Benchmark dac - why such diverging opinions?

I would be shocked it you didn't like any one of those better.

I am quite sure I would appreciate them all. They all have a great reputation but I am sufficiently happy with the DAC1 that I have no urge to change. I think there is a stage you reach where things begin to be only a bit different but not necessarily a lot better and the DAC1 is sufficient for me. I don't doubt that by trying ten different DAC's or spending five times as much that I might find one that is slightly more suited to my tastes but the difference will not be material enough to me to be worth the money or time. To be honest I found the difference between the DAC1 and stock Sony CD player to be audible but not huge...nothing even remotely approaching the difference I hear between one room and another or one speaker and another.

I'm puzzled ...

Mizuno (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Very simple ... same reason there are more than one flavor of ice cream.

Shadorne, I'm with you, my feelings exactly. Plus, while all these posts address only the dac aspects of the DAC1, let's also remember that the DAC1 is much more, i.e., it's also a preamp and headphone amp all in one chassis,which the other dacs are not. Plus, I have the HDR version so it's also a preamp for an analog source (not just digital) and it has a remote.

I would also suggest, as another poster has mentioned in prior posts, that the DAC1 responds strongly to various improvements in ancillary equipment (which to me indicates its inherent quality), including upgrades in transport, power cable and fuses. I'm using a Mark Levinson transport, Shunyata Python Helix power cords and HiFi tuning fuses, with transport and DAC plugged into a Shunyata Hydra 8 power conditioner. All produced improvements.

Frankly out of the box I didnt care much for the Benchmark. Only after plugging it straight into the wall, changing power cords, ic, fuse, vibration and then addressing server issues (asio settings, power supply) did this DAC start to really sound good.

What is with Mr. English teacher, Lindisfarne?