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The use of a computer as a source introduces a whole raft of variables that, if not allowed for, can wreak havoc with the sound. Benchmark's website offers overall advice on computer setup and specific advice on using a Mac running OSX. The most important thing to note is that you need to run the Apple-supplied utility called Audio MIDI, and set the sample rate in this utility to match the sample rate of the audio you want to listen to. Otherwise, sample-rate conversion is applied to the audio, which will degrade the sound. You also need to set the playback software's volume control (if…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: D/A processor with volume control, HPA2 headphone outputs, and UltraLock clock circuit. Digital inputs (4): AES/EBU (XLR), S/PDIF (BNC, TosLink), USB. Sample rates handled: 28–195kHz (S/PDIF, AES/EBU), 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz (USB). Analog outputs: 1 pair RCA, 1 pair balanced XLR, 2 ¼" stereo phone jacks for headphones. Maximum output levels: 23V RMS (29dBu) balanced (factory-calibrated for 12.3V, 24dBu); 2.75V RMS (11dBu) unbalanced (factory-calibrated for 2V, 8dBu); 8.7V RMS (21dBu) for headphone jacks. (Balanced outputs can be padded down in three…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe, Pioneer DV-578A universal players; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi network music player with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Bel Canto e.One DAC3, Musical Fidelity X-DACV8 D/A processors.
Preamplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 2, Ayre K-5xe, Mark Levinson No.380S.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H, Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblocks; Boulder 860.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth HL-P3ES2, Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa, KEF Reference 207/2.
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650.
Cables: Digital:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Benchmark's measured behavior using three different test systems: the National Instruments–based Miller QC Suite, my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain, and a loaned sample of Audio Precision's top-model SYS2722 system (see this issue's "As We See It.").
Looking first at the DAC1 USB's performance when fed data via its conventional AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs, it locked to data with sample rates ranging from 32 to 192kHz (though the frequency response with 192kHz data didn't appear to be any higher than with 96kHz data). The maximum…
Manufacturer's Comment #1
Editor: Thank you for reviewing the DAC1 USB. Your keen observations and measurements of the USB's performance were a bit of a surprise to us, given the intense testing that we had performed during development. For a variety of reasons, I believe that we have developed the best USB audio technology currently available. The problem is that operating systems and media players can and do change frequently. We have re-created your tests, created some additional tests, and have performed a rather exhaustive (and exhausting) test of the available players and operating…
John Atkinson Returned to the Benchmark DAC1 USB in July 2008 (Vol.31 No.7):
When, in January, I reviewed this superb-sounding and relatively affordable D/A processor ($1275), a couple of aspects of its behavior left me puzzled. Fed with a test tone, for example, my sample appeared to go deaf below –67dBFS when driven with 16-bit files by my laptop via the Benchmark's USB connection. I listened to the 500Hz fade-to-noise-with-dither track from the CBS Test CD, ripped to my PowerBook, and the tone vanished about 5 seconds after the start of the fade. This didn't happen when I mixed a high-…
It has a fan, it won't work without a monitor, and it contains a 750GB hard drive—for some audiophiles, that's a trifecta of reasons not to buy the McIntosh MS750 music server ($6000).
There are cheaper ways to incorporate a music server into your hi-fi—hello, Slim Devices Squeezebox. And there are whole-system approaches—the Sonos ZP80-ZP100 combo, for example. The MS750 is aimed somewhere between the two. It doesn't require as much computer savvy as the Squeezebox does, nor does it require you to buy an entire system. It's perhaps the easiest way to add digital storage to an existing…
All in all, it was simpler than setting up a Slim Devices Squeezebox, which itself is pretty painless. I give McIntosh an A+ for initializing the system. After that, it was just a matter of feeding the MS750 music to digest. I didn't relish feeding the MS750 one disc at a time, but fortunately it has an S-Link connection, which allowed me to connect it to my S-Link–controlled Sony CDP-CX400 carousel CD player via the Sony's TosLink output. (Or you could use any RS-232–controlled disc changer via one of the MS750's RS-232 ports.) The Mac then ripped all the digital signals and metadata…
I think he's partly right. No, I don't think we audiophiles would rather hear the warts and spots on recordings, but those last little smidgens of air, delicacy—and, yes, even power—are audible through the Ayre not just with DVDs and SACDs, but with "Red Book" CDs as well.
Christian McBride's bass dug deeper through the Ayre—not deeper into the bass, but deeper into the groove. Lovano's tenor sax bit harder, and the sound of the room was more evident in Tyner's piano sound—not a lot, but enough that when I paid attention, I could hear it.
That said, the pace and timing of Stephen…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Music server with 750GB hard drive, integrated Web interface, CD player/burner, and Ethernet Web interface for remote control and music streaming. Frequency response: 2Hz–22kHz, ±1dB. Signal/noise (IHF A-weighted): 102dB. Dynamic range: 96dB. Harmonic distortion: 0.01%. Channel separation: 95dB (1kHz). Output level: 2.0V RMS. Output impedance: 200 ohms. Video: NTSC, PAL. Video output impedance: 75 ohms. Supported audio formats: Encode: FLAC, MP3. Decode: PCM, FLAC, MP3, WMA, ACC. Hours of music storage: FLAC, 2125; MP3 at 320kb, 5060; MP3 at 192kb,…