I Wasn't Prepared for the Benchmark DAC3 HGC

I went into the review of the Benchmark DAC3 HGC expecting a marginal increase in clarity, a decrease in noise floor. You know, just something a little better than anything I currently have… but with a much higher price tag… basically, I assumed I'd be in for a joke wrapped in a $2399.00 price tag, and I wouldn't even get a bow!

But I wasn't prepared for this. Music is ruined in the best way possible, and honestly, the worst part is that Benchmark sent this to me not as a future benchmark to my testing, not even as something I could keep and use permanently, something I could leave on my end table for when life gets hard, plug into, and keep moving forward, but alas, it was sent to me as a loaner unit.

As many of you know, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time with portable DACs, dongles specifically. I've listened to enough of them that I thought I had a pretty good idea of what a good DAC was supposed to sound like. And honestly, I was wrong. Because then I plugged in the Benchmark DAC3 HGC. It realistically boasts quite a lot of tech under the hood. I mean, just look.

I've also prepared a fun video! Which can be found here!

https://youtu.be/WoY-8Yo4A8Y?is=5nfU6IpnUWn8d5bY

Tech Stuff

Under the hood of this relatively mundane looking unit is a serious piece of digital audio engineering. Benchmark built the DAC around an ESS Sabre converter, which is honestly something we've seen before a thousand times... but then using a 4:1 architecture that combines multiple converter outputs to improve overall performance. Rather than simply relying on the DAC chip itself, Benchmark designed the surrounding analog circuitry, power regulation, clocking, and amplification stages as part of the complete conversion system.

The DAC3 uses Benchmark's UltraLock3 clocking system to minimize jitter from the incoming digital signal. It also incorporates a linear phase reconstruction filter and 3 dB of digital headroom to help prevent clipping from intersample peaks that can occur in real world recordings.

Once the digital signal has been converted, Benchmark's analog circuitry takes over. The DAC3 uses dedicated I/V conversion and differential amplification stages before sending the signal to its analog outputs. The result is a fully engineered signal path rather than simply dropping a DAC chip into a box and calling it a day.

The HGC designation stands for Hybrid Gain Control. Digital sources use digital volume control, while the DAC3 handles its analog inputs through an analog volume control path. This allows the DAC3 to function as more than just a DAC. It can also act as a preamp for a larger audio system.

Then there's the headphone amplifier.

Benchmark's HPA2 headphone amplifier specifications:

• Up to 1.25 watts into 30 ohms

• Output impedance below 0.11 ohms

• Up to 250 mA of output current

That's serious amplification, particularly for a device that also functions as a DAC and preamp.

Connectivity includes:

• USB digital input

• Optical digital input

• Coaxial digital input

• Analog inputs

• RCA outputs

• Balanced XLR outputs

On paper, the DAC3 HGC is an impressive collection of digital conversion, clocking, analog amplification, and gain control technology. But specifications and cool trigger words really aren't even half of the story!

And does it even matter? Who, after a long day, goes, “Oh well, at least my DAC has UltraLock3 anti jitter control, a nearly invisible noise floor, or even an ESS converter?” Not me. Nah bro. Not even once! Especially when the chips are down, I don't when things are going good, other than while I'm doing reviews other than just before I click buy I never go well it's okay because this thing has a Triple Mc Jigger 3000 Prime Ultra. If I don't when things are good, I definitely don't when things get bad and I need to quiet the little part of the brain that says I suck at everything I do and everything I am is a waste of a meat suit…. I just want to zone out and listen to the music. I just want peace, loud music that sounds like I'm sitting 4 and a half feet from the band and yet somehow far enough away that I can still hear the individual parts…. That's what I look for and that's what I write about!

In fact, for the rest of the review, I'm probably not going to bring the tech side back! Because although it tells the story of how this thing destroys music because it's so good, any other source just becomes a little less than what it was the moment before your eyes were opened.

The Review

My playlist for the test was a little different. Yes, I went through my Nora Jones, Sum 41, you know, my usual tracks, but I also got weird with it… added in Breezeblocks by Alt J, MGK, and a bunch of stuff that's honestly just not part of my everyday testing clique… and I'm glad I did. Somewhere along the hundredth new track I dropped into my testing cue, I realized something important: I've started to become deaf to some of the finer details in the tracks I've listened to for the twenty thousandth time. And Cliché by MGK is unironically a banger!

