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Benchmark HGC 3

K

kanwar

pfm Member
I want to reduce my electronic box count and I’m seriously considering going for the Benchmark HGC 3. I will then be able to sell on a pre amp with PSU, headphone amp and Dac, all from Teddy Pardo and sound great! It’d be silly to ask if anybody has done a comparison, however does anyone use or has experience with the Benchmark 3?
Cheers.
 
Yeh I had one too. Decent enough in my 2nd system but rubbish in my main system. A decent enough Dac for the money but don’t believe the hype…
 
I've had the DAC2 HGC for quite a while now, and see no reason to change - the 3 version is supposed to be a bit better.
 
I've had a Benchmark DAC2HGC for quite sometime now, as a DAC it's a great piece of kit and when used as a Preamp bettered a Mark Levinson 380S in terms of transparency. I'd expect the DAC3 to perform just as well.
 
I used the DAC2 HGC for many years for that same reason. (Unfortunately) it's a very accurate DAC, meaning it's also very clinical and perceived by many as boring. I didn't think so myself, until I compared it to the Denafrips Pontus II.

Now my main system has the Denafrips with a Benchmark HPA4 preamp. The DAC2 was shuffled to my secondary system. More boxes, but it sounds better.
 
I have the HGC3 and am delighted with it. You correctly identified its utility as dac/ analogue pre and headphone amp. I previously had a Benchmark DAC1 with the same features but this sounds way better, more revealing but sweater/ more natural sounding without the slight glare the 1 had. I got rid of a good preamp and use it instead ( with a big Hypex based power amp and KEF Ref 1 speakers).
They’re also built like a tank, the Dac1 is still going strong In someone else’s system.
 
I have a chance to purchase an ex-dem model, plus one owner at 1600 euros; guarantee has expired but the seller seems Kosher. I’m twiddling my fingers whether to pull the plug – it might not compare to the Teddy gear….
 
kanwar said:
I have a chance to purchase an ex-dem model, plus one owner at 1600 euros; guarantee has expired but the seller seems Kosher. I’m twiddling my fingers whether to pull the plug – it might not compare to the Teddy gear….
Click to expand...
Benchmark has openly stated that the DAC3 measures very slightly better than the DAC2, but that no human could hear the difference. They created the new model because the old chip was being retired.

Therefore you could buy a DAC2 or DAC3 to get the same sonic performance. A used DAC2 is much cheaper, so you should find one of those instead and try it for yourself. I bought a DAC2 over a year ago for CAD$1200 (€825).

FYI, I've also owned their DAC1, and it does have a bit more flare than the DAC2/3.
 
Hi Mike,

I think it is a good product.

The HGC is a clever design that I found was within a whisker of my Icon 4 passive. The DAC section I thought was on a par with a Qutest, and took a nice step up when fed with an M-Scaler.

It would certainly be on my audition list.

M
 
Mr Underhill said:
Hi Mike,

I think it is a good product.

The HGC is a clever design that I found was within a whisker of my Icon 4 passive. The DAC section I thought was on a par with a Qutest, and took a nice step up when fed with an M-Scaler.

It would certainly be on my audition list.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's absolutely a good product. Not only is the DAC section of the DAC2 very good, when I plugged it directly into my power amps (then Naim NAP135s), I immediately realized my NAC52 and Super-Cap were unnecessary. It sounded far better without them.

I was completely happy with it for years, then my friend indicated that it wasn't engaging enough for him. I thought he was being a nutter when he insisted he wanted to compare it to the Denafrips Pontus II. I was able to find one locally, and I compared it to the DAC2. I was surprised to discover that the Denafrips was more enjoyable and fun than the DAC2, and it's my current choice. However, both my friend and I still recognize that the DAC2 is still more accurate and detailed, even thought it's not as enjoyable.

My friend currently has the Chord Qutest himself. He brought it along when we did a head-to-head of all three DACs. The DAC2 was the clear detail winner. The Qutest (powered by an iFi SMPS) was slightly more enjoyable, but seemed a bit "mushy" with details. The Denafrips was clearly the winner in overall satisfaction, but my friend then decided he couldn't settle for any of them. He wanted the detail of the Benchmark and the enjoyment of the Denafrips. We're currently watching for the Denafrips Terminator Plus and HoloAudio May KTE.

