There are very few products that have been sat in our Clerkenwell showroom since the day we moved in back in September. In fact other than a vintage Roksan record player, the Benchmark DAC1 HDR was the only non-ATC product we had in our original set-up. Granted the doors weren’t open yet and we were not selling them (they were just listening for our own pleasure); but it shows you that Benchmark is a name that we trust and personally like to use.

Benchmark Media are a New York based company that has a big reputation in the hi-fi world for making studio quality DACs and ADCs. They have been building their renowned products for over 30 years and sell to a wide range of customers including broadcasters, recording studios and home audiophiles.

Benchmark are often seen as a company that knows what they are doing when it comes to digital music. With the current technological advances in this area, there are an ever-growing number of manufacturers producing DACs, digital amplifiers and streamers. Benchmark now see themselves having to stay ahead of the pack when it comes to their DACs.

As a big fan of the extremely versatile Benchmark DAC1 HDR, you can imagine my excitement when the demo unit of the new DAC2 HGC (HGC stands for Hybrid Gain Control) arrived this week. I got it straight out the box and had a play. Like the DAC1, this is a DAC, Pre-amp and headphone amp all in one. Unlike the DAC1 it can now play high-resolution 24/192 and DSD files, whereas the DAC1 can only manage 24/92. New features on the DAC2 also include the hybrid gain control, a home theatre bypass option, polarity control and a bi-directional 12V trigger. Oh, and it also comes with an IR remote control.

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