Back on topic, and for posterity on this mildly stale thread.
The Benchmark ADC1 is still pretty close to SOTA for anything mortals can afford. S/N is 121 dB, THD+N is -104 dB at -3 dBFS input.
It has two gain stages. The first has three settings: unity, +10, and +20. The second is variable, using either an external pot or an internal pot reachable by screwdriver, selectable by switch, both with a range of 0 to +24 dB. The 44 dB total gain isn’t enough for condenser mics in my experience, and it doesn’t have phantom power, so that isn’t the target use case. Balanced XLR inputs. Outputs include optical, two coax, XLR, and USB, all fed simultaneously. Both 16 and 24-bit dithered outputs simultaneously. Alternate clock inputs, but uses USB to align to computer clock. Software-controlled bit depth and sample rate on USB, but that doesn’t affect other digital outputs, which can go up to 24/192. This may not be as high as some go, but it’s far higher than is actually useful in audio applications.
To me, the flexibility of gain control is as important as measured specs. I like stuff with knobs. This is a stereo ADC that would serve just fine in a mastering situation. I use it for digitizing all my analog sources.
Rick “pretty good considering its age” Denney