Sound Check

I didn't want to go into this with any of my new IEMs or headphones… I don't know their vibes like I do my tried and true workhorses… you know, something I know so intimately that I would be able to pick out any minute increase anywhere in any part of the sound out of a lineup… so for these, I ran with:

Headphones

• Sivga Anser

• Jade Audio JT9

IEMs

• EPZ P40

• Dunu DN 142

And for wife

Two from upcoming reviews:

• Melody Wings Venus Devine

• Simgot EP5

• Simgot EM6L

(They are her current favorites!)

I'll keep the next part as short as possible because I feel like this is going to be one hell of a long review!

The Playlist

Check out my playlist on Amazon Music: ST Testing

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/9c1d2cbe95e444bbaf7cef474bd07d08sune?ref=dm_sh_6qdBMRFTb69aIoMHZ5dwNUbN4

Observations

Vocals

With the Sivga Anser, male vocals are so rich and clear, there's so much depth. Well, let's just say Daylight by David Kushner becomes a religious experience, and it's as though I was born again. This song always slaps, but with more power, all the tech, everything Benchmark puts into the DAC3 transforms the recording. (Did you know there's a slight echo? I didn't…)

For female vocals, I switched it up with the EPZ P40. Somehow, where I thought female vocals were already close and intimate, somehow Adele got inside my head. She wasn't a lounge singer singing to her pianist. She was me and I was her. She was singing directly into my head…. It's wild how a DAC can transform a song on this level, how it can transform a headset from something you thought was good into something, I don't know…. Whatever the level above amazing is… gripping seems fitting here!

Instruments, Soundstage and Imaging

I switched over to the Jade Audio JT9 because it already has an outstanding soundstage and amazing imaging. It's open back, let's be real…. If it didn't do those two things well, no one would buy them. Open back headphones are just too good at splitting those beautiful instrumentals into separate story arcs….. but you hear all the time… these things scale with a better source, and I thought I knew what that meant… I mean, a few of my DACs hit at well over 800 mW. I thought I knew… but with the Benchmark DAC3, I realize now I was a fool…

What I thought was an expansive room where everything had a place becomes concert hall, left and right spin around you like a vortex of awesome… and honestly, I'm a bit saddened that I haven't had the Benchmark DAC3 my whole life…

Volume

(Trying this at home may damage your ears, all stunts are performed by a trained baffoon!)

Ah, my old trusty workhorse! The Dunu DN 142s….

So I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed the DAC3 way beyond what I would normally listen at. We say things like, “Oh, with IEMs, headphones, anything really HiFi, you don't need a lot of volume… it's safer for your ears….” So I did the opposite of that. I full sent it… max volume, well, realistically as loud as I could without injuring myself. I love you guys, but I'm already blind, I need my hearing….

So there it is I went as far as I safely could without risking my hearing and you know what? It didn't clip once, even when I pushed those micro planars to the absolute max… that I could handle! Wait, why am I yelling?

Familiar Tracks

This next test was important to me. Would it make a difference to the songs that have helped me… the songs I've heard for the hundredth billionth time… you know, the songs that get you through the dark days… and make the good days better….

One of my favorite tracks of all time is Straight and Narrow by Sam Barber….. the live recording has a moment when he sits down. I never realized before that he actually bumps his strings…

So I can say…. This beast…. The Benchmark DAC3 HGC exposes parts of the songs you love that you'd have never known were there otherwise…

Bad Recordings

So one of the things they advertise is that anti jitter function, which is supposed to smooth everything out….. so I thought about that… where can I get bad recordings….

I went back and forth on this, then it clicked…….. YouTube! Lol, where else?

So for this test, I went full 1980s MTV VHS recordings…. And let me be the first to say, Cyndi Lauper is a Boss Bitch.

It actually really does stabilize the sound. Now, I can't say it added anything to the track because it doesn't. It is not some kinda acoustic magical wand, nah bro, but it did stabilize it and make it sound almost as good as my FLAC vinyl rip. And that's absolutely insane considering the source.

The Next Day and the Days After That!

So first day, I dropped probably 16 hours straight into this beast. Listen, I was excited about how great everything sounded…. Don't judge me!

But how was she on day two… am I just hype on an amazing marvel of acoustic prowess?

