RC

Would they, though? With all due respect, I think you are imagining as much about the value systems of the audiophile world as you think others are doing with dac performance. Many audiophiles would feel better taking money from the needy and spending it on their systems, while cynically quoting Ayn Rand as they went... Just look at the tax code and the Gini coefficient! As for dacs and sound improvement, you again extrapolate from the personal to the universal. So, you don't get much from an external dac, for whatever reasons. What if others do? Here is what I get: increased smoothness, decreased granularity, increased distance between instruments, richer mids and bass, sweeter gentler highs (no, Miles Davis, I love you, but you won't split my eardrums today). These improvements vary noticeably from dac to dac and of course from amp to amp. I would never argue that they make music "more lifelike," but rather that they make the presentation of reproduction more enjoyable. Let's say it scratches my psychic itch for a type of sound that, to my inner ear, spells abundant joy. Ears vary, of course, as do hearts and minds... ;-)

How does the Benchmark's DAC performance compare to that of the Wavelength Cosecant?

robbye91, Check out the iBasso line, ranging from $109US-$179US. My first DAC was the versatile D2, since upgraded with somewhat more musical opamps, and still in use for portable chores! Can't say much for the headphone section, but the DAC feeding a tube headamp is a warm little singer. There's a lot of activity in this end of the market as a generation of iPodders starts wanting better sound at reasonable prices. Check out the boards at Head-fi.org where you'll find no end of DAC advice, not to mention a used/trade forum. Happy listening.

Hi Chris,<br /> <br /> I wonder if you've heard any suggestion that Emusic.com could ultimately offer lossless music. They have such a vast, appealing catalogue, especially of jazz recordings, that it would seem a natural area of diversification. At present, unfortunately, it's all severely compressed.<br /> <br /> Maybe lossless is too much a niche market in the iPod era, but all the competitive options springing up seem to imply new opportunities for an existing mp3 merchant. They already have the infrastructure and contracts could be renegotiated.<br /> <br /> Thoughts on this? Do you have any sense that some labels might resist lossless downloads as a last raid on the dwindling CD market?

"There is really no way for me to put a MacPro in my listening room"<br /> <br /> David,<br /> <br /> You could go wireless, a la Sonos or similar. But why not a Mac Mini? They're small, inconspicuous and clean in appearance. Who needs a big Mac Pro for a music server -- it's overkill. You need merely a small, quiet machine that can offload the true musical tasks to dedicated equipment.<br /> <br /> My Mini and Zero DAC fit happily inside a Lax Series Entertainment Console, where they feed the Simaudio amp. No separate screen is used. I control the server via my laptop using Apple screen sharing, running the Mini's iTunes from my MBP. Learned about that here on Computer Audiophile. :-) <br /> <br /> Another benefit of this hybrid wired/wireless approach is that my headphone sessions are controllable this way, too, since, optionally, the laptop can also share the server's iTunes library and play it locally, thus enabling this nifty mobility: server (wirelessly) --> laptop --> portable DAC/headphone amp.

According to a 9/22/08 piece on Macfixit.com, the reliable Apple troubleshooting site, there are reports of "muddy sound" in iTunes 8.<br /> <br /> Apparently some users are finding the upgrade has reset settings in the iTunes equalizer and Audio MIDI setup. This article may be helpful to you, Milo:<br /> <br /> http://www.powerpage.org/2008/09/some_users_complaining_of_muddy_sound_in_itunes_8_fixes_offered.html<br />