I compared the 2 dacs in my system for several days.
I kept the Bel Canto DAC2 and shipped the Benchmark back. DAC2 is so much more fluid sounding. Full sounding midrange, very smooth highs and solid lows. Stage is way deeper that the Benchmark. I noticed one thing when listening to Benchmark is that it tends to initially impress you with its resolution, which turns into digital headache about 20 minutes later. Thin sounding dac compared to Bel Canto. bel Canto has all the detail but in much more liquid presentation.
I came to conclusion that the Benchmark is exactly what it is - a tool for recording studio engineer. I doubt its application in a high-end system.
As far as the ergonomics and features, yes, the Benchmark wins over the Bel Canto. But Bel Canto is just superior sounding dac. Get a very good digital coax cable and you'll have a killer digital front end, even with a dvd player as a transport.
I kept the Bel Canto DAC2 and shipped the Benchmark back. DAC2 is so much more fluid sounding. Full sounding midrange, very smooth highs and solid lows. Stage is way deeper that the Benchmark. I noticed one thing when listening to Benchmark is that it tends to initially impress you with its resolution, which turns into digital headache about 20 minutes later. Thin sounding dac compared to Bel Canto. bel Canto has all the detail but in much more liquid presentation.
I came to conclusion that the Benchmark is exactly what it is - a tool for recording studio engineer. I doubt its application in a high-end system.
As far as the ergonomics and features, yes, the Benchmark wins over the Bel Canto. But Bel Canto is just superior sounding dac. Get a very good digital coax cable and you'll have a killer digital front end, even with a dvd player as a transport.