Greetings,
So Ive made a determination after a long weekend of listening to these various things.
The benchmark is the "best" dac Ive heard thus far. It is the most accurate at rendering data into sound. Its quite a treat, most of the time. Its especially fitting for larger arrangements, or other pieces that otherwise get "congested." Of course overall, for a while, anyway, all that detail is quite impressive to hear.
The rega was, as expected, the most laid-back and warmest piece. Its interesting at times, because it does have quite good definition, but things tend to get lost in the mix more easily than with the others. Its the most "pleasant" overall to listen to, but it just gets a little muddy with a lot of material.
The zDac was the surprise here. It has 90-95% of the precision of the benchmark, with a bit more low-end actually, but not quite as defined upper-mid and high end. This additional low-end may actually be some bit of distortion, but its still sounds clean. The zDac is also "easier" to listen to for long periods.
Going through the exercise has been quite frustrating in areas, especially that now I have reason to re-think my amplifier selection.
So, the summary for now is that the benchmark and rega go back, and the zDac stays. This will give me time to step back and review the overall direction here. Ill be able to enjoy the still-substantial enhancement of the zDac until I find the "perfect" solution.
I appreciate everyone's feedback. The benchmark fans are correct, at least in my experience thus far. I have to say that the dac2 seems like it could be a strong choice, given how relatively old the dac1 design is, and its still the detail king in its price. And the dac2 actually has a power switch, a dimmer and a remote... which are nice in a home situation. I would have a hard time buying the dac1, knowing the dac2 exists.
So Ive made a determination after a long weekend of listening to these various things.
The benchmark is the "best" dac Ive heard thus far. It is the most accurate at rendering data into sound. Its quite a treat, most of the time. Its especially fitting for larger arrangements, or other pieces that otherwise get "congested." Of course overall, for a while, anyway, all that detail is quite impressive to hear.
The rega was, as expected, the most laid-back and warmest piece. Its interesting at times, because it does have quite good definition, but things tend to get lost in the mix more easily than with the others. Its the most "pleasant" overall to listen to, but it just gets a little muddy with a lot of material.
The zDac was the surprise here. It has 90-95% of the precision of the benchmark, with a bit more low-end actually, but not quite as defined upper-mid and high end. This additional low-end may actually be some bit of distortion, but its still sounds clean. The zDac is also "easier" to listen to for long periods.
Going through the exercise has been quite frustrating in areas, especially that now I have reason to re-think my amplifier selection.
So, the summary for now is that the benchmark and rega go back, and the zDac stays. This will give me time to step back and review the overall direction here. Ill be able to enjoy the still-substantial enhancement of the zDac until I find the "perfect" solution.
I appreciate everyone's feedback. The benchmark fans are correct, at least in my experience thus far. I have to say that the dac2 seems like it could be a strong choice, given how relatively old the dac1 design is, and its still the detail king in its price. And the dac2 actually has a power switch, a dimmer and a remote... which are nice in a home situation. I would have a hard time buying the dac1, knowing the dac2 exists.