Benchmark Media Systems
DAC3 HGC
The Benchmark DAC3 HGC is a combination D/A converter, analog preamplifier, and dual-headphone-output headphone amplifier built around Benchmark's Hybrid Gain Control (HGC) volume architecture, which blends active analog gain, passive attenuation, 32-bit digital gain, and a servo-driven volume control to preserve dynamic range at any listening level. It succeeded Benchmark's well-regarded DAC2 line and is aimed at studio monitoring and high-end 2-channel systems that need both a reference DAC and a transparent preamp/headphone amp in one box. Our researched current price of $2,399 is slightly higher than the ~$2,199 guide figure; Stereophile's 2017 launch review listed it at $2,195, and current official Benchmark pricing is $2,399.
MSRP
$2,399
Used market · Excellent
$1,350
MSRP to used market
From $1,550 at launch to $1,350 today.
Specifications
- Price
- $2,399 current
- THD n
- −119 dBFS / 0.00016% @ 1kHz, −3dBFS
- Weight
- 1.3–1.36 kg
- DAC chip
- ESS Sabre ES9028PRO
- Dimensions
- 249 × 44.5 × 216 mm (W×H×D)
- Analog inputs
- 2× stereo RCA
- Analog outputs
- 2× single-ended stereo RCA, 1× balanced XLR pair, 2× 1/4″ headphone jacks
- Digital inputs
- 1× asynchronous USB (2.0), 2× TosLink optical, 2× RCA coaxial S/PDIF
- Volume control
- Hybrid Gain Control (HGC): active analog gain + passive low-impedance attenuator + 32-bit digital gain + servo-driven volume
- Published price
- 2399 USD
- Related variants
- DAC3 L ($1,895, no headphone amp), DAC3 DX ($2,095, adds AES/EBU digital input, no analog inputs)
- Sample rate support
- PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz; native single-rate DSD (DSD64), sent over PCM
- Signal to noise ratio
- 128 dB A-weighted (+27dBu, 0dBFS, with balanced-output attenuator pads)
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