Happy ears

June 16, 10:01 AMSF Classical Music ExaminerScott Foglesong

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Of late I've been having an exceptionally fine time with music listening. That isn't to say that I normally don't have a fine time, only that the situation has improved.

The agent of my joy is a small, book-sized device, the Benchmark DAC1 USB, from Benchmark Media. It does only two things, but it does them extremely well: 1) it converts digital audio data into analog signals (that's a "DAC"), and 2) it acts as a high-quality headphone amplifier.

Benchmark DAC1 USB: audio joy in a little box

I should mention that I listen a great deal via my home computer, a gorgeous aluminum slab o' computational allure called a Mac Pro. Typically when buying a CD I rip it to the Mac in Apple Lossless Format and then store the disc for safekeeping. Until recently I played audio by connecting the Mac's digital audio out via an optical cable to a Yamaha home theater receiver -- that being an amplifier that can accept, and decode, a digital input.

Two reasons compel me to avoid the Mac's analog audio output, say by plugging a set of headphones into the jack on the front of the case. First, computers are full of electricity and some of those electrons are sure to stray into an audio signal, causing beeps, boops, and assorted buzzes. Second, the digital-to-analog-converter (DAC) inside a computer isn't anything to write home about, typically doing a competent but hardly impressive job of transferring digits to voltages. It's roughly equivalent to the sound from an iPod; OK, but you can do a lot better.

While using a digital-out on the computer to a digital-in on a home theater receiver represented a vast improvement over using the computer's analog output, sound quality remained less than stellar.

I wasn't actually aware of the shortcomings until I splurged on a pair of Grado RS-1 headphones, audiophile goodies if ever there were. While the Grados sounded quite lovely plugged into my digital piano, they were absolutely merciless in exposing the shortcomings of the DAC built into the home theater receiver. They sounded thin, shrill, and downright unpleasant, worlds away from the luscious clarity that I heard from them via my digital piano, or for that matter, via the Arcam amplifier I have in another part of the house.

Grado RS-1: sonic magnificence, but very picky about source quality

Enter the Benchmark. This is designed to take a digital input (four different inputs, including USB, are offered), and then outputs a squeaky-clean analog signal that can be run into an amplifier. Better yet, it can be used entirely on its own with a pair of headphones, given that it is designed to be used specifically as a headphone amplifier.

To use it with a computer can't be easier: plug it in via the supplied USB cable, and select "Benchmark 1.0" in as your default sound output device in the Sound Preferences pane. (I presume you do something similar with the Control Panel in any flavor of Windows.) The user manual can aid in ensuring that other settings -- particularly word length and bit rate -- are appropriate. At least on my Mac running OSX 10.5 "Leopard", the default matched the recommended settings. (Apparently Macs running operating systems prior to Leopard may require more attention.)

My Grados experienced a sonic epiphany with the Benchmark. Goodbye vaguely unpleasant hollowness; hello clarity, width, lots of bass, and absolute stunning quiet--it's as though electricity isn't involved at all. Like most audiophile-grade stuff, a Benchmark+Grado combo shines a spotlight on poor recordings; you hear them they way they are, warts and all. Good recordings, on the other hand, are given every opportunity to strut their stuff. I like my audio honest, clean, and forthright, thus the Benchmark pleases me no end.

The Benchmark DAC1 comes in a number of models, each adding more features as you climb the price ladder, all including the basic functions of DAC and headphone amp. The base-level DAC1 accepts three different digital inputs; the DAC1 USB adds, as you might guess, a USB port; the DAC1 Pre adds an analog pre-amp stage (so you could use it with, say, a casette deck or with appropriate circuitry, a phono turntable); the DAC1 HDR adds a remote control to the Pre.

Benchmark's stuff isn't cheap, but neither is it outrageously expensive as can happen with audiophile equipment. The DAC1 USB's construction is rock-solid; this is quality electronic gear. It is plug-and-play, requiring no special drivers in either Mac or Windows environments. Not only is it useable in a computer-based setting, but if you have a CD player with a digital out (quite common) you can plug it into the DAC1 and in all likelihood elevate a garden-variety CD deck to audiophile level. Ditto really any sound source with a digital out -- and if you have the DAC1 Pre, you could add an analog signal to the mix and use the Benchmark as a compact, high-quality preamplifier.

I am so taken with my Benchmark DAC1 USB that I've paid the company the ultimate accolade: I've purchased a second one for my living room stereo.

You order a Benchmark DAC1 (any flavor) direct from the manufacturer. If you haven't bought much in the way of audiophile stereo equipment, be prepared for a solid jolt of sticker shock. On the other hand, if you're familiar with the world of high-end audio, your surprise may be that the price is so reasonable for such quality gear.

Grado headphones, including the RS-1 and the new flagship GS-1000 model, can be purchased from a much broader range of vendors, including Amazon. However, I strongly urge you to visit your local hi-fi dealer to audition Grados before buying. I spent several hours listening to both the RS-1 and the GS-1000, and rather to my surprise found that I preferred the RS-1. You might find that you prefer Sennheisers or other makes; headphones are subjective beasties.