Review of Benchmark DAC1/AKG K701 System

[frenchmon]

Interesting...I have been contemplating doing what you did, but only streaming sound to my existing 2 channel speaker set up from a computer that could be used as a music server. I've read where others have done this. My only question is would there be a degration in sound if its streamed through a Squeezebox?

frenchmon

[Ajani]

Interesting...I have been contemplating doing what you did, but only streaming sound to my existing 2 channel speaker set up from a computer that could be used as a music server. I've read where others have done this. My only question is would there be a degration in sound if its streamed through a Squeezebox?

frenchmon

Nope... You should check out the reviews and measurements in Stereophile for streaming devices such as the Squeezebox and even the Apple Airport Express... they put out bit perfect signals to the DAC... so assuming that you ripped your CD collection bit perfect in the 1st place (there's lots of software to ensure this), then what enters your DAC from the streaming device will also be bit perfect...

The only other thing to ensure is that you have a DAC with good jitter reduction/correction such as the Benchmark...

[frenchmon]

Nope... You should check out the reviews and measurements in Stereophile for streaming devices such as the Squeezebox and even the Apple Airport Express... they put out bit perfect signals to the DAC... so assuming that you ripped your CD collection bit perfect in the 1st place (there's lots of software to ensure this), then what enters your DAC from the streaming device will also be bit perfect...

The only other thing to ensure is that you have a DAC with good jitter reduction/correction such as the Benchmark...

Thanks Ajani...I'll look for the reviews and look more closely at DAC's.
Oh, and by the way...your system looks nice.

frenchmon

[RGA]

Ajani

Nice set-up and review. I am looking into reviewing a series of headphone systems for dagogo.com and I have been impressed with my AKG 26p which I thought would be a throw away $40 headphone but so impressed was I, that I bought a second pair. Killer good headphone for $40. I am working with my editor to bring in some top headphones and have requested the AKG 702 as well as the benchmark - though some companies prefer to review the entire unit's capabilities and I am only able to review it as a headphone amp and DAC - we'll see.

My request to you is what else did you consider. I was bigger into headphones about 7 years ago and a lot of the names then have gone now. My only need is that it must be USB accessible as I will be reviewing it from the "audiophile on the go" or the travelling audiophile who wants the best sound available.

Do you have any suggestions of headphone amps and headphones all the way to cost no object in current production. I'd like to have two or three headphones to review as well as a few headphone amps at a few prices. Not really to compare to eachother but to serve as a way to determine good headphone combinations.

I like both my own Senn HD 600 and the AKG 701 and very much liked the AKG 1000 which I kind of wish they had kept. I also like the upper Stax models.

Headphone amps seem to be disappearing - the tube designs often don't have a USB connection.

[Ajani]

Ajani

Nice set-up and review. I am looking into reviewing a series of headphone systems for dagogo.com and I have been impressed with my AKG 26p which I thought would be a throw away $40 headphone but so impressed was I, that I bought a second pair. Killer good headphone for $40. I am working with my editor to bring in some top headphones and have requested the AKG 702 as well as the benchmark - though some companies prefer to review the entire unit's capabilities and I am only able to review it as a headphone amp and DAC - we'll see.

My request to you is what else did you consider. I was bigger into headphones about 7 years ago and a lot of the names then have gone now. My only need is that it must be USB accessible as I will be reviewing it from the "audiophile on the go" or the travelling audiophile who wants the best sound available.

Do you have any suggestions of headphone amps and headphones all the way to cost no object in current production. I'd like to have two or three headphones to review as well as a few headphone amps at a few prices. Not really to compare to eachother but to serve as a way to determine good headphone combinations.

I like both my own Senn HD 600 and the AKG 701 and very much liked the AKG 1000 which I kind of wish they had kept. I also like the upper Stax models.

Headphone amps seem to be disappearing - the tube designs often don't have a USB connection.

In headphones the usual suspects are the AKG K701/2, Sennheiser 650/600, Stax models and Grado... The Grado GS 1000 is the most intersting and expensive model in the Grado line... If you want to throw a wild card into the mix, then you could also review Monster Beats by Dr. Dre... I've heard some good things about those headphones...

In headphone amps: after the Benchmark, my next choice would be the Musical Fidelity X-CAN V8 (has USB input) and should be a great match to the AKG K701/2... Also try out the Grace Design M902 (has internal DAC) and some of these DAC enabled Headphone Amps from Headroom:

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/

Anyway, http://www.head-fi.org/ is the best site to go for headphone info...