Caiman+Gator v Benchmark DAC1 - initial impressions

[magiccarpetride]

The Benchmark DAC1 is a stunning DAC for the money – some would say a true giant killer
(http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/benchmark/dac1.html)
I have been using one with my Cyrus CD Xt se/PsXR for a goodly while and have been/continue to be amazed by it’s clarity, detail and bass control.

I have also been a great fan of the Beresord DAC’s (see my review http://www.avreview.co.uk/review/rev...6/v/1/sp/#1361)

– at the price point surely nothing to compare. The Caiman is a great improvement in all areas over the earlier TC-7510 IMHO and with the upgraded PSU is also a giant killer. But, to my ears lagged behind the Benchmark DAC1 in terms of detail and overall musicality and so I have been using it with my Wadia 170i (shortly to return from Audiocom having had a full work over and TeddyDock PSU) and my DVD player.

Enter the GATOR board for the Caiman and the game has changed

Stan sent me a GATOR a few days ago and even I had no problems swapping it in in 15 mins. Straight from cold I could tell this was a significant upgrade to the standard Caiman in terms of detail and dynamics. After 3 or 4 hours of playing/warming up it just got better in every way. The sound stage blooms and has better 3D presentation, PRaT is spot on (to my tastes) and I am definitely hearing more layers/detail. I now find myself preferring the Caiman+Gator to the Benchmark. I would hesitate to say one is “better” than the other but while accepting it’s all pretty subjective the Caiman+Gator has (nearly) all the qualities of the Benchmark but it “sounds more like vinyl” whereas the Benchmark has the “digital” sound. I guess what I mean is the music is fuller/warmer – not as “in your face” but again it’s very subjective.

The only area to my ears that the Benchmark wins over is in bass extension. Deep piano chords (Einaudi’s Nightbook is a good example especially after seeing a live performance to compare) the Benchmark goes lower and reproduces deep harmonics better than the Caiman+Gator. However, I understand from a post by Stan that the addition of a couple of capacitors to the Gator board will take the bass down lower.

At the end of the day in my system there is precious little to choose between the 2 DAC’s and I find myself preferring the Caiman+Gator over the Benchmark. The only significant difference is the price – by my calculations even with upgraded PSU you can buy 3 Caiman+Gators for every Benchmark DAC1 so if that’s not good value for money I don’t know what is.

For what it’s worth I am using digital coax cables supplied by Mike Homar which are the best I have heard and an absolute steal at the price he charges.

Steve

Hi Steve, I read your comparative review with interest, because I too am a big fan of Gatorized Caiman and have found out that it is capable of proudly standing shoulder-to-shoulder with many of its older, more expensive brethren.

My question regarding your Caiman: how much has it been in use before you put the Gator board in?

The reason I ask is because I found out that Caiman does need a lot, and I mean a lot of burn-in time before it can reveal its true capabilities. Especially in the area of deep bass reproduction. I was keeping my Caiman on a constant burn-in for weeks on end, and was detecting continual improvements with each passing week. In my experience, this DAC goes through several stages of noticeable improvements, especially after hitting a few remarkable milestones. The first milestone I've noticed was at about three days of constant burn-in -- that was the first moment when I heard the DAC blossom and open up.

Following that, after a week or so of constant burn-in, the DAC took the overall sound to the next level, with extended bass and smoother highs.

But it wasn't until almost a month of constant burn-in that I've started noticing a monstrously revealing transparent soundstage that this DAC can offer. So, in my opinion, this DAC needs lots of time to mature in your system.

Once there, and fitted with the mandatory Gator board, it is indeed a formidable force to recon with, as I keep reading on my friend's faces a look of astonishment when they come over and listen to this cheap DAC which doesn't lag in any way behind the ones they're using, but have paid almost ten times more.

[MartinT]

"void if warranty removed"

An interesting concept

[MartinT]

what is curent thinking on the "best" linear PSU for the Caiman?

The SuperTeddy works extremely well with mine.

[MartinT]

15V DC input

There are two internal regulators, one is 12V DC & the other 5V DC

As I remember it, the original op-amp reg was 10V. Replace them with high quality 12V and 5V regs of your choosing (I use the Dexa New ClassD regs), replace the reservoir cap with a fast poly and you can push the input voltage to 16V as I do.

[CanDAC]

Hi Steve,

As a former Benchmark owner myself, I can relate to your story. The difference with me was that the Caiman outperformed my DAC 1 virtually out of the box. It just seemed more musical and provided greater detail. Since then, I've done all the Tirna mods plus the Gator. They aren't even in the same league now. I just keep waiting with eager anticipation for the next goodie Stan has up his sleeve!

[StanleyB]

As I remember it, the original op-amp reg was 10V.

That's the TC-7520. The Caiman uses a 12V reg.

[MartinT]

That's the TC-7520. The Caiman uses a 12V reg.

Ah yes, thanks for reminding me.

[RochaCullen]

Hi Stan,

How much is it to order the fully loaded Caiman, i.e., with Gator and PSU?

Nathan

[worrasf]

Hi Steve, I read your comparative review with interest, because I too am a big fan of Gatorized Caiman and have found out that it is capable of proudly standing shoulder-to-shoulder with many of its older, more expensive brethren.

My question regarding your Caiman: how much has it been in use before you put the Gator board in?

The reason I ask is because I found out that Caiman does need a lot, and I mean a lot of burn-in time before it can reveal its true capabilities. Especially in the area of deep bass reproduction. I was keeping my Caiman on a constant burn-in for weeks on end, and was detecting continual improvements with each passing week. In my experience, this DAC goes through several stages of noticeable improvements, especially after hitting a few remarkable milestones. The first milestone I've noticed was at about three days of constant burn-in -- that was the first moment when I heard the DAC blossom and open up.

Following that, after a week or so of constant burn-in, the DAC took the overall sound to the next level, with extended bass and smoother highs.

But it wasn't until almost a month of constant burn-in that I've started noticing a monstrously revealing transparent soundstage that this DAC can offer. So, in my opinion, this DAC needs lots of time to mature in your system.

Once there, and fitted with the mandatory Gator board, it is indeed a formidable force to recon with, as I keep reading on my friend's faces a look of astonishment when they come over and listen to this cheap DAC which doesn't lag in any way behind the ones they're using, but have paid almost ten times more.

I've had the Caiman about a year but I suspect in that time it's probably had little more than about 100hrs use so I reckon lots of improvement to come.

Steve

[maniac]

The SuperTeddy works extremely well with mine.

Hi Martin, are you using some DYI linear PS with SupperTeddy regulators? I was browsing thru Teddy Pardo power supplies, but none seems to be ready-made for Caiman (15v).

Or if I should put it in other way - is someone selling Caiman compatible power supply with SupperTeddy regs or simmilary good PSU ?

Thanks!