All Benchmark System Question

What are the speakers?

BTW that is exactly the system I would love to try in my house so I am envious. 

Speakers are Harbeth P3SER. Really is amazing 75-80 percent of the time, but sometimes the System needs a little warmth, thus the question.

@regg Well I have everything you mentioned. I bought the CODA 07x because it is a bit warmer than the HPA4 and also has dual XLR outputs. It is amazing with my RAAL SR1a headphones which need warmth, though less today with a fabulous new SR1a specific Convolution filter.

I missed the HPA4 on my office floor standers so I have both preamps setup again today in my office with all my sources. I have 15 foot XLR’s on the 2 preamps that I easily change at the amp end whenever I want to use a particular preamp.

So with all that upfront I can tell you that I know exactly how they compare to each other. They are both great preamps. The CODA is warmer and nosier than the HPA4. That bugs me a little bit but it sounds great with music and the hiss is not noticeable when music is playing. The HPA4 is extremely quite so you notice other gear that is not as quiet. You already know how detailed and amazing the Benchmark stack sounds. The CODA 07x makes things a little less detailed and maybe lively. For example, when I listen to Led Zeppelin I prefer the HPA4. As I write this I am listening to some Bobby Womack on the CODA 07x and it is great.

I would not get the CODA 07x in your situation. I would get the Gustard X26 Pro DAC for $1500 from these guys.

Gustard X26 Pro Balanced DAC Preview (shenzhenaudio.com)

It has that extra warmth that the DAC3B does not have. Though on some music I prefer the DAC3B. The Gustard is an incredible DAC and do not let the price fool you.

I just sold the AudioMirror Tubadour III SE DAC and want a replacement for it on my office. Something a little warmer than the DAC3B (for my RAAL SR1a specifically). I prefer the Gustard X26 Pro to the AMT3SE. My Gustard X26 Pro was moved to my downstairs mini system since I brought the HPA4 to my office again. So I was thinking of getting a second Gustard X26 Pro for the office. That is how much of a fan I am.

The other DAC that I am considering is the AudioByte Vox | ZAP at 3x more cost. The 2 reasons for this choice is that the AudioByte was compared with the Gustard X26 Pro by a reviewer I like and he gave compelling reasons to have both DACs. The AudioByte will also fit better in my crowded rack compared to the Gustard. My tastes in audio also align well with this reviewer. Soundnews - Everything about sound

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!

@regg BTW - welcome to A’gon.

I sold my AMT3SE DAC on Sunday, Meze Empy headphones (today), and a KRELL integrated last week so I have an itch to buy a DAC.

I think a better combo than the AHB2 and the CODA 07x would be the CODA #8 and the HPA4. I am going to get the CODA #8 later in the year. I am currently happy with a $1500 D-Sonic M3a 800s Class D amp. It is not as good as the AHB2 but it works better on my speakers. I use the AHB2 on the office SR1a and also my downstairs mini system.

If you want another review of the Gustard X26 Pro send me a DM in A’gon. Someone I know bought the Gustard and wrote me his thoughts on it. Exactly how I felt but he is more eloquent in his descriptions.

BTW - if you get the Gustard X26 Pro (a silver one) and want to save some money via a trade. I have a 2 week old silver Gustard X26 Pro and want to get a black one instead. The seller in China replaced my 2 month old unit because I had an issue with using it as a preamp. It cost me $116 to send by USPS to China and they sent me a new one. Great seller.

I may take you up on that. Would you sell the Benchmark system for the all Coda System? Tough choices!

I would check out the RME-ADI-FS, great dac with Bass and Treble adjustments. 

No, my BM stack is number 1. I have taken the BM gear out (moved it downstairs) several times the past 6 months and always missed it. I replaced it with the following.

- CODA CSiB integrated
- KRELL K-300i integrated
- Gustard X26 Pro as a preamp
- D-Sonic amp

Maybe more stuff that I cannot remember. I liked the above stuff a lot and I thought they were great. However, I always missed the BM stack when I did not have it in the office.

The AHB2 is not ideally suited for my Thiel CS3.7 (even in mono). It sounds very nice but a more powerful amp gives a more impactful sound on these specific speakers. So I do not use the AHB2 on the floor standers but I will never sell the AHB2. 

In a few years, when my young son no longer uses the living room for his gear I will put the BM stack in there with a speaker ideally suited for the AHB2.

