? Modded Oppo 983 ?

I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, but this way I can tell you what the Benchmark DAC1 really sounds like after living with it for a while.

I'm running the DAC1 directly into a tube power amp using the Benchmarks volume control without a preamp. The DAC converting the digital signal to analogue, instead of the Oppo's analogue output, has very balanced sound the entire audio spectrum w/o highlighting an one instrument over another.

The background is so black that I initially thought something was missing. Something was...the noise and grain I was used to hearing. It is quite eerie not to hear it anymore. I can hear where one instument stops and another is placed in the sound stage, because it is black in between.

Even though there is greater air and upper frequency detail it is smoother. Not the smoothness associated with tube gear or soft presentation, but the smoothness of each note not having any distortion, grain, or harshness.

It is amazing to me how much I want a detailed sound, now that the noise and harshness is gone, and all that is left is clarity. I can design my system to emphesis detail if I want.

It shows again just how critical the DAC is. I hope the next few years advance that technology. I haven't read about Benchmark DAC modifications like there are on the others. I am very pleased with my PS Audio Digital Link III, but still curious about what the mods would do. Are there Benchmark mods?

6 moons verviewed the Benchmark DAC1 with and without mods.

FYI Tgrisham
The Benchmark DAC/Pre has a better preamp section than the DAC1.
The Lavry DA10 is said to be better than the DAC1. I don't know about the DAC1 USB or DAC/Pre version. This is according to the pro audio reviews.

I don't know anyone that has compared the Digilink3 to it. But I wanted the volume control that both Benchmark and Lavry offered, and the Benchmark matched my amp better. So that is how the Benchmark took up residence in my system.

I do think stand alone DACs are the way to go with a 2 channel system because of the changing face of digital playback CD, DVD, BluRay. I can use them all...ahhhh!

There is a side benefit not normally mentioned to a standalone dac, its simple, the DAC quite honestly may not be much better than the internal ones on many machines, in fact in some ways might be worse, and having the extra cables etc… Don't help either, HOWEVER they are guaranteed Isolated and separate power supplies from your whirring mechanical transport being fed in the other machine on the shelf :-)

Undertow,
Yes, having its own power supply and chassis to isolate it from the vibration producing transport is a positive side of a stand alone DAC, not to mention the added versatility.

As far as the extra digital cable, the Benchmark's design has the specific characteristic of not being dependent on needing a good digital cable, so the only cable to be concerned about is the analogue interconnect which you need with any cdp. This pro DAC can use up to 300' of basic RG-6 cable w/o loss or jitter. It has been tested with 300' of Radio Shack cable with no difference in sound. But I do use a reasonable quality digital cable anyway. The Benchmark even processes the optical input w/o jitter.