No. Really, I think it sounded even better the second day. I don't know if she needed to warm up? I don't know if I chose better tracks? Hell, I don't really know what it was, but every day was just a little better than the last, and that's absolutely astounding, flabbergasting, life changing for us who use music as our primary escape!

Wife's Opinion (Non Audiophile)

So you know how when you really like a particular food but your budget only allows you to buy the off brand but you really want to buy the name brand but the off brand gives you the experience and texture of the name brand and it's good enough, so you get the off brand, and you're okay with that. But if I ever became a multimillionaire I'd buy one for every room in the house… and even getting to try the name brand was absolute peak.

The sound was you know how when you put your ear up to a seashell and you're like that's the ocean. and then you go to the ocean and you're like fuck that's beautiful and then you go back home and you're like I miss the ocean but you can't afford to go back to the ocean to the seashell and you're like meh that's good enough. And I have a great pair of headphones all thanks to simgot.

I listened to a song that makes me feel with both my budget dac and my headphones and then I listened to it through the benchmark dac3 hgc and I cried. And for the record the song is take me back to the night we met by Lord Huron.

I really am glad I got to experience music through something of that high quality. Thank you Benchmark for allowing us the experience!

The Return

Listen, the FiiO QX11 has been a daily driver for me for weeks. It's been my sunrise on some genuinely stressful days… and I won't say I hate it… in fact, I still love this little guy, but now that I've heard the Benchmark… I feel it's lacking a little something that I wouldn't have otherwise known about…

I feel like my headphones are saddened to go back to their trusty steed… it's like I rented a Lambo, drove a buck ninety through a winding mountain road, and now I'm back sitting behind the wheel of a Honda Civic… it gets the job done… but it just lacks the depth, and the sound of the engine truly revving up to its fullest potential.

Closing

So listen, I know what you're thinking… then why, why would I buy a $2399.00 dollar DAC amp from an American company that's been around since the 80s?

I can't answer that for you. But what I can say is that this thing takes what's already there, and amplifies every single iota of what makes your music, your music…. And that's an experience that's like, MasterCard…. priceless.

Non-affiliated link!

https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-dac3-hgc-digital-to-analog-audio-converter?_pos=1&_sid=149571fc8&_ss=r

Admittedly, my listening gear is humble by audiophile standards, but i just swapped out a Simaudio Moon i3.3 integrated amp for a Hegel H190. The Moon nicely filled up my little Totem Arros (harder to do than Oneould have thought, requiring a fair bit of current for its 4-ohm nominal load. That tiny woofer is great, but it needs to be pushed hard.

But I digress. I decided to have a listen to the soundtrack from the Richard Attenborough film, “Cry Freedom” (1987). What a banger! If you want to see what your gear can do, this very dynamic album will test it.

My test results are as follows: Hegel is a good choice for such an album. Damping factor is critical as there’s a hell of a lot going on in the bass, and you need an amp that can keep it under control. A lot of bass bloom would be a disservice here. As holographic and deep the Moon is, it might struggle with detail.

Listening early this evening I had a bit of a desire for sharper leading edges. So a nod to Naim, who excels at that.

My Totem Arros really couldn’t keep up with the music. There was just too much low bass, combined with lots out complex mids. . The poor 4.5 inch cone must have been trembling. I thought a 3-way might be in order here.

Anyhow. It’s new (to me) gear day today. I’m happy with my purchase but never satisfied. I miss Naim Audio for its energy.

Cry Freedom is an audiophile gold mine. I’d love to know what people think of the album from all those years ago. Recorded at Abbey Road, by the way.

I dropped a stereo off for repair at Just Audio in MD about 8mo ago. Google says they are permanently closed? Does anyone know is this is true or know how to get my stereo back?

So i want to add rear speakers (Dali Oberon on wall)

But i'm not sure if it's going to work in my room because the curtain is in the way and one of the speakers is going to be close to a wall. 3th picture shows where i want to put the rear speakers.

