What DAC?

[admin_exported]

Hi

I'm thinking of upgrading my HiFi, where I mainly take music off my computer. The first port of call is to invest in a DAC. There are two which have caught my eye:

Beresford TC-7510 DAC

Benchmark DAC1

Obviously there is a huge price difference here, and not really experimented with DACs before figured I'd see what your guys thoughts are? A lot of people seem to think the Beresford is as good a any other DAC.

The AMP it would end going into would most likely be a Rotel RA-06.

What do people think?

Thanks in advanced.

Rick

 

[Alec]

if you look down to the second and third page sof the forum you should find a couple of conversations about the beresford. it seems well regarded, for the money. i intend to give it a go myself. as for the benchmark then, if you're prepared to expand your budget for it, i'd try to get it on s trial basis first, so you can see if its worth the extra money. Incidentally, i THINK the guy who makes the beresford is quite good about trial periods, tho i cant find anything on his site about that. sorry i wasnt more helpful but i know there are people here with actual experience of the beresford so maybe someone else will be along later.

 

[Thaiman]

Bencmark should be a predictable winner here! Beresford is good but not that (Benchmark) good!

However if you are using computer and RA-06 the Beresford should do the job very well indeed.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="fr0g"]although I am starting to wonder if Stanley is employing rather interesting advertising techniques given the speed at which WHF forum posts end up on Google) eh, eh. eh...[/quote]

He properbly don't have a min in the day left for himself!
I am surprise he hasn't join us yet! He is a very knowlegdeable poster (although got ban in one forum in the past!)...a real nice guy thoug, I have a lot of time for him

.

 

[Anonymous]

So do you think the Benchmark would be over kill for my needs?

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="fr0g"]given the speed at which WHF forum posts end up on Google[/quote]

All forum posts do appear rather quickly, don't they?

 

[Tesler]

MMMM Yes I asked a similar question regarding the Beresford earlier on this morning!

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="fr0g"]maybe he learned his lesson from the 'wam?[/quote]

Is this an obscure Andrew Ridgeley reference?

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="fr0g"]Ok which one of you is Stanley?[/quote]

trust me if he is posting here we will know! He was trying to involve me in producing DAC mk 5 but I didn't want to!

I mean he is doing it for living, it is his only job and if I gave him the wrong advise! so I thought I better not!

 

[Anonymous]

Up to what kind of level of CD player would the Beresford have benefits? Would it improve, say, a Cambridge 540C? (Obviously I'm just thinking aloud here as I've promised "someone" that I'll never buy any more gear ever again.) And if it did, what might those improvements be?

 

[Thaiman]

Tractorboy, It is a good DAC for the price but NOT a miracle one. For the price you pay I don't think anyone can complain! 4 digital inputs, 2 RCA outputs and can be use as a headphone amp!

Sound is as good as many budget to midrange cd player (depending on Transports though)

 

[Anonymous]

Phew, looks like I won't be sent to Coventry this weekend after all. Ta, Thaiman.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="fr0g"]
I would put the sound on a par with a £300-£400 player.

[/quote]

I went to a friend house last month and A/B the Beresford Dac (SB 3 as a transport + lossless files) against Rega saturn and I was very shocked!

The rega won it on Realism of instruments sounded and the imaging also better but that was a lot closer than I predicted. The amp we used was Leema Tucana and speakers was the awesome Neat MF5.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fr0g"]Although I am looking forward to a trial of a brand new version of the Harmony DAC I tried earlier, in the next week or 2. The guy at our local shop reckons it is quite a significant improvement on the existing one (which was lovely on the Arcam, but made less difference on the Lyngdorf), and (obviously subjectively), reckoned in a head to head with the Benchmark DAC , was a clear winner... all at around £500.[/quote]

Hi Frog

Do you ahve any information on these? Or where they are stocked? I can't find much information searching on Google?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="ricjd"]
[quote user="fr0g"]Although I am looking forward to a trial of a brand new version of the Harmony DAC I tried earlier, in the next week or 2. The guy at our local shop reckons it is quite a significant improvement on the existing one (which was lovely on the Arcam, but made less difference on the Lyngdorf), and (obviously subjectively), reckoned in a head to head with the Benchmark DAC , was a clear winner... all at around £500.[/quote]

Hi Frog

Do you ahve any information on these? Or where they are stocked? I can't find much information searching on Google?

[/quote]
Yup. It's Swedish...
Harmony Design

There is an english section, but its a bit pants.[/quote]

yeah i've looked at that, and quite like the look of it, but wouldn't mind some more info, you said you had a local dealer who has Harmony, did you find this out by chance? I wouldn't mind going to find out more about them if i could find someone who did them near me...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="ricjd"][quote user="fr0g"][quote user="ricjd"]
[quote user="fr0g"]Although I am looking forward to a trial of a brand new version of the Harmony DAC I tried earlier, in the next week or 2. The guy at our local shop reckons it is quite a significant improvement on the existing one (which was lovely on the Arcam, but made less difference on the Lyngdorf), and (obviously subjectively), reckoned in a head to head with the Benchmark DAC , was a clear winner... all at around £500.[/quote]

Hi Frog

Do you ahve any information on these? Or where they are stocked? I can't find much information searching on Google?

[/quote]
Yup. It's Swedish...
Harmony Design

There is an english section, but its a bit pants.[/quote]

yeah i've looked at that, and quite like the look of it, but wouldn't mind some more info, you said you had a local dealer who has Harmony, did you find this out by chance? I wouldn't mind going to find out more about them if i could find someone who did them near me...
[/quote]

lol yep - here in Sweden where I live P

Might be worth emailing them - info@harmonydesign.se

They will almost certainly be able to converse with you in English, as everyone here under 60 can speak it.

[/quote]

Oh so not far from south london at all!!

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="fr0g"]Can I just say... You didn' t miss your vocation in life.[/quote]

No, you probably can't.