Julf wrote: > So when only using their analog sections? The data comes into either device as a digital stream (PCM out of the Touch for the Benchmark, USB from the computer to the AE D1), so they do the DA conversion and -let's say for the first test- send it out to the headphone output. Both are very good, but the benchmark is clearly superior even to people who aren't audiophiles. This is the more minimalist test, and I can use the same headphone set on either, making it quite clear it is only a DAC head-to-head comparison.
If we include the rest of the chain... it is a very unfair comparison. The Benchmark feeds into a few thou of gear to deliver room filling audio, the AE D1 feeds my AE A2 computer monitors. Don't get me wrong, the latter at close distance -and especially fed through the D1- sounds absolutely delightful, and I will not even qualify that with "considering their price". I love that setup and spend several hours listening to music that way most days. And I have tried connecting the rest of the "premium" chain directly to the Touch (using its internal DAC), and I will take the benchmark every time. The music opens up very clearly. My girlfriend, who as a rule couldn't care less, noticed the day I connected the Benchmark. And as to connecting the A2s directly to the computer's speaker output... that would be such a waste. :-) I am not saying you can't get extremely satisfying sound for way less than a thousand dollars... I have given rave reviews about the AE A5 and A2, and the AE D1 or the Dragonfly are *fantastic*. But for my audio shrine I will indulge some in the diminishing results one gets out of carefully selecting better components. But all in all, there has never been a better time to be a music lover that loves highly accurate audio... ...p ...pablo Server: Virtual Machine running Ubuntu 12.04 + LMS 7.7.3 on VMware Player System: SB Touch --optical->- Benchmark DAC2HGC --AnalysisPlus Oval Copper XLR->- Creek Destiny Power Amp --AnalysisPlus Black Mesh Oval->- KEF LS50 Other Rooms: 2x SB Boom; 1x SB Radio; 1x SB Classic-> MusicalFidelity M1PWR -> Totem DreamCatcher ------------------------------------------------------------------------ pablolie's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3816 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=102252 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
