W4S DAC2 vs Benchmark DAC1 my observation

Jerico,

I have never tried an airport express so I can not comment. I only have about 60 hours on my DAC2 but I have not heard much of a change in the sound yet, I am however getting more accustom to its sound.

Please post some comments after you hear "The Brick".

Cymbop,

Tonight I defiantly like the softer highs of the Wyred 4 Sound. My wife went out to a Backstreet Boys concert so I am at home listening much louder than my typical volume (just cause I can..) and my ears would have given up long ago on the Benchmark.

As I listen to my DAC2 I like it better and better but I really do not think it is any better than the benchmark, just a little different. I do not think the Benchmark has the best synergy with the Thiel line however. Thiels can get a little hard anyway so they do not need a hard front-end.

I recently added a Benchmark DAC1 to my system with Wyred STP-SE preamp, Wyred amp, PS Audio PPP and Legacy Focus SE speakers. My other digital source component is a Denon 3800 BDCI player.

My observations are improved focus to sound - greater delineation of voices and instruments, increased airiness and ambiance, increased precision to bass, deeper soundstage. Basically, everything top-to-bottom is more resolved. When I go back and listen to the Denon, it sounds a little thicker with softer edges to individual sounds. Here's a thought: sharp edges are represented as high frequency content (Fourier analysis tells us this). Perhaps one cannot have superior resolution without what may be perceived as "brightness" relatively speaking.

Also, I haven't experienced anything that I would describe as "glare" to the Benchmark sound. I'm not sure what configuration others are using, but I have found that setting the internal jumpers to 0dB attenuation and using balanced outputs to give a superior and purer sound quality compared to the other default settings.

Cheers,
Matt

if you really want to up the game you should try the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary DAC it beats DACs costing two to three times the cost, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said it was every bit as analog sounding, on that review I decided to buy it and try it and I totally agree, they also offer a 30-day money-back trial, can't beat that.

Wow talk about bringing an old thread back to life!

I think you can still trade in the older Wyred4Sound DACs for a good value towards newer versions. I don't recall if they sell them or strip most of the guts but reuse the case. Either way that seems like a good value if they still do it.