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Finding a little warmth from Benchmark1 USB DAC

So I've always appreciated a relatively dry sound from my audio equipment, and abhored the sound that tubed equipment yields. I started the hobby when I was in high school by getting a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8 mk IIs, and wound up with a Krell 300il (identical to the 400xi)last year. I just finished off my "system" after buying a Benchmark 1 USB DAC, that I am connecting to an older iMac that has my music collection in a lossless format.

My issue is that while I adore the setup's overall resolution and pinpoint accuracy, it's producing a very lean sound that is a bit bright, and stark for my tastes. My favorite listening setup was a Levinson 383 integrated hooked up to Dynaudio Special 25s. The Dynaudios had spectacular resolution and neutrality, while the Levinson was able to give a substantial, slightly darker sound that was not overly rich (like tubes can be for me).

So my question is, with the way I've framed things above, are there suggestions for interconnects or equipment that will find that balance for me? I feel like my existing components have potential, but it's just too much of the analytical sound.

As an aside, I tried the Benchmark with my brother's S3 B&W 801s and Audio Research gear, and it wasn't bad at all.
velociti

Showing 1 response by mb9061

mb9061
137 posts
 
Funny that you like a dry/revealing sound yet you find the Benchmark too glaring and bright, that says something about that particular DAC. I owned a Benchmark USB DAC1 for close to a year and tried everything under the sun to tame it. I prefer a neutral/slightly warm sound though and I like tubes.

I agree with the two posts before mine in that USB cables can help quite a bit. A ridge street poiema may do the trick as it seems to have a smoother top end and tames some brightness (w/o spending $500-$1,000 for a USB cable). Power cords do a lot for this DAC as well (I eventually paired mine with a Shunyata Python Helix). The DAC is so revealing that it responds to just about any tweak you might try.

Another thing I tried that helped were Hi-Fi tuning fuses.

You may want to try the Bel Canto DAC3. I had one after the DAC1. It was still too bright/forward for my taste, but the DAC3 is a slight bit darker/polite in presentation in comparison to the DAC1. Though you'll need a USB converter as it doesn't upsample to the extent the DAC1 will.
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