Logan Nolag
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- Sep 7, 2020
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I'm looking at replacing my current preamplifier, a McIntosh C47, with one of these 2 units mostly because the C47's DAC has one major annoying quirk; Whenever sound stops playing over USB it automatically mutes and then it takes a second or so to come back on which means you sometimes miss the beginning of a song or video. This problem has been fixed in the McIntosh C49 but it seems ridiculous to pay another $5000 - ~$2500(The price I can get easily by selling the C47) just to fix this silly problem. I can however buy an RME ADI-2 Pro FS R or a Benchmark DAC3 HGC for around the same money I can get from selling my C47 which since on paper both of these units actually outperform the C47 seems like a better plan.
Most of the comparisons I have seen online are between the ADI-2 DAC FS and the DAC3 HGC and the consensus is to go with the ADI-2 DAC since it's half the price but the ADI-2 Pro FS R BE and DAC3 HGC are almost the same price.
I need the ADI-Pro since I require analog inputs because once I get rid of my C47 I will need to use the phono preamp in my receiver for my turntable.
I am leaning towards the Benchmark since it has a 12v trigger to turn on my amp and the analog inputs are not converted to digital before being sent to the outputs. Also Benchmark's customer support seems to be second to none.
The ADI-2 Pro FS BE on the other hand seems to have many more features and is much more up to date. The Benchmark only does 24bit 192/DSD64 while the ADI-2 does 32bit 768/DSD256 for example.
The both seem to measure very comparably so it really just comes down to features and customer support.
Benchmark DAC3 HGC Pros:
- More direct analog path
- 12v trigger
- Internal PSU
- Rack mountable
- Awesome customer support
- Made in USA
- 5 year warranty
Benchmark DAC3 HGC Cons:
- Only supports 24/192 DSD64
- Requires opening the unit and moving jumpers to change settings
- Firmware updates are paid and require opening the case and installing new hardware
- No EQ/DSP/Crossfeed etc.
ADI-2 Pro FS R BE Pros:
- More up to date 32/768 DSD256
- Lots of features EQ/DSP/Crossfeed etc.
- Frequent and easy firmware updates
- Easy setting changes with screen
- Bigger community
ADI-2 Pro FS R BE Cons
- Looks like it has worse build quality (plastic knobs, cheap remote etc.)
- Worse support (I tried calling RME US and I was just sent to voicemail for example)
- Unclear warranty (Manual says 6 months?! other sources say 2 years others say 5)
- Not made in US (Made in Germany is still pretty good though)
TLDR: Anyone have experience with these 2 units and which would you rather buy?
Most of the comparisons I have seen online are between the ADI-2 DAC FS and the DAC3 HGC and the consensus is to go with the ADI-2 DAC since it's half the price but the ADI-2 Pro FS R BE and DAC3 HGC are almost the same price.
I need the ADI-Pro since I require analog inputs because once I get rid of my C47 I will need to use the phono preamp in my receiver for my turntable.
I am leaning towards the Benchmark since it has a 12v trigger to turn on my amp and the analog inputs are not converted to digital before being sent to the outputs. Also Benchmark's customer support seems to be second to none.
The ADI-2 Pro FS BE on the other hand seems to have many more features and is much more up to date. The Benchmark only does 24bit 192/DSD64 while the ADI-2 does 32bit 768/DSD256 for example.
The both seem to measure very comparably so it really just comes down to features and customer support.
Benchmark DAC3 HGC Pros:
- More direct analog path
- 12v trigger
- Internal PSU
- Rack mountable
- Awesome customer support
- Made in USA
- 5 year warranty
Benchmark DAC3 HGC Cons:
- Only supports 24/192 DSD64
- Requires opening the unit and moving jumpers to change settings
- Firmware updates are paid and require opening the case and installing new hardware
- No EQ/DSP/Crossfeed etc.
ADI-2 Pro FS R BE Pros:
- More up to date 32/768 DSD256
- Lots of features EQ/DSP/Crossfeed etc.
- Frequent and easy firmware updates
- Easy setting changes with screen
- Bigger community
ADI-2 Pro FS R BE Cons
- Looks like it has worse build quality (plastic knobs, cheap remote etc.)
- Worse support (I tried calling RME US and I was just sent to voicemail for example)
- Unclear warranty (Manual says 6 months?! other sources say 2 years others say 5)
- Not made in US (Made in Germany is still pretty good though)
TLDR: Anyone have experience with these 2 units and which would you rather buy?