2 ch tube pre match for Sunfire Cinema Grand

FYI, since replacing my Sunfire with the Belles 350A Reference (which, BTW, took overall sound to a new level) I hadn't tried the Benchmark direct-to-amp. Your posting piqued my curiosity, so I just gave it a listen... darn good soundstage and imaging, better than I recall with the Benchmark direct to the Sunfire! There is still *some* digital glare/sibilance in older recordings, but not as much as with the Sunfire. I'm still keeping the Modwright, but could be quite happy with the Belles/Benchmark pairing alone.

I actually found that the RCA outs had more attenuation. Don't know if it's the DAC or the Sunfire.

I too find the Benchmark to be a little cool/analytical sounding. It is supposed to be very, very neutral. It doesn't add anything. Actually, I found it takes away stuff. Alot more clarity in the lower mids. It is very highly recommended in the recording world. I have also heard good things about Lavry. Also very high regards in recording studios. One of the top names along with Benchmark. These DAC's are used extensively in mastering studios,also. I'll have to look into how it is configured. I do remember using the jumpers to get better control over the volume. I'll look into that.

By the way, you must really love those Summits.

The Summits take a LOT of work to get them TWEAKED for optimal performance... overall room placement, degree of toe-in, panel tilt, adjusting dual woofer settings, etc. But after it's all said and done... the result is AUDIO ECSTACY like I've never experienced before! If you ever have a chance to hear a pair, go for it (but make sure they are properly set up).

IMHO, the only speaker that surpasses the Summits would be one of the old Apogee Acoustics planars (I actually owned the Stage during my audiophile adolescence).