I agree with you that the BM stack is not great on everything. I blame that on the source music in those cases. However, in that situation I think my hybrid BM + CODA approach works nicely. If I did not have the RAAL SR1a I think the Gustard X26 Pro alone would solve that 20-30% perfectly.

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.

If 80% of recordings sound really good then you may be hitting the bullseye because some are just not very good. I’d leave well enough alone perhaps unless there is some specific thing on certain recordings of particular interest you know you are missing out on having heard it elsewhere, etc.

I would love to try the all BM stack with my Ohm Walsh speakers. It’s on my audio bucket list of things to try. Anybody out there with that combo?

Maybe  adding a sub properly set up to fill in low end or even with a crossover to offload some work from the little Harbeths would help take things further in the desired direction via addition and tweaking rather than replacement. 

Small speakers can only do so much. It’s pretty much assured you are missing  the lowest octave with any small speaker like that and offloading work from them would probably help them go louder and clearer with less congestion as well. 

That is a great point about the lowest octave.

Here is Benchmarks guidance to hook up subs to the AHB2

REL Subwoofers with AHB2 Power Amplifier - Benchmark Media Systems

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!

@regg I forgot to mention that the store that has the Gustard also has a 30 or 45 day home trial.

I personally want to try the Benchmark stack on the Yamaha NS5000. I think it would be great.

When I demoed Harbeth I thought it may be very good with the BM stack. 

@regg This thread is perfect and I have the same exact conundrum regarding my system.

Although I don't have the HPA-4 I do have the Benchmark Dac 3L and two AHB2's feeding my speakers (Raidho D1.1) and I too was considering adding the Audio Mirror Troubador to add some euphonic color/ warmth for those recordings where the instruments seems get in the way of the music and seems a little flat.....it's almost to precise if that makes sense. It's not necessarily a bad recording issue so much as just distracting or boring.

Anyway, you got advice from @yyzsantabarbara whose input I value (a lot) for all things Benchmark:) so now I'm going to have to check out the Gustard x26 pro too, so thank you both for that nugget. The truth is I have a hard time distinguishing between Dac's so I want a quality Dac on the opposite end of the spectrum of the Benchmark strengths to see where that gets me.

Sub's next.

Good luck

In my experience you can venture a bit too far in the too detailed / analytical direction and that all recordings will sound better with better less analytical component(s) more musical. I would start at the signal source, if that is harsh and cold then everything else takes on that cast. For instance a high quality music streamer is going to sound leagues better than a PC. If the source is excellent then move to the DAC. But the key is not to look at this as a 20% of the recording problem... this is a whole system problem. There are bad recordings... sure... but it is easy to have a system that makes all recording sound good,.. just some are not as good as others.

Mhdt might be another good choice for a different sounding DAC. 

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.

Definitely start with the source then. See if you can borrow one of the less expensive Aurender Streamers. The difference will be jaw dropping. Also try Qobuz streaming service… free for a month. I started digital streaming about 15 years ago… incrementally upgrading all components piece by piece from an iPod on both my headphone system and main system. I held off the longest on getting a dedicated streamer… it’s only spitting out bits, right? Wrong… it is the source… everything that follows is completely dependent and contingent on it. It is the key source like in an analog system… the TT, then phono stage, then preamp… etc. they all matter, but a noisy poor start equals highly amplified carefully crafted poor sounding stuff. I recommending at least as much as any other component. My streamer is about 20% more than most of the other components in my system components and well worth it! I got there incrementally so know the intermediate steps.

My digital end is now very comparable to my high end analog end.

These streamer suggestions are great. I had a great improvement in my sound when I went with a Ubiquiti network switch ($200) and fibre optic cable directly from that to my Sonore OpticalRendu. Then from there USB to my DAC.  

When I first heard this setup I was amazed at how much an improvement over my 5 year old Sonore microRendu. I actually bought a second "OpticalRendu for ROON Only" ($999) for my AudioMirror DAC. My streaming quest is now done.

I have a noisy network with my music server on a cheap computer far away in another room. That room is setup on my home network by a PowerLine subnet. So nothing anyone would say is noiseless. However, when the bits get to that last mile before the DAC I believe the fibre kills the noise. Otherwise, my setup should sound awful.

I am going to buy the AudiByte VOX | ZAP DAC next week. It has built-in streaming that is supposed to be advanced (on the not yet available HUB module). It will be interesting to compare the OpticalRendu with the built-in network streaming on the AudiByte.

