I have owned both a Benchmark DAC1 Pre, and a Bryston BP25 preamp with built-in DAC board.
If you want the more -neutral- sound, I'd suggest Benchmark. If you want the more -musical- sound, I'd suggest Bryston. (However, with 250 watts per channel of amp power at your disposal, the subtleties of the differences between the two might be swamped by sheer volume.) And, if you're going with the Bryston BDA-1, the preamp you use will have a substantial impact, whereas the Benchmark can be used without a separate preamp. In the Benchmark line, the DAC1 HDR is identical to the DAC1 Pre, except the former has remote control. If you don't need an analog input, such as for a tuner, the DAC1 USB will save you a chunk of money and sound just as good. All of those models have slightly improved opamps and circuits compared to the original DAC1. -- TiredLegs ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TiredLegs's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=6201 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=82326 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
