Benchmark DAC3 HGC in black
Rear panel of Benchmark's DAC3 HGC in black
Benchmark DAC3 HGC Converter

The DAC3 HGC delivers outstanding musical detail and precise stereo imaging. It employs an advanced high-headroom digital filter design, and a high-sample-rate Asynchronous USB Audio interface. All inputs are fully isolated from interface jitter by Benchmark's new UltraLock3™ jitter attenuation system.

£2299.00 inc VAT
IN STOCK
SKU BM-DAC3HGC/B
EAN 837654830376

  • 5x digital inputs
  • 2x analogue inputs
  • 3x Analog Outputs (3 total)
  • Native DSD conversion
  • Switchable polarity
  • Remote controllable
  • Hybrid Gain Control
  • High-Headroom DSP
  • UltraLock3™ Jitter Attenuation System
  • Quad 32-bit balanced D/A Conversion System
The Ear - Editor's Choice

"Value-for-money and stunning sound quality, surely key prerequisites when selecting equipment"

The Ear
What Hi-Fi – 5 Stars

"You’ll find it’s an impressively capable unit – we can’t think of an alternative that does so much so well"

What Hi-Fi

Internal digital processing and conversion is 32-bits, and this processing includes 3.5 dB of headroom above 0 dBFS. This headroom prevents the DSP overloads that commonly occur in other D/A converters.

Four balanced 32-bit D/A converters are summed together to create each balanced analogue output. This 4:1 summation provides a 6 dB noise reduction, and gives the DAC3 industry-leading performance.

Any practical audio system will need a volume control. These days, most audio devices use digital volume controls. These controls place significant demands on the quality of a D/A conversion. An internal D/A converter that starts with the equivalent of 14-bit performance, may only deliver 12-bit performance at typical volume-control settings.

In contrast, the Benchmark DAC3 D/A converter uses a motor-driven 32-bit digital volume control driving a 32-bit D/A conversion stage. This combination delivers true high-resolution audio performance over a wide range of volume settings.

SNR 128 dB (A-Weighted 0 dBFS = +27 dBu)
Frequency Response +0 dB, -0.015 dB (20 to 20 kHz) @ Fs=192 kHz
Crosstalk -137 dB at 20 Hz
THD+N -113 dBFS, -113 dB, 0.00022% (1 kHz at 0 dBFS)
Max Amplitude of Idle Tones < -147 dB
Max Lock Time 6 ms (after Fs change)
Dimensions 237 x 249 x 44.5mm, 1.36kg