If the source is bad then on the BM stack the sound is bad.

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.

You connect your streamer directly to your network, either by eternet cable or buy a wifi extender. You plug the extender next to your equipment and plug a short Ethernet cable into that. You can get a little extender that plugs into the wall like a wall wart. Then you use an app on your iPhone, or preferably iPad to control the streamer. I works incredibly well. Aurender has a great app that shows all your music… Qobuz, any you place on the streamer storage, and any that happens to be on your network storage. It does an amazing job of integrating all the music you have access to. It will cashe it so it can help make up for any short network latency. The better the streamer the more it makes up for network issues.

@regg the Aurrender does not support ROON (if that is important to you).

I had the pretty cool ROON READY Matrix Audio Mini-I 3 Pro DAC in the house for about 6 months ($899). I sent it off to my buddy who does not want to struggle with streaming. It has a lot of streaming choices.

I tried 3 of them and compared.

- built-in network streaming using Ethernet
- my old Sonore microRendu via USB
- built-in WiFi on the DAC

The first 2 wired setups sounded a bit better and was infinitely more reliable. On Wifi I would have music playing for a few hours then all of a sudden the music got all scrambled and I had to restart the DAC. There are some posts on streaming threads that give some arguments as to why WiFi is bad for streaming. The only company that I know that advocates for WiFi is the well regarded Auralic.

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.

I will be surprised if changing streamers as suggested makes a big difference but you never know. With your high resolving gear perhaps. I’d try a different DAC at the source first, but that’s just me.

Also trying USB from streamer to DAC rather than coax or optical might be worth a try.

I’ve always used wifi for my hifi related network connections and find that works very well though there is a school of thought that says wired is better but also more subject to noise issues I suspect and hence also more problematic if so especially with a highly resolving system.

Regardless, I’d try the cheap/easy tweaks first before making any expensive changes with streamer. Just me. I’d also look at the sub option. Do it right to properly isolate and integrate the sub as needed (not hard) and that’s a clear win to start with. All you need is a sound meter app on your smartphone and a white noise internet station source to stream to get a sub integrated in pretty well. Of course with more bass there is potential for more room acoustics issues, but adding a sub to small speakers like those in a system like yours is likely most always a very good move.

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.

Whoops did you say apartment?
Sub might not be a good idea in that case where there are neighbors nearby. 😉

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!)

I got permission to post this mini review of the Gustard X26 Pro. The A22 referenced is the Gustard A22. The A22 seems to sound like the DAC3B.

Now for the X26 PRO:

The X26 PRO is potentially the warmest sounding DAC I have ever had in my system. It literally makes digital sound closer to the warm sound of vinyl than any DAC I have had. However, this warm sound does not eliminate detail. This DAC passes more detail than any DAC I have ever had, period. It is an entirely different experience listening to this DAC compared to the A22. The X26 PRO has a seductively warm sound while presenting low level detail that is difficult to comprehend.

I am generally not one to get off on details in a recording that were not intended (like cars going by in the background that were caught by mics in the recording). But I was listening to Tin Pan Alley (SRV) on Couldn't Stand the Weather, and approximately 7 min and 30 sec into that song there is what sounds like a car horn go off in the far, far right deep in the background. I have probably listened to that track 50+ times, and I never, ever noticed that. Seriously, check it out. I first heard it on my hi-rez vinyl transcription. I literally had to replay that part several times as I thought originally it was a car horn coming from outside my house. I then went on to check the CD version of this album (as perhaps this was an artifact of the vinyl version). And sure enough it is in the CD version as well. Not quite as prominite, but I could still hear it without straining.

The X26 PRO has a better soundstage. I think one of the hardest things for components to do is create an image in the deep rear corners (outside of the speakers). The X26 does this better than the A22. My speakers disappear in the soundstage better with the X26 than the A22. The X26 also offers a wider soundstage.

The X26 has better overall micro and macro dynamics. At low volume levels the X26's sound is so good and seductive.

Anyway, I could go on, and on. But the bottom line is that the X26 PRO is in a different class of DACs from the A22. The A22 is a great DAC for $1250. But at $1500, the X26 PRO is an entirely different animal. If you want a more neutral sound, the A22 is more neutral. But if you want a more vinyl kind of warmth with digital, the X26 PRO is an amazing value and performer at $1500.