Current setup:

Front L/R -> Dali Oberon 7

Center -> Dali Oberon Grand Vokal

Sub -> SVS SB-1 000 PRO

Reciever -> Denon AVR-X2800H

So i have listened to spotify for 3 years, but i recently got my laptop and downloaded my fav tracks through Spotidown ( spotiy downloader). and the songs are being downloaded in 128kbps. My question is why the same song feels so much deep and has much more clarity than what it was i was listening to spotify 320kbps ( ogg Vorbis).And yes also also alot o songs are extended intro and outros like youtube version of the same song. Could someone explain how it is working and how a song with loer bitrate is sounding bitrate than a song with a higher bitrate.

Hey r/audiophile. I’ve been putting together and tweaking my current system over the past little while, and I wanted to share the journey, get some thoughts, and honestly see if my gear synergy is on point.

The beating heart of the system is a Yamaha R-N800A receiver, which drives a pair of Dynaudio Emit 20 standmount speakers with absolute authority—a pairing that, honestly, is singing wonderfully together. For the analog/phono chain, I'm running a Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 tube phono stage (set to 43 dB of gain), with DIP switches 1 and 3 set to ON to precisely dial in the exact capacitance loading required and feed some gorgeous tube warmth into the Yamaha.

However, here is where the real story (and my sanity test) begins: I recently inherited a vintage Technics SL-150 deck carrying an SME 3009 Series II tonearm that my uncle bought directly in Japan back in the day. Looking at its pristine condition, I've always strongly suspected it has remarkably low hours on it—a true time capsule.

And right here is where I totally screwed up my troubleshooting methodology: I tried tracking down an annoying right-channel dropout starting from the completely wrong end. I began checking backward from the Emit 20s, driving myself crazy, when common sense dictated I should have started right at the cartridge and worked forward. Turns out, I strongly suspect the culprit is right there, specifically residing in the dreaded vintage proprietary SME connector at the base of the arm.

That being said, the craziest part of this whole ordeal is that even with only one channel working and the deck dialed in down to the millimeter—meticulously tweaking azimuth, nailing the tracking force with surgical precision, and balancing the antiskating—the sound coming out of that family-inherited setup with the classic Shure V15 III is vastly more incredible, holographic, and detailed than I ever expected. Getting lost in the music even with a single active channel has been a revelation.

Since I want standard, hassle-free interconnect options without losing performance, I’m currently waiting on a custom wood conversion plate to arrive in the mail. Once it's here, I'll be doing some clean soldering to swap out the proprietary output for a standard RCA plate. From there, a proper Pro-Ject Connect it Phono E cable (making sure to respect signal direction) will run straight into the Tube Box S2. Between the cable and having switches 1 and 3 engaged on the phono stage, I'm keeping the total capacitance load perfectly in check to keep the cartridge well-behaved in the highs without sounding shrill.

Right now, I'm just impatiently staring at the tracking number waiting for that wood conversion plate to arrive so I can finally solder everything, banish the channel imbalance forever, and spin some records in glorious stereo. In the meantime, I'm making do streaming Deezer via Bluetooth—which actually sounds surprisingly decent at −70 dB late at night with Pure Direct engaged.

How do you guys think the synergy is shaping up? Did I nail the component matching, or is there a weak link I should keep an eye on? Let me know your thoughts!

Hello everyone, I am searching for a good music app which works on intel mac (tahoe) what I need is skin support from Winamp, winamp/aimp like interface, capability of playing HLS m3u steams because reamp can’t play HLS streams and of course good sound. Also I have tried to install Audacious via Brew but since devs completely deleted all the builds for Intel I couldn’t build it by myself because of an error with Qt6 codec.

Some audiophiles who have the knowledge make their own HIFi components (mostly proven Clone projects).
Those who buy such DIY devices from others are much rarer, especially if they were not made by a proven craftsman.
However, such a DIY component (no matter how good it is) is much harder to sell later than an original product.

The original is the original.

Such clone DIY products can be made very well (by experts).
And sometimes they can surpass the original product in terms of workmanship and sound (if they contain top-quality parts, better than the original).

I have had a few DIY components (some just for testing) and I was mostly satisfied. Currently I only have a DIY Quad 405.

What do you think about it?

I've been working on this for a bit and decided to release it completely free open source Apache 2.0.

When I first started EQing all the current UIs were pretty bad so I decided to add my own. Three things that were painpoints were history, AB testing, and getting presets. So I've included a user-friendly complete edit history. Imagine ctrl-z, but if you kept all the branches. There's AB testing with equal loudness for external audio as well as an internal clip creator. There's integration with AutoEQ for you to search through their list of 5000+ headphones and add it.

