I am fortunate to have two really excellent DACs in the house right now, a Bel Canto DAC 3.3VB (DAC3 upgraded with VBS power supply and DAC3.5 Mk. II processor card) and a Benchmark DAC2 HGC. I’ll be switching back and forth between them over the next couple of days, and thought I’d start a thread to post my impressions.
Functionally, they’re generally similar – both have built-in volume control, balanced outputs, and multiple digital inputs. The Benchmark also has two analog inputs, and the ability to put any input in “HT” mode for fixed volume/home theater pass-through. The Bel Canto lacks this feature, though the newer DAC 3.5VB has it.
First impression – both sound excellent, but there is a significant difference in character. The Bel Canto has more “bloom” to its sound, perhaps more body to high-pitched instruments, and a closer perspective. By contrast, the Benchmark presents greater depth of field, and has tighter-sounding bass – for example, emphasizing the “bounce” of a struck drum to a greater degree than the Bel Canto. So far, I think the Benchmark is a better match to the system here – on the other hand, it’s been continuously powered up for several weeks, the Bel Canto for a day and a half. And I’ve only spent a few hours listening. So, more later.
Functionally, they’re generally similar – both have built-in volume control, balanced outputs, and multiple digital inputs. The Benchmark also has two analog inputs, and the ability to put any input in “HT” mode for fixed volume/home theater pass-through. The Bel Canto lacks this feature, though the newer DAC 3.5VB has it.
First impression – both sound excellent, but there is a significant difference in character. The Bel Canto has more “bloom” to its sound, perhaps more body to high-pitched instruments, and a closer perspective. By contrast, the Benchmark presents greater depth of field, and has tighter-sounding bass – for example, emphasizing the “bounce” of a struck drum to a greater degree than the Bel Canto. So far, I think the Benchmark is a better match to the system here – on the other hand, it’s been continuously powered up for several weeks, the Bel Canto for a day and a half. And I’ve only spent a few hours listening. So, more later.