2. pc-audio
  3. 1213463450

Jump in now or wait?

Very close to purchasing a Benchmark DAC1 usb to use pc as sole source. Music is saved in apple lossless w/error correction in Itunes. Is it worth buying now (will need to buy new as these units seem to be rarely available used) or is the pace of technology changing/new products coming to market such that I should wait 6 months or so? Have to believe a number of fellow agoners are wrestling with this same issue.

Relatedly, is the DAC1 going to get me sonically where a nice CD player would (thinking of used Ayre CX-7e).

Thanks for any input.
dokosan
wireless200
415 posts
 
Well you might consider the just released DAC1 pre. But obviously they're going to keep releasing new products every so often. I don't expect any significant advances in sound as we haven't really seen that over the past 5 or even 10 years IMO. All I really see is more refining and voicing to a particular designers tastes. You might as well go ahead and buy otherwise you'll always be waiting for the next thing.
4est
507 posts
 
The DAC1 usb seems to hold it's value. At that price range I don't see too much change. The Benchmark is a piece of pro gear with less mark up than audiophile equipment- hard to beat it. I've been waiting to find a reasonable upgrade for mine. Mostly it is because it is the cheapest part of my rig, and I feel I should ;).
herman
1,974 posts
 
Wireless is correct. The PC as a source, the whole arena of digital playback for that matter, is mature enough that there will be no huge improvements. This is not first generation stuff, it is a variation on technology that has existed for over 20 years. If you wait for a "wide variety of high resolution downloads" you may be waiting forever. We've had SACD and DVD-A for years and there still isn't what I would call a wide variety available on those two.

Get in now.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
There is no error correction in iTunes playback. It just reads the data and spools it out, either PCI, USB or WiFi depending on your device. There may be multiple reads when ripping, but no error correction on playback.

WiFi because it is networked has retry and error detection built-in, just like for your print jobs.

There are of course, better USB and WiFi DAC's coming in the future. It is up to you whether you want to wait for them. The DAC-1 can always be sold on Audiogon.
herman
1,974 posts
 
Steve, I've never heard the mention of error correction on playback. Are you saying my computer might not be reading the hard drive correctly and needs error correction?
More to discover