There's tons more features I wouldn't be able to include in such a short time so please check it out.

Note that this is the first release so it may be a little buggy in the sense of "it works on my machine" make an issue and I'll fix it as soon as possible.

Also, if there are an features you want to add, consider this a fresh slate for you to make this EQ as your own. Just mention it, and if it makes sense to add I'll 100% add it.

Long-time lurker, first real system post. This took most of 2026 and a couple of wrong turns, so here's the whole journey.

Before anyone says it: yes, I know this room is acoustically a nightmare. That big window is basically an echo machine. I did what I could with curtains over the window, a ceiling cloud and side panels on the walls, and honestly I haven't noticed any bass buildup or major issues. It could be better, but it's temporary. I'm moving soon, and this time I'm choosing the house for the audio system haha.

WHERE I STARTED

The old living room was a mixed bag that kept growing:

• AVR: Denon AVR-X3800H
• Fronts: Margules Magenta Master (pair, on stands), Mexican-made and gorgeous, driven straight off the Denon
• Center + surrounds: Margules SA-L3 (loaners)
• Sub: Klipsch R-121SW
• Heights: 4x Polk OWM3

Then I went down the tube rabbit hole: a Margules I-240 tube integrated and a ProPhono phono stage for the turntable. The plan was a dedicated tube stereo room. Turns out I'm not a stereo guy. Every time I sat down it was for a movie, not an album. So the tube gear, the Masters and the ProPhono got sold this month, along with the Denon, the Klipsch and the Polks.

WHERE I ENDED UP (5.1.4)

• Processor: Marantz Cinema 30
• Fronts: B&W 702 S3
• Center: B&W HTM71 S3
• Surrounds: B&W M-1
• Heights: 4x B&W M-1 (front + rear)
• Sub: B&W ASW610
• Sources: Apple TV 4K, PS5, Switch, and a Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 into the Marantz's built-in phono stage, played in stereo mode

I'm 90% movies, but every now and then I like putting on a good record and listening start to finish.

Big shoutout to Ale at TecnoAudio HiFi here in CDMX, who handled install, mounting and setup. He was patient through a LOT of back-and-forth.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first thing I put on was Dune: Part Two, and the sandworm scene genuinely made me sit back in my seat. But what actually got me wasn't the bass, it was how quiet and controlled everything felt around it. The old setup got busy and smeared when things got loud. This one just stays composed.

The front stage is the real star. The HTM71 matched with the 702s means dialogue sits locked in the middle of the screen, and pans across the front are seamless. I used to ride the volume during movies to catch dialogue and then dive for the remote during explosions. Haven't touched it once since the install.

The M-1 heights surprised me. I expected them to be the weak link, but they disappear completely. Rain and flyovers just happen above you with no sense of where the speakers are.

The Cinema 30 is noticeably more effortless than the Denon was. Not "night and day" like people say, but the system never sounds like it's working hard, even at reference-ish levels.

And honestly, I was worried about B&W treble being bright since I'm sensitive to fatigue. Not an issue at all. I've done three-movie nights and walked away fine.

WHAT'S NEXT

Probably the sub. The ASW610 is clean and integrates well, but it's the least ambitious piece in the chain, so dual subs or something bigger is the most likely next move. Otherwise I think I've hit my stopping point... famous last words.

Happy to answer questions. Roast me gently.

TL;DR: My TA-22s tube output is very weak and I wanna know how to get it to be more usable

I use an xduuo TA-22 as the centerpiece of my sound system. Everything else either feeds into it or uses it as it's input.

The inputs it gets don't play much of a role here, it's a cinch switch with a few small things and a USB source for its own dac...

The Outputs I have are

A Fiio Gigas 1

An Aiyima A20

Headphones plugged into it's normal headphone out

A Logitech sub from the z623 soundsystem

The two amps and the sub go into the TA22s tube output. But the signal im getting from it is so low I basically need to crank it...

Im looking for options put into this setup to get the tube out signal up to the usual line level. Would a line level preamp be what I am looking for here? Are there ones that have multiple outputs (ideally 3 at least) that can be had for a somewhat affordable price? And what exactly does a line level preamp do? Do I have to manually dial it in or does it automatically adjust itself to the line standard values