General Asylum: REVIEW: Bel Canto Design DAC1 DAC Processors by Jose R

In my search for a single disc CDP I was able to audition several players by Arcam, YBA and Parasound and others. After realizing there was not much to be had for under $1,000 that I liked, I concentrated on two players: the Arcam Alpha 9 and the Parasound CDP 2000. I liked the detail, dynamic punch and spacious "air" of the Arcam but did not feel it was smooth enough. The Parasound was definitely smoother but lost some detail and air. I gave up for a while until a read some comments here at the asylum regarding the Bel Canto DAC1 and decided to give it a try after reading the information on Bel Canto's website.

I accepted Bel Canto's recommendation of using the Pioneer DV-525 as transport connected to the DAC1 with a toslink cable. On its own the Pioneer sounded just find when used to play CDs; a bit thin sounding but smooth. Connected to the DAC1, the Pioneer was transformed from a cold sounding and at times a bright player to a full sounding player; but I wouldn't categorize it as a warm sounding combo, just fuller. I believe by using a better (and more expensive) transport you can probably reap more rewards, but the Pioneer is currently performing just fine, and when I decide to upgrade to a universal transport down the road I will be left with a decent DVD player. (Also, I am not bothered by the noisy transport mechanism, since I have my components situated in another room than my speakers. Interestingly, since a wall separates my listening chair and my component rack, I usually have to get up to change tracks or stop the disc and point my remote around a doorway; but with the Pioneer's remote control I can make the changes by sitting in my chair because the signal can go directly through the wall?!)

I have tried two toslink cables with the DAC1; a cheap looking Audio One cable ($50) and the Transparent HP toslink cable ($70) that Chad at Bel Canto uses. First in use was the Audio One for a couple months. This cable is interesting in that the digital cable has no protective cover, meaning you can actually see the red digital signal coming from the Pioneer DV-525. Now, some, if not all, engineers will say that what you are seeing is "loss." I am inclined to agree, but when I switched over to the Transparent toslink cable last month, I did not hear any significant differences between the two cables. I have decided to keep the Transparent in place because it looks and feel sturdier with better connectors at both ends. I have not had the time to do AB tests between the two cables, nor will I find the time--life is too short. Additionally, the ICs I used since the beginning have been Harmonic Tech's Pro-Silways. (I also have the Bel Canto sitting on four vibrapods with a heavy book on top.)

In comparison to my NAD, the Pioneer/Bel Canto combo is much smoother, more musical, with greater detail and with less edgy harshness--as it should. I can now appreciate and understand what reviewers and other posters here at the asylum mean when they talk about Pace, Timing and Rhythm. Musicians, whether they be in a rock band or in a string quartet or in an orchestra, play like a focused, tight group as though they are one cohesive unit. I believe this cohesion is the direct result of the information the Bel Canto is able to extract from each CD; the inner detail from the depths of the soundstage. For instance, on Nirvana's MTV unplugged recording, I am able to distinctly hear the conversations between David Grohl and the other musicians behind Kurt Cobain, making the live performance much more understandable and also works at presenting a enveloping soundstage. I do get a better sense of time and place than I did before. Is it natural? I don't know, but it works for me. In addition, the Bel Canto has that smooth continuous quality similar to analog where instruments and performers occupy a real space with air around them and not some "mechanical" virtual world. Strings have a human urgency about them, guitars have a remarkable "snap," and vocalist have an "organic" presence. I remember Jim Fehlinger stating "[t]hink of the "wet" reverberant sound of piano on recent CDs (as on that recent RCA 24/96 remaster of Van Cliburn playing Brahms) versus the dry, hard sound of older CDs. Well, the Bel Canto gave **all** my piano CDs that wet, rich, reverberant sound." I completely agree on this point. With my prior NAD/Paradigm set-up, I hardly listened to piano recordings and in fact disliked the instrument and was prepared to trade-in my piano CDs at the local CD shop. After the Bel Canto, I hardly go to the record shop without picking up a few piano recordings. All-in-all, the Pioneer/Bel Canto combo addressed my needs: to make my CD collection sound much better, and that it does by a long mile. It has made my CD listening much more enjoyable, relaxing and non-fatiguing.

But, it does not eliminate the hard edge of poorly transferred CDs or pop/rock recording which have that HF boost in the treble. If its there the Bel Canto will retrieve it. What the Bel Canto does do with these recordings is make them listenable. I think this is where you can play around with different cables. My Pro-Silways are very revealing, being extremely extended at both ends of the spectrum which is why I like them. On good to great recordings, I have not heard anything yet to beat this combo (Bel Canto/Harmonic Tech) except for maybe the Linn Ikemi single box player. Again, like I have stated before, these two (Ikemi and DAC1) are very similar in their presentation and qualities. (The Bel Canto does better both the Arcam Alpha 9 and Parasound CDP 2000 by having the best qualities of both players.) If I had a choice between the Bel Canto and the Linn, I would still choose the Bel Canto because of its upgradability. According to their website, Bel Canto states that the DAC1 is "easily upgraded as technology and formats advance." In my mind this makes the Bel Canto a better investment. (If Philips/Sony and the DVD-A consortium make their hardware available to small manufacturers then I can upgrade the Bel Canto and buy a universal transport and can easily keep up with technology.)

Now, compared to my Kuzma/Rega/Goldring analog