I will add to this with my review. 

A great DAC

@mapman The new KEF sub has a feature for apartment use.

@regg This is one of the very first reviews on the AudioByte VOX. He has actually reviewed the HUB but I believe he could not publish it in Feb 2021. AudioByte likely asked him to hold of until they get the production issues sorted out (Covid related).

Audiobyte HydraVox 1-bit FPGA DAC Review - Hail Hydra! (soundnews.net)

I would not recommend getting a combined streamer / DAC since if you wish to upgrade one you end up swapping the other. Provided you are serious about your pursuit. I think your current equipment confirms you are. Each component is a critical one to the system.

yes, you would control your streamer with your iPhone through your network. But the streamer itself would communicate through the Ethernet wire to your network. . 

It is always good to have a mix of equipment and speakers for different sounds and moods and just to hear a different presentation sometimes.

Regg
i have the Benchmark amp with the Dac3 and Harbeth SLH5 Anniversary.
Still dialing in the “ perfect” placement but at times I feel the same as you that I want a touch warmer tone/sound.
Detail is amazing, sound floor is dead quiet…
The seller of the Harbeths told me that he had great success with Triod Wire Labs speaker wires… warmer overall. His second choice was the LFD Hybrid wire which is sold by the USHarbeth distributor.
I currently use the Benchmark wires and am thinking hard about getting some Triod wires.
They might be that small adjustment you ( and I) are looking forward.
cheers
Z

Guys like @atmasphere say that if the gear supports the AES48 balanced standard (like Benchmark) different XLR cables should not effect the sound much. I feel that way with the Benchmark gear. I use the BM XLR between the preamp and amp (15 feet). The source to preamp are all Audience AU24SE expensive XLR cables. I had these Audience cables from long ago and compared them with the BM XLR’s. I thought the AU24SE were a little better, though that could be phycological because I spent a ton more money on them.

Speaker wire from the AHB2 to the speakers had a big effect on the sound. I tried 3 different cables and my preferences from most to least.

1) Audience FrontRow (with SpeakON termination)
2) Audience Conductor SE
3) Benchmark speaker cable with SpeakON

BTW - I did test the DAC3B with the headphone amp so that I could eliminate the 15 foot preamp to amp cable from the test

BTW2 - I have a warm sounding SONY SCD-1 SACD player from 20 years ago hooked up to the HPA4. It has never sounded better than today. I did not like it as much on the CODA 07x. Maybe too much warmth.

A mea culpa for me on the CODA 07x preamp making a hiss on my floorstanders (not RAAL SR1a headphones). This was really bugging me and some other folks on WBF were telling me they do not have a hiss. So tonight I removed my D-Sonic amp and put in a single AHB2 with the CODA 07x. The hiss was gone for the most part as was with the HPA4. The HPA4 seemed a tiny bit quieter.

It looks like I should get the CODA #8 amp for my floor standers sooner than later.

@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!

@regg You should try the Gustard X26 Pro on the home trial.  Having that Gustard even as a backup DAC is a big win.

The reviewer I referenced actually compares the AudioByte to the Gustard. He loved both with the AudioByte slightly preferred. The AudioByte does have great potential to become great with the firmware updates and also the HUB. With the Gustard you are set with the existing sound unless you get the external clock which may make things better or worse.

I must say that this tread has got me a bit annoyed with that hiss I reported with the Class D amp and the CODA07x. It was much lower wit the HPA4. It did not bother me until I paid attention when I made that post. I was going to buy the AudioByte tomorrow and then the CODA #8 later in the year (close to 2022) but I may flip that around.

The Benchmark DAC3B is pretty good in the current setup. It is also great with the CODA 07x.

I am surprised that you also have FrontRow with SpeakON. I thought I was the only person that did that. On my RAAL SR1a the FrontRow cables was more noticeable than on my floorstanders. Seems crazy to have $4K speaker cables on a $3.5K headphones but spending 4K on cables is also kind of crazy.

@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.

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.

@regg I hope you can post your opinion on the Gustard on this thread.

I am going to get that CODA #8. I cleared up my IRS tax payments yesterday was going to use the money for food, but I think I will get the CODA #8 instead.

BTW - I am going to move my silver D-Sonic amp to the downstairs to play with the silver Gustard I have. So I am not going to switch to a Black Gustard. The CODA will replace the D-Sonic on the office system.

@regg Well this thread got me spending some money on gear a bit faster than anticipated.

