Benchmark Pumps Up DAC2 Audio Converter Line

Benchmark Media Systems just unleashed the latest product for its DAC2 line of audio converters. The new product is the DAC2 L — and it’s now shipping.

This model is the company’s first DAC2 converter to ship without Benchmark’s HPA2 headphone amplifier. That may sound like a bad thing, but it’s not. Instead, it’s to accommodate the company’s audience.

“The HPA2 offers outstanding performance, but we recognize that some of our customers will never use the headphone feature,” says John Siau, Benchmark’s VP and director of engineering.

Instead, the DAC2 L is designed for customers who listen exclusively through speakers. Those same users may even want to add multiple DAC2 units into a surround system or a multiroom system.

A few of the features on the DAC2 L include the Sabre32 reference conversion system with four 32-bit audio converters per channel, 24bit/192kHz PCM, native DSD conversion, sample-rate and word-length displays, UltralLock2 jitter attenuation, and an asynchronous USB 2.0 port. The unit also has a polarity switch, home theater bypass, digital and analog inputs, a digital pass-through, a 12-volt trigger, remote control, and low-noise high-efficiency power supplies.

Benchmark is shipping the DAC2 L now with a choice of black or silver machined-aluminum faceplates. Both options are listed with an MSRP of $1,795.