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Each of our realities is only a figment of our imagination too.
This is the reason we developed and always use our ABX Comparator. It allows us to do double blind level matched comparisons of almost any aspect of audio performance in a mode that eliminates anticipation bias.
Again, Benchmark misses three of the important aspects of balanced here.Certainly, it is better to have common-mode noise rejection. My own DAC is much better using balanced versus SE. However, the devil is in the details. Most modern balanced outputs are solid-state, not driven from a transformer like in the past and in recording studios. This causes balanced to not really be balanced because the two outputs are never actually the same amplitude. It's impossible. Secondly, because there is no transformer, there is no galvanic isolation between preamp and power amp. This is one of the reasons that I sell my Final Drive transformer isolator. Makes systems sound better. Makes it truly balanced again.Finally, older balanced systems were typically 600 ohms terminated so the impedance of the cable was not as important. Modern balanced inputs are 50Kohms or higher, so this changes everything. Balanced cables, like RCA cables must have low capacitance to sound good now. Dielectric absorption is audible too.Three of the advantages of balanced have been eliminated, leaving only the CM noise rejection, which has limits.Steve N.
I think they adequately explained the benefits of balanced vs. unbalanced rather well. The noise floor of the DAC3 and AHB as a combo is better than the vast majority of gear available. The one set of gear that exceeds the Benchmark set is Devialet. Check out the specs of the Devialet Expert 220 Pro:Distortion at Full Power: 0,0005% THD+NSignal-to-noise ratio: 130dBThe idea of inserting the DAC into the amp solves a lot of problems with cables, noise, etc. For digital only playback, only need digital input cables, which balanced cables are not required.
If all you care about is specs and measurements, you will be missing out on a lot of great audio quality IME.Steve N.
Specs and measurements are vital to getting superior sound. It's not possible for a audio piece to sound good if it does not measure well. In the case at hand, the two brands mentioned (Benchmark and Devialet) are two of the absolute best regarding measurements and specs. Not surprisingly, both are pretty much universally praised for superior performance by the audio community.
In the case at hand, the two brands mentioned (Benchmark and Devialet) are two of the absolute best regarding measurements and specs. Not surprisingly, both are pretty much universally praised for superior performance by the audio community.
Universally is a stretch. Lots of DACs that beat the Benchmark IME.Steve N.
Not in my universe. The Benchmark may have superior measurements but the sound is sterile with no magic, which can't be measured but you know it when you hear it. (to paraphrase United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart) A system with magic is what we all strive for, trying out, buying and selling equipment in search of that elusive goal, some find it and some never do.Audio Myth #1: A system that has excellent measurements sounds excellent.
onto the next set of myths: Vinyl Vs Digital
Not based on specs, measurements, and the various reviews, all of which are very positive. This especially true at the price point of the DAC.While I appreciate your expertise and background, this starts to get into subjective vs. objective evaluations. At that point, one gets into room acoustics with speaker interaction, recording quality, etc.
Agreed!"If it measures good and sounds bad—it’s bad. If it measures bad and sounds good, you’ve measured the wrong thing." Daniel R. von Recklinghausen, Chief Engineer, H.H. Scott.
I modded Benchmark DAC1 for almost 10 years. I reverse-engineered it. I know a lot about their designs.
I feel the need to include other forms of storage too!Wax Cylinders, 78's 45's reel to reel, Mono 33 1/3 Stereo 33 1/3, Elcassette, SuperBeta, S-VHS, laser disc, Cassette, 8 track Minidisks, CDs, DVD-A, MP3, downloads, streaming, higher definition downloads, plus in car.... Then comparing live.. where? Concert hall, jazz club, stadium, auditorium, bar, dinner club, living room, kitchen, bedroom, garage.
Let's just stick with vinyl for now. Frequency Resolution:Simply not true. It took awhile to fully understand this, but the reality is, digital playback is constructed from specific points, and the waveform is smoothed out to create the sine wave.
That's the theory. If you sample at at least twice the highest frequency, you theoretically can recreate the original waveform. That's why they use 44.1 kHz, sampling twice 22 kHz.Is the waveform actually exactly the same as the original? Therein lies the controversy.
In my experience, the problems come from artifacts created by the processing, and riding on the AC.. Plus jitter adds to the mess.Fully HALF of he problems are connected to the power supply.. IMO at least.