One more point on the Qutest: We swapped out the iFi SMPS for a linear supply that I made for him. That brought the Qutest almost in line with the Pontus II. (We also tried the Allo Shanti LPS, and it was a mere hair better than my LPS.)

As for the pre-amp section of the Benchmark DAC2, as I mentioned it was good enough to supplant the might Naim 52+Super. However, when I fed the Denafrips through its analog section, I found the overall presentation was very intense (over exuberant). Later I got a Benchmark HPA4 preamp, which solved the intensity problem.

So yes, the DAC2 (or DAC3) can get right of a bunch of boxes, but listeners may find it a bit too clinical.
 
kanwar said:
I want to reduce my electronic box count and I’m seriously considering going for the Benchmark HGC 3. I will then be able to sell on a pre amp with PSU, headphone amp and Dac, all from Teddy Pardo and sound great! It’d be silly to ask if anybody has done a comparison, however does anyone use or has experience with the Benchmark 3?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
I have a BM 2HGC. It is fine. No hand waving. I imagine the 3 is the same. If it's in the music, you will hear it.
 
Mike Hanson said:
Yes, it's absolutely a good product. Not only is the DAC section of the DAC2 very good, when I plugged it directly into my power amps (then Naim NAP135s), I immediately realized my NAC52 and Super-Cap were unnecessary. It sounded far better without them.

I was completely happy with it for years, then my friend indicated that it wasn't engaging enough for him. I thought he was being a nutter when he insisted he wanted to compare it to the Denafrips Pontus II. I was able to find one locally, and I compared it to the DAC2. I was surprised to discover that the Denafrips was more enjoyable and fun than the DAC2, and it's my current choice. However, both my friend and I still recognize that the DAC2 is still more accurate and detailed, even thought it's not as enjoyable.

My friend currently has the Chord Qutest himself. He brought it along when we did a head-to-head of all three DACs. The DAC2 was the clear detail winner. The Qutest (powered by an iFi SMPS) was slightly more enjoyable, but seemed a bit "mushy" with details. The Denafrips was clearly the winner in overall satisfaction, but my friend then decided he couldn't settle for any of them. He wanted the detail of the Benchmark and the enjoyment of the Denafrips. We're currently watching for the Denafrips Terminator Plus and HoloAudio May KTE.

One more point on the Qutest: We swapped out the iFi SMPS for a linear supply that I made for him. That brought the Qutest almost in line with the Pontus II. (We also tried the Allo Shanti LPS, and it was a mere hair better than my LPS.)

As for the pre-amp section of the Benchmark DAC2, as I mentioned it was good enough to supplant the might Naim 52+Super. However, when I fed the Denafrips through its analog section, I found the overall presentation was very intense (over exuberant). Later I got a Benchmark HPA4 preamp, which solved the intensity problem.

So yes, the DAC2 (or DAC3) can get right of a bunch of boxes, but listeners may find it a bit too clinical.
Click to expand...

The Qutest has a LOT more in its tank than what it can do with the Shanti. I upgraded from the Shanti to a Plixir Elite BDC and the improvement was so striking that it was like having a different, upgraded DAC.
 
I spoke to the seller earlier and he seems like a decent dude (fingers crossed) and I will go for this. I’v e heard that it’s a bit off a hassle to learn to use – what with the lights and everything; which is gonna be a pain for my wife. Is it a PITA to use? Experiences please. Thanks so far for your input, really appreciate it.
 
It’s no trickier to use than any pre-amp, just a matter of remembering which input is which.
Oh, and which headphone output mutes the speakers.
 
If you’re using the balanced outs, you can change the attenuation by moving some internal jumpers, which is pretty easy. That might help if it’s significantly louder or quieter than your other sources.
The manual is very good, so you shouldn’t have any issues.
 
It's actually easy and hard, depending on how you look at it. There are bunch of digital inputs and two analog ones, represented in two vertical rows of lights. You have two buttons to proceed backwards and forwards through the list. Where is gets a bit confusing is that the first component is on the bottom left, while the last is on the bottom right. The buttons take you up the left then down the right.

As long as you keep pressing buttons to get to the input that you want, then it's straightforward enough. Not my favorite, but it works.
 
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