After my rearranging of my gear last night, I am now listening to the floor standers with my CODA 07x connected to a single AHB2 and DAC3B streamed by fibre optical. This sound is killer. The single AHB2 is not powerful enough for my speakers but damn it sounds great. A little warmer than the HPA4, both are great.

I decided to get the CODA #8 today and made the purchase. I am still waiting on word whether I get SpeakON terminations on the #8. I want a switch on the amp to toggle between the duplicate speaker connectors. That way I can use my RAAL SR1a with the adapter box. My floor standers can also work from the CODA #8 without additional electronic circuitry to the floor standers (RAAL adapter box).

I am not sure about getting the AudioByte now. I may just get another Gustard X26 Pro next month. Due to costs.

My D-Sonic amp and the silver Gustard are working great together with KEF LS50s downstairs entertaining the family as I write this. I returned my first Gustard because it had an intermittent issue when used as a preamp. I have not had this reappear with the replacement DAC.

@regg I replaced the CODA 07x and put in the HPA4 with the same XLR. The gain was a little off so I increased the volume. I am listening to the same album on hi-res that I played earlier on the CODA 07x, Led Zeppelin II.

On the all BM stack there is a bit more detail, such as on the first song. There is also a tiny bit of hardness to the sound that was not there on the CODA 07x.The soundstage also seems a little smaller than with the CODA.

This next observation confuses me. With the all BM stack I feel the single AHB2 is not enough juice for the Thiel CS3.7 (it is pretty good). However, with the CODA 07x I feel the single AHB2 is still lacking a bit of power but the sound itself seems more powerful. Now this is a hard rocking album so the more powerful sounding CODA seems to sound better with the AHB2.

I would not say this is the case all the time. In the past, I had the AHB2 in mono with theHPA4 and the sound was more powerful. I never tested the CODA 07x with AHB2 in mono. I doubt that will happen now that the second AHB2 is my headphone amp for the RAAL SR1a.

Turns out I cannot get a switch on the CODA #8 to select the speaker connectors. So it is the regular #8 I will be getting.

I don’t think I got anything more to add on this.

@regg I'd really love to hear you thoughts on the Gustard too. I've been looking into it as well and what's holding me back is that I would have to either use 1) RCA to my DAC 3L ( I use as a pre direct to AHB2) which seems like a waist when its a balanced unit. Or 2) swap out XLR from DAC to DAC pending which one I want to listen to. Or 3)..... get a preamp with two XLR in's and HT bypass, but  now I'm getting into  $$$$$ for a just an optional DAC.

So, since switching XLR really isn't practical and I don't have the $$$$$ or desire for a new preamp,  that leaves me using unbalanced IC which I fear will have a signifigant SQ drop. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on its performance unbalanced, but if using unbalance vs balanced IC is anything like the drop off that the Benchmarks had it's definitely won't be an option for me. 


BUT.....if this thing outperforms the Benchmark DAC3 in every regard for you using the XLR!? Well.....maybe I'll give it a trial with the intention of replacing versus complimenting the Benchmark DAC .....and sacrificing HT bypass

@yyzsantabarbara did you by chance try the Gustard unbalanced? Would love to hear your thoughts if you did. Also could you confirm the "replacement" Gustard corrected any issues you had with it serving as both Dac and Preamp direct to amp??

Good luck and Thanks again for the thread
Mark

@mrpsync Since I have 2 preamps I was able to connect the Benchmark DAC3B by RCA and XLR at the same time to each preamp. I spoke to Rory Rail at Benchmark about doing this and he said it is fine and a lot of people use it this way. I also setup the Gustard the same way. The AudioMirror TUbadour III SE that I just sold could not have both RCA and XLR connected at the same time. Vlad told me this and I confirmed it by testing it.

I never got confirmation if the Gustard supported this type of dual hookup. The sound I got from the RCA seemed very similar to the XLR. I never hooked up both the RCA and XLR of the Gustard to the same preamp at the same time. So there is some variation in the signal path from the different preamps. However, one reason that I am looking at another Gustard is that the RCA and XLR both sound good.

On the DAC3B the XLR sounds better but it is also much louder than the RCA so that could be it.
Balanced vs. Unbalanced Analog Interfaces - Benchmark Media Systems

Also could you confirm the "replacement" Gustard corrected any issues you had with it serving as both Dac and Preamp direct to amp?

