Steve, I just read your article. Very well written. One thing I'm having a hard time believing though, is that the designers of high-end DACs don't know this stuff. The Benchmark is definitely designed to a price point, so I can see how it could be improved. But the Meitners, dCSes, Wadias, etc. of the world don't have that restriction on their high-end gear. Are you saying the designers of high-end DACs don't know what they're doing? If you were to market a cost-no-object DAC you designed from scratch would it benefit from mods?
Benchmark DAC1 auditions out there? latest model
I just purchased the latest DAC1 and I think that the sound is absolutely superb for the money. I had auditioned the previous version and thought it too was superb. The newer one to my ears sounds a bit more airey in the treble. The same great bass is there, the same huge stage and delicate treble without the digital glare so common in sub 1K products is all there. I find that the Cardas Golden Reference power cord pushes the package foreward more than one might suspect a power cord can do. What auditions have others compared the DAC1 to and what were your impressons? Jallen