According to the company:
Benchmark has just raised the bar with the new DAC2 HGC, defining a new reference. With over 15 new features, the DAC2 HGC packs more processing power in the same DAC1 series form factor.
The DAC2 HGC is a reference-grade digital to analog converter, stereo system pre-amplifier, and headphone amplifier with infrared remote control. It supports D/A conversion of PCM sample rates up to 192 kHz, as well as direct DSD conversion. Other…
Philip O'Hanlon is one smart cookie. Rather than stage the customary new product demo, where attendees must sit through one or more lengthy spiels before they get a chance to hear a single note, he went right for the gold. As someone who loves music, thrives on music, and takes joy in creating demo CDs for friends, the renowned proprietor of On a Higher Note—distributor of Luxman, Vivid, Brinkmann, Mola Mola, and TriPlanar—delighted a full house at the first public demo of Luxman's forthcoming DSD-capable DA-06 DAC ($6000),…
For four years, Aly Spaltro crafted her music within the confines of Bart & Greg’s DVD Explosion video rental store in Brunswick, Maine. Nightly after her three to eleven p.m. shift, Spaltro withdrew her instruments hidden behind the Drama and Horror wall and composed. The doldrums of her daily routine served as her…
After I read Brian Damkroger's thorough review of Audio Research's Reference 5 SE line-stage preamplifier ($12,995) in the November 2012 issue, I thought it would be fun to give it a listen and put in my 2 cents—as I had in 2006 in my Follow-Up to Paul Bolin's review of the Reference 5 SE's predecessor, the Reference 3.
Every instrument and voice on every recording I listened to through the ARC emerged from silent blackness onto a wide, deep soundstage with a sense of effortlessness, no matter how…
On the test bench, the Music Reference RM-9 exhibited a flat frequency response when driving an 8 ohm resistive load at 1W, as shown in fig.1. The right channel's output (dotted trace) was about 0.2dB higher than the left's. Adding 2.2µF of capacitance in parallel with the load resistor produced the trace in fig.2. Note the rising HF response and change in scale from 0.2dB per division to 1dB per division. Fig.3 shows the RM-9's frequency response driving a simulated 20-liter, sealed two-way loudspeaker. (Our thanks to Kenneth Kantor of NHT for supplying us with…
My last encounter with the RM-9 was in December 1989 (Vol.12 No.12, p.105). I was taken by its even tonal balance, imaging capabilities, and seductive midrange—especially when outfitted with KT88s—and gave it a strong Class B recommendation.
Now, almost five years later, Music Reference has released the Mk.II version, which, at least on paper, appears to contain only minor upgrades. That in itself is prima facie evidence that the basic design of the RM-9 was sound. The High End has a history of unleashing on an…
Description: All vacuum-tube design. Power output: 100Wpc (20dBW). Input impedance: 100k ohms. Input sensitivity: adjustable, 0.4–1.2V.
Dimensions: 17¾" W by 11¾" D by 6½" H. Weight: 60 lbs.
Serial numbers of samples reviewed: 137 & 198 (Mk.I); not noted (Mk.II.
Price: $2450 with EL34 output stage, $2750 with KT88 output stage; an oak base is standard, but rosewood is available optionally for an additional $100 (1989–1994). No longer available (2013). Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: RAM Labs/Music Reference (1989). Music…