Yes, everything is working perfectly now. Also note, that the person that owns the Gustard whose review I posted never had the issue I had with the first Gustard.

BTW - I would say that the Gustard is a better DAC than the DAC3B. If I could have only 1 of those 2 it would be an easy choice for the Gustard. It is a really great DAC. However, the DAC3B has perfect synergy driving the AHB2 directly. The Gustard sounded good driving the AHB2 but I would guess the DAC3B is the better fit DAC direct to AHB2.

@yyzsantabarbara this is really promising info on the Gustard in conjunction with the Benchmark! 

If the Gustard can maintain it's SQ via RCA to the DAC 3L connected to the AHB2's via XLR....! Well that's just best case scenario for me! I'll be able to connect the Node 2i to both DAC's and simply select input via my remote for the Dac I prefer on the material I'm hearing :) Hell, if the Gustard is sooooo good to my ears ....I might just religate the DAC 3L for preamp duty only.

Thanks 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!

@regg If the AHB2 had more power then I would not have bought the CODA #8. More power on the CS3.7 make them sing. I tried the following:

- CODA CSiB integrated
- KRELL K-300i  integrated
- D Sonic M3a 800s amp
- AHB2 in mono

The CODA 07x and AHB2 is really good maybe the best sound of them all (but on the CS3.7 the AHB2 lack grunt).

I would also say this is end game stuff for me. I spent about 2 years researching and then buying. I am pretty much done after I buy another DAC.

I have the opportunity to buy some speakers for the downstairs but that really should wait about 5 more years until my son is older.

I will add this post here since I think it is relevant on all things Benchmark.

1) I brought up the Gustard X26 Pro to my office because the RAAL SR1a sounds best with it and the floorstander are great too (as with the DAC3B and floorstanders)

2) Now I need a DAC for the downstairs to play in my digital only mini system. Mostly background music so no need for the best.

3) Looked around for DACs with volume control and was not too excited about buying another DAC at a low price range other than the Gustard. However not excited about having 2 of the same DAC.

My Benchmark DAC3B does not have a volume control and it is a bit redundant with the Gustard next to it. Ideally I would just buy a second HPA4/LA4 preamp and take the DAC3B downstairs, but that is expensive and a bit of a waste with only 1 input required. So I came across my favorite reviewer comparing the Topping pre90 to the HPA4.

Topping Pre90 + Ext90 Review - Pre-amp my Power-amp! (soundnews.net)

HPA4 can accept higher voltages compared to Pre90, since it can be used in studios and in the Pro Audio world, where audio interfaces are working with much stronger signals like 15V. Without too much fanfare, I will just mention that I find them equally clean and transparent, I’m experiencing the same amazing control of the drivers, the same airy performance, the same incredibly low channel crosstalk that improves the scale on all axis with my speakers. They are almost indistinguishable and in a blind test, I couldn’t differentiate them or guess which is which. At only 1⁄5 of the price, Pre90 is pretty much on the same level with HPA4. Benchmark unit still has the best graphical user interface I’ve ever experienced, with Pre90 you are not getting a colorful touch-screen and several analog outputs, but you are getting the same clean and undistorted performance. Ext90 adds several analog inputs, so the gap between them is shrinking considerably. Would I sell the HPA4 and get a Pre90 + Ext90 instead? I probably wouldn’t do that, because HPA4 has more analog outputs and it’s still my main headphone amplifier. But if you are a hardcore loudspeaker listener and if I you have one or two sources and pair of loudspeakers, then I would definitely sell the HPA4 and get the Pre90 instead.

Both units have same detail retrieval, the same transparency, same sharpness, frequency response, the same speed and impact. Soundstage is identical and depth is exactly as deep. There was just a minor difference in terms of midrange rendition, while HPA4 was always dead-neutral in its presentation, Pre90 was adding a pinch of midrange density, not by a whole lot, but enough to be detected with acoustic music.

If you ever dreamed about owning an HPA4 or LA4 by Benchmark but never had the funds, now is your chance to have the same kind of performance at a much lower price point. I remained speechless and frankly, quite impressed by the performance of the Pre90.

Today, I bought the Topping pre90 on the 30 day home evaluation. I previously had a Topping A90 headphone amp and the sound was pretty good, almost as good as the HPA4 headphone. So hopefully a homerun and perfect match with the DAC3B.

Interested to hear how that works out. 

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!