Speakers are Harbeth P3SER. Really is amazing 75-80 percent of the time, but sometimes the System needs a little warmth, thus the question. |
YY Santanabarbara,
That is so helpful, thanks! I am itching to get that Coda preamp but I just can’t justify it yet. As you know, when the Benchmark is right it is unbeatable! Just once in a while I feel the need for a little more noise! The Gustard DAC sounds great and please keep me posted on the Audiobyte DAC! |
I may take you up on that. Would you sell the Benchmark system for the all Coda System? Tough choices! |
Audiosaurus rex, I have heard great things about the RME dac as well. YY Santabarbara you are absolutely right about the Benchmark Stack. When it’s right it’s transcendent and that is 80 percent of the time. It’s funny, I can pick up a Krell K300i for a good price but I’d have to sell all the Benchmark stuff and I couldn’t do it. Coda is very enticing, but again, I’d have to sell the HPA and I can’t. |
That is an idea I have considered Mapman but I am a little concerned about losing the magic of the P3SERs’s by adding a sub. I would love to try it out though to see how it sounds.
In the interim I may very well play with the DACs to see where that takes me. As YYsantabarbara has stated, the Benchmark gear really is magical when it’s right and it’s right most of the time. With the Benchmark stack it’s hard to believe the midrange magic coming out of those P3SER’s! |
So many great ideas, thanks! I am streaming from my iphone over wi-fi to a Node 2i so maybe that could be improved. I am so itching to hear Coda amp and preamp but I would have to sell the Benchmark stuff. If you haven’t heard Benchmark yet and are in a position to it’s really worth it. Yes, there is no harmonic distortion but if the recordings are good to very good the music, even out of my little P3SER’s is amazing. If you are into tubes don’t bother though. |
So what I am hearing is that I can make an immediate improvement by switching out the Node 2i for another streamer (Aurender, Lumin). I think I can get ahold of some of them from Music Direct, Audio Advisor, etc for a trial. Here is a question though. I am currently streaming to the Node 2i connected to DAC 3B via coax connection. Node is connected via ethernet to router/modem. I am streaming Quobuz through wi-fi from my iphone to the Node 2i. Am I losing anything by doing that? Do I need to connect the phone or tablet via cable to the streamer? Kind of hard if I am moving around the apartment a lot and want to change music.
I am anxious to hear how the Audiobyte works out. |
So it sounds like as long as the streamer/ streamer DAC is connected by ethernet cable to the network, it’s fine if I am communicating with the streamer through my iphone over wi-fi, that is, the phone doesn’t have to have a wired connection to the Streamer. I will try one of the recommended streamers and then add a different DAC into the mix (unless the streamer I chose has a DAC. I also agree with the previous comment that there are limitations to the P3SER but they work well in my System. I will await YYsantabarbara’s thoughts on the Audiobyte. Hearing everyone’s thoughts on this I will wait before switching out any Benchmark gear. The HPA-4 also sounds amazing with my Focal Clear’s. |
Exactly! DAC will probably be swapped first. I read the review YYsantabarbara provided on the Gustard and it sounds like a fantastic option. The reviewer actually liked it better than the Benchmark DAC3 (he liked it better than almost every other DAC) and he was running through an HPA-4. Thanks to YYsantabarbara for the link. I will keep everyone posted when it’s in house (I should say apartment rather!) |
So much disagreement over whether a different streamer makes a difference. I guess the point will be moot if there is a great DAC that has a streamer. I once heard an Ayre Codex that sounded surprisingly good (not a Benchmark system though). I am not looking to better the DAC 3B, just looking for a different flavor. The Sub is also on my list if I can find a place to put it-the fact of life in big city apartment living. |
@yyzsantabarbara , i have the same preference as you with respect to the speaker wire and am using the Audience FrontRow with SpeakOn as well. I also think it bested the Benchmark cables, not by an enormous amount but by enough. The rest is Benchmark XLR. I would love to try the AudioByte but it looks like two boxes which may be tough. It looks like there is a lot of Benchmark love out there and we all seem to want to add a little warmth sometimes, but just sometimes, when needed. Lots of great suggestions for me to try, thanks! |
I previously had the Benchmark cables, then I tried Analysis Plus midrange cables which I liked slightly better than the Benchmark cables. When I swapped in the FrontRow they were better with the P3SER’s than the Analysis Plus but it wasn’t dramatic. The Benchmark System stayed dead quiet with any cables, which is why the Benchmark stuff is so addicting once you get used to it. |
