Get better sound quality from your PC

Over the past few issues, I’ve been pursuing the goal of true audiophile sound quality with a PC.

I’ve tried modified streaming devices, esoteric soundcards and software plug-ins with various degrees of success.

Some have been good and a handful could be described as excellent, but none have matched the output from a high-end Meridian CD500 transport.

They’ve all lacked something; be it detail, pace, imaging or just sheer involvement. I realise such descriptions involve a degree of hi-fi voodoo for the non-believers out there, but anyone can hear if one source sounds better than another and, in my experience, PCs normally come second best.

Considering my search began several years ago with an initial evaluation of compression formats, you can imagine the relief when I finally struck gold this month. The search is over: I’ve found PC audio nirvana and its name is the Benchmark DAC1 PRE.

Audio flexibility
Benchmark’s DAC1 PRE packs a 24-bit/192KHz digital analogue converter (DAC) and a pre-amplifier with six stereo inputs and the choice of balanced or unbalanced outputs, along with a pair of its reference HPA2 headphone amplifiers into a very compact unit measuring just 249x45x246mm and costing £1,633.

One of those stereo inputs is a USB port, which allows audio to be delivered direct from a PC or Mac. The other inputs consist of three coaxial digital, one optical digital and one analogue stereo.

The USB port allows the DAC1 PRE to act as an external USB soundcard, but with capabilities and quality way beyond the norm.

In the past, most USB audio devices have fallen into two camps: native devices that may not require drivers, but which can’t handle audio beyond 16-bit/48KHz, and higher-end devices that achieve high-resolution output with custom drivers, but sometimes at the cost of broad compatibility and stability.

Benchmark’s Advanced USB Technology claims to deliver the first native USB solution which supports bit-transparent streams at up to 24-bit/96KHz without the need for any special drivers.

24-bit capability is important because digital volume controls and mixers increase their word length, which become compromised when delivered with 16-bit resolution. 24 bits provides headroom for these changes. USB sources also benefit from the DAC1 PRE’s Ultralock Clock system which claims to eliminate jitter on any digital input.