The loss of good dealers is a blow. Being able to demo and home audition equipment is critical.
My experience with cables is similar to yours. But the Beldens still stand out as possessing remarkable sound while unfortunately also being expensive. On the other hand, I really want to like Analysis Plus oval cables, their explanations are compelling. But I despise how they sound.
Jr. v. Sr. is a diminishing returns issue. They both possess superb sound and extract all the musical goodness one could possibly expect. Whether to upgrade to the Sr. is a yuck/buck ratio issue. Would you enjoy the music more and listen more? Probably not. But you probably would get a bigger kick out of your system. There are all sorts of ways to enjoy music reproduction.
Are you able to articulate why the Benchmark failed to convey emotion? One of the DACs in my studio is a Benchmark. It possesses excellent sound, is bulletproof, and a wonderfully versatile workhorse. (I like Grace DACs for the same reasons and also have one in my studio.)
The Benchmarks have a slightly grey sound - not gritty, not opaque, but a certain palette (all DACs possess a palette).
B-I-P, I had the same “feeling” about Benchmarks. My brother had two or three over a period of years. Probably counterbalanced some of the sound of his 70’s NAIM stuff. But he got a Junior, and that was better.
Elk, I can see where the BM would work in the studio similarly to the Grace. Transparent-ish is something I would ascribe to both. And perhaps a better quality in the studio than the living room, much as you would want studio monitors in the studio and more “emotional” speakers in the living room.
I simply can not articulate why the Benchmark didn’t do what it was supposed to do. “Grey” is probably a good word as any for them.
When I got my Junior, I could A/B/C/D switch with various equipment I had on hand. I have a Mutec 1.2 that I can insert between my PC and an array of DACs… the Mutec receives the USB signal from the PC then presents the digital stream to an array of outputs that I sent to my other DACs and then to my Prima Luna Integrated… there I just switch between them with a remote using the exact same stream… really cool.
After running a 1KHZ test tone and level matching with a meter on a tripod, we did an A/B/C/D with my Accuphase, the Junior, and old Audio ALchmeny, Bencmark USB and a friend’s Dragonfly (could not use the switching for this one). Both of us could instantly identify which unit was playing. We both got it right 100% of the time… I was actully shocked at how easy it was to tell.
The Benchmark was detailed, balanced, but dead… maybe this was a crushing of dynamics? Yea, maybe this was it. My Accuphase sounded wonderful and it was something like 20 years old… dark, but musical. The AA unit was simply crap. The Dragonfly (my friend’s unit) was OK, best described as not all that bad… which is saying quite a bit for a $100 unit… I was so impressed I immediately purchased one for use with my laptop while I work.
BTW: Ted wrote something up about Mutec (locks in jitter or something like that) and it kinda freaked me out so I don;t use the unit anymore… but I could not tell a difference when using it or not.
Not sure if this question belongs in this thread, but here goes. I just recently purchased a Jr. along with a DMP and BHK 250. I have about 80 hrs of break-in on the units. If you remember, how many hrs did it take to fully break-in the DAC? I know I can’t make any final judgments on the DAC or other equipment yet, but I’m hoping there’s still a lot of improvement to be had. At this point, I’m on the fence about what I’m hearing. Some CD’s sound better in many ways already, at this point of the break-in process, but other’s are still lacking. One thing I’ve noticed, especially with Rock music, is a lack of mid bass punch. The lower octaves have good weight, but the mid bass sounds rather anemic. Hoping this improves with more break-in.
Even though I’ve been through this whole break-in process a million times, I still get a little apprehensive and nervous, being the neurotic audiophile I am. Thanks for the reassurance.
Absolutely. Give it some time as you have multiple devices. I got my Jr and it was fully broke in prior, and then got the 250 which is still “in process”. However for my system (PC/Roon/Digital+Streaming) it seemed like break in was pretty quick. The DAC seemed fine out of the box but better at I would guess circa 100 hours. The BHK is maybe at 50. I am happy with it sound quality wise - that being the system. Not sure what if anything will change with time. I do have specific reference music I use to determine (or try to) and changes in sound/delivery.
The loss of good dealers is an interesting (troubling?) issue. I’m a young’un by this hobby’s standards (28), so good audio dealers were already on the decline by the time I was in high school and college getting into better sound. All my research happened online, and when I needed a headphone amp, Schiit kept coming up as the way to go. On paper they seemed perfect - affordable, made in the US, piles of great user reviews. Finally I got to listen to them at an audio show and…
I hated the sound.
But at the same show I found Woo Audio and snatched up a WA6 instantly. Had I bought the Schiit sound unheard, I would have been bummed and had to return it or sell it.
So all that’s to say, let’s say the worst case scenario happens and all showrooms evaporate. What can fill the void? Is something like Cable Co’s lending library a step in the right direction? What about local meet ups?
Many opine both the DS DAC Sr. and Jr. require a lot of break-in time, even hundreds of hours. I suggest feeding it a musical signal continuously for a week or so before critically listening to it again. Keep in mind the rest of your system need not be on, the DAC merely needs to be connected to your pre so it has a load to drive. Engaging the volume attenuator will hasten the process a bit.
I’ve been letting the system play for 16 hrs a day, then placing it in stand-by mode at night, so not to disturb anyone, or let the tubes go for too long on the amp. But you’re right, no reason to put the DAC or DMP in stand-by, it could be burning in 24/7.
For someone that “didn’t intend to bring any inflammatory or trolling rhetoric into this thread”, you sure have done a good job of it. You do come across as preachy and antagonist.
