How good is Benchmark DAC1 comparing to......

The saving grace of these debates is that while the thread rages on, most of us privately and quietly make up our minds concerning whose opinions are actually useful (whether we agree with them or not). Some members have, over a long period of time, demonstrated that they not only listen to lots of gear but can describe what they hear
1) with precision (not "A blows B away" or even--sorry--"A was much more musical than B"),
2) comparatively across competing products, so we readers have a better chance of actually having a reference point based on our own listening, and
3) in reference to their own tastes, so we have a better chance of factoring in/out some of the copious amount of subjectivity that goes into such opinions.

These criteria are not easy to meet, and they add up to a degree of authenticity of opinion that makes the opinion useful.

Opinions that rely heavily on appeals to outside, "expert" opinions simply don't have this authenticity. Stereophile only costs $10/year and has lots of slick pictures to boot. I don't have to come here to read S'phile's opinions.

Fortunately, in the end it doesn't matter who shouts loudest or gets the last word or invokes the most "experts", except to those for whom that's what the hobby is mostly about.

Sheesh.

Dgclark, Hang on to your suspicious attitude. It will do you well in the long run. In this specific case, I think you're on the wrong track. There are people here who are able and willing to do things I wouldn't consider -- like buy a piece just because they're curious and want to stay informed. I have a hard enough time doing that with a CD. That's what gives this site so much "headroom", in terms of depth of information, for people like me.

These people may be crazy ;-> but often they are less biased in their opinions. Okay--it's hard to say "less biased" with a straight face in a conversation about audiophiles. Anyway, it is the opinions of true believers and those that want affirmation for a very precious investment they've just made (that better _not_ have been the wrong choice) that are more suspect to me. In any case, Red has a lot of posts on record, and he seems more than Alright.

This is a fun site. If you can dig the opinions without developing the compulsions, noone will get hurt!