Benchmark USB DAC vs. EAD 7000 Mk3 DAC

Davey, I agree pretty much with Jsadurni. I tried the Benchmark in my system. I have a Mk.III, that I have had for many years but was upgraded a few years ago by the boys at Noble (Boelen at the time). IMO my Mk.III sounds better than an unmodified unit - still musical and natural but maybe with a bit more transparency and extension. I found the Benchmark to sound very clear and clean, but in the end it didn't seem to be as natural sounding to me with complex music (in my system). I think it's a good value for the money and might work very well in the right system. But if you are still kind of happy with the EAD I might recommend that you send it in to Noble for some work. You may be very pleased with the result.

Jsadurni,
I don't know why you said Benchmark needs a long heat-up time. The DAC-1 has no power switch and you are not supposed to unplug it when not in use. It should be left on all the time.

Sidssp,
You are correct, but the Benchmark wasnt mine, a friend brought it from his system and the first day I had it here it was just connected, we did disconnect it later to try another DAC, and then back on, so heat up time was a must before evaluating it. I kept the Benchmark for a couple of days longer, I do have an Isolation transformer with dedicated power lines and I dont like it running all the time, so I have a huge Master switch to disconnect my whole rig, I do loose this important heat-up arrangement (the EAD is supposed to be on always also) but there are always tradeins...
Cheers.