@yyzsantabarbara, I received the cables from a friend of mine who needed a longer run for his set up. The run in my apartment is much shorter. I paid a fraction of retail to him-he was going to give them to me for free! A big win for me but he felt he owed me because years ago I gave him my Conrad Johnson Amp and Sumo preamp and he loved them. Anyway, I digress! Am absolutely going to order the Gustard and maybe towards the end of the year start thinking about Coda again. |
@mrpsync, I think @yyzsantabarbara has said it all regarding the Gustard but I will certainly add my two cents when mine arrives. @yyzsantabarbara, you have really got me thinking about getting the 07x- it just sounds like the perfect complement to the AHB2. Having the ability to switch between the HPA-4 and the 07x sounds like endgame audio to me. I am still gonna get the Gustard absolutely but The combination of AHB2 and HPA-4 and 07x with the Gustard and DAC 3B just sounds irresistible, crazy but irresistible. I am so gonna regret joining this forum! |
I ordered the Gustard x26 pro so we will see how that works with the AHB2 and the HPA-4. My finger is on the trigger of the Coda 07x and it’s twitching. If I could only run both the 07x and the HPA-4 into the AHB2 at the same time so I don’t have to switch cables every time I want to change preamps it would be a done deal! |
@ivanj ,
I agree with you completely, the Benchmark equipment only shows what’s on the recording and that is amazing most of the time. I guess the question I have been pondering is what is the best way to make the Benchmark system more forgiving in those cases where the recording is not so great, or if I just want a different flavor part of the time. You cannot change filter settings on the Benchmark DAC. I have a Gustard x26 pro DAC on order, @yyzsantabarbara has had much success with that DAC in his Benchmark System. My guess is that the Troubador is warmer still and if the Gustard is not to my liking I will try that. People also uniformly rave about the Halo KTE, which is also on the radar. |
@pedroeb, I don’t think of music as sounding “warm” or “harsh”, just different. I used to have a CJ amp with a Sumo Athena pre and when I switched to Benchmark it was night and Day. The Benchmark system retrieves more detail and the CJ system was more fluid I guess. I don’t ever want to change out my Benchmark System/I love it. Only wondering if sometimes I want a different flavor, what’s the best way to do it without changing the whole system, but rather swapping in a different DAC or preamp? |
DEQX HP-5? Never heard of it. Anybody else use it? @mijostyn do you really feel switching out DACs won’t make any difference? Seems like others have spent a lot of time and money switching out DAC’s to get a more “analogue” sound seemingly with success. Again, I think my all Benchmark system is killer, especially with the somewhat warm P3SER’s, but sometimes I would like to hear a different flavor. |
@yyzsantabarbara , I just saw some great reviews of the KEF KC62 subwoofer which does as you stated have an apartment switch and it’s tiny-great for my apartment! Extremely interesting, thanks to you and @mapman for the suggestion. Another thing on my list although I have heard it’s hard to get the crossover right. Have to figure out how to hook it up to the AHB2 but I think I am going to pull the trigger. |
@mrpsync:
I did receive the x26pro and I agree with yysantabarbara, it is an amazing DAC. It is a touch warmer than the DAC3b but I haven’t decided whether to keep it yet-I am very addicted to the DAC3b, which I think is slightly more detailed. To be honest though, I am not one of those people who hear dramatic differences in DACs-though I have never tried one of the Halo or Denafrips DACs. In my system with Harbeth P3’s I think I would probably hear the most difference with a Sub. Since I don’t have measuring equipment though, I don’t know if I could set a sub up properly. I would highly recommend trying the x26 pro-in your system it may sound great and if you buy it on a trial you can return it. |
@mrpsync, I agree with you completely, The Gustard is “prettier” and it is great with the filters. On a good recording though, the Dac3b is astonishing in its presentation. Probably also has a lot to do with the synergies with the AHB2 and HPA4. So many choices! |
Guys, I have come to the conclusion that i do get “tired” periodically with whatever I am hearing and want something different. For years I used a Conrad Johnson amp and preamp and I remember hearing it for the first time after living with a Tandberg amp and PS Audio pre and I thought it was a revelation-tubes is the way to go I thought. Then a dear friend convinced me to try all Benchmark and when I first heard it I thought it was a revelation. Now, after reading @yyzsantabarbara’s comments I want a Coda 07x! I do believe I will never sell any of my Benchmark though. @mrpsync, whichever DAC you pick between the two will be a winner. And a year from now there will be a new flavor we all want and we will go through it all again! |
