Reasonably clear, dynamic, two dimensional, and that unmistakenable solid state signature (slightly hard'ish, glary or edgy sound). It reminded me of an upgraded Art DI/O, which is still not saying a lot because it exhibits a similar mid-fi sonic signature.
I like musical notes to start, evolve and decay naturally at a point in free space that is definable. I actually get close to this with a Jolida JD-100, get it in spades with a dcs Elgar/Purcel rig, also get it in spades with a Musical Fidelity Trivista, but just can't achieve it with the Benchmark.
From a Pro standpoint the Benchmark is fine. Two dimensions are all that's necessary here. The Benchmark does do a good job of separating things out and then bleaching out the harmonics so that fundementals are very clear and prominent.
It's not a bad player but, it's not my cup of tea for audiophile music playback. Since preferences play a dominate role with playback equipment, your mileage may vary so don't count it out until you can hear it.
