All 3 are nice DACs. I’d suggest trying to audition them, in your room, with your system. That’s really the only way to tell which one is the best fit. I know Benchmark has a good return policy, so you could try it out at home.
Help me decide between these three DACS - Bryston, Luxman, Benchmark
Greetings,
I have been using the DAC integrated in my Parasound P6 pre-amplifer - which uses an ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chip. I am upgrading my preamp to one that does not have a DAC in it - so I now need an outboard DAC. I am hoping whatever I get will offer better sound quality than the DAC used in the P6.
I am trying to decide between three outboard DACS - The Bryston BDA-2, Luxman DA-250, or Benchmark DAC3.
The reason I chose these three are because 1) They are all in my price range, which must be <$3,000 out the door; 2) They have the connectivity I need - XLR outputs, at least 2 TOSLINK optical inputs, and at least 1 RCA Coax digital input (interestingly, these requirements weed out most DACS, even some highly regarded ones).
My thoughts on these three:
Thanks very much for any thoughts, considerations, and opinions you might have.
I have been using the DAC integrated in my Parasound P6 pre-amplifer - which uses an ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chip. I am upgrading my preamp to one that does not have a DAC in it - so I now need an outboard DAC. I am hoping whatever I get will offer better sound quality than the DAC used in the P6.
I am trying to decide between three outboard DACS - The Bryston BDA-2, Luxman DA-250, or Benchmark DAC3.
The reason I chose these three are because 1) They are all in my price range, which must be <$3,000 out the door; 2) They have the connectivity I need - XLR outputs, at least 2 TOSLINK optical inputs, and at least 1 RCA Coax digital input (interestingly, these requirements weed out most DACS, even some highly regarded ones).
My thoughts on these three:
- Bryston BDA-2: Pros - the Bryston brand - they have such an outstanding reputation for quality. I'd love to own something from Bryston. Other DACS in their lineup - such as the BDA-3, do not have the inputs I need, plus they're out of my price range. Con: The BDA-2 was designed about 8 years ago - which is an eternity in anything involving digital. The AKM DAC chip in the BDA-2 could be outdated, but on the other hand, I know there is a lot more to audio quality in a DAC besides which chip is used. I communicated with Bryston about my concern - they said the newer BDA-3 and 3.14 would sound better, but not by a large amount. They said they kept the BDA-2 in the product lineup for people like me who need the different connectivity options it provides over their newer models.
- Luxman DA-250 - this is priced about the same as the Bryston. I don't know anything about the DAC chip it uses (Texas Instruments PCM1795). I know that Luxman supposedly has a good reputation for quality, but I do not know how it stacks up against the Bryston. A dealer that sells both the Bryston and the Luxman said he preferred the Luxman, but did not say why.
- The Benchmark DAC3 says it has an ES9028PRO D/A converter chip. This appears to be a slightly upgraded DAC chip from the one in the P6. This unit is a bit cheaper than the above two. The case looks a bit flimsy compared to the above two models, especially the Bryston, but I have not seen one in person.
Thanks very much for any thoughts, considerations, and opinions you might have.
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