bass. Works on the MK1 to MK6/3.
I can supply details to those with soldering skills, or do the mod for a small price.

I'll keep that in mind, but my lightweight remark was based on the 1st five minutes of listening, hardfly fair in my view. At the moment it's making a very fine fist of "Heart of Saturday Night", the Tom Waits song by Holly Cole.

At present I haven't found it Forward and Mechanical.

I have to say I like it , and the missus thinks it's fine wee bit of kit!
:gig:


cheers

thrunobulaxx
11-08-2008, 08:24
I'll keep that in mind, but my lightweight remark was based on the 1st five minutes of listening, hardfly fair in my view. At the moment it's making a very fine fist of "Heart of Saturday Night", the Tom Waits song by Holly Cole.

At present I haven't found it Forward and Mechanical.

I have to say I like it , and the missus thinks it's fine wee bit of kit! :gig:


I knew you would ;)

Its only the owners of DAC`s costing 10 to 30 times more that diss the Beresford, and thats their pocket moaning not their ears.:)

And the dealers who sell them of course.:eyebrows: