The PS Audio is solid but it seems to be a dollar for dollar trade between it and the Benchmark DAC2?
Budget DAC/Preamp with Remote?
I have been using a Yamaha receiver as a preamp to drive a BelCanto amp into Magnepans but have moved to a smaller space and have replaced the big maggies with some KEF LS50s and want to clean up the signal path to try and get the most out of these little gems.
I was considering the Benchmark DACs but as I would like to have a remote it means I will pretty much be in for around $2k but am hesitant to jump that far into the deep end of the pool. Doing so would likely be a wildly good fit however as it would punch pretty much every box I have save room correction (which I find to be interesting but not a must).
This has me looking at more simple units and oddly I find that there really are no options that seem to be exactly right. The Cambridge Dacmagic Plus is close but has no remote, it does offer balanced outs which the BaCanto would love but I could get by with a used Benchmark DAC1 if I was interested in going without remote volume.
Am I missing some options or is this part of the market just dead (or more expensive)?
On the flip side... If I were to bite the bullet and stick with the receiver and save my pennies then get something more capable, are there options that rival the Benchmark DAC2 in the same price range? I have seen several but none seem to be able to really match up that well against what seems to be an absolutely stunning value.
Then there is room correction but that will go into a different post.
I was considering the Benchmark DACs but as I would like to have a remote it means I will pretty much be in for around $2k but am hesitant to jump that far into the deep end of the pool. Doing so would likely be a wildly good fit however as it would punch pretty much every box I have save room correction (which I find to be interesting but not a must).
This has me looking at more simple units and oddly I find that there really are no options that seem to be exactly right. The Cambridge Dacmagic Plus is close but has no remote, it does offer balanced outs which the BaCanto would love but I could get by with a used Benchmark DAC1 if I was interested in going without remote volume.
Am I missing some options or is this part of the market just dead (or more expensive)?
On the flip side... If I were to bite the bullet and stick with the receiver and save my pennies then get something more capable, are there options that rival the Benchmark DAC2 in the same price range? I have seen several but none seem to be able to really match up that well against what seems to be an absolutely stunning value.
Then there is room correction but that will go into a different post.
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I second checking out the PS audio Stellar DAC. I owned one and now have a benchmark DAC2, I couldn't tell you for sure if I was able to hear any difference. I've seen the PS audio sold new or demo for as little as $1200 and a DAC2 can be had used for around the same price. Both have analog inputs which are kept purely analog, a remote, and balanced outputs. I haven't seen measurements for the Stellar but i don't think anything measures better than the Benchmarks. |
I might suggest the PS Audio Stellar preamp/DAC as one you should look/listen to. I bought this unit w/ their matching amp and have to say am very impressed by the sound quality. It doesn’t have tone controls or room correction, but it does have a pretty nice analog sound and the DAC is quite good. And, it has a remote and fits within your stated budget. They have a generous return policy (and a trade in program too). I will say I went in skeptical but hopeful. I came out very pleasantly surprised. Perhaps you will be too. And, if not, return it. Best, Mgrif |
I used to have the benchmark dac1 got it new from benchmark years ago sold after about 1 year. It did everything it was suppose to do but it never sounded musical ? If that makes any sense. My setup then was the benchmark driving b&k amp into B&W 804. Not sure that helps just my observation of the dac1. I could have played with it by switching amps and what not but I went a different direction and never really regreted selling it. |
I feel ya on the room correction. It's a game changer IME. If you might be open to selling your amp, there's a nice Lyngdorf TDAI 2170 for sale here for $3k. It's an integrated amp, DAC, and top-notch room correction all in one elegant package. It's got lots of fans here and gets great reviews... https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/integrated-amplifiers/lyngdorf-audio-tdai-2170-fully-d... Another somewhat similar option would be a Devialet 120, which also offers some room correction if your speakers are part of their SAM library. If you really want to keep your amp, I had a Bel Canto DAC3 VB in my system and it was an excellent DAC, and as a preamp it matched my Bryston BP6 that was no slouch as a preamp. You can probably get a good deal on one of these used since it's a previous generation model, but definitely pony up for the Virtual Battery Supply (VBS) model -- it takes the DAC to a much higher level (I had both in my system to compare). Obviously it would mate well with your amp. But given what you're looking for I'd definitely go the Lyngdorf route if at all possible -- the benefits from room correction alone will likely make a bigger improvement to your overall sound than any DAC in or near this price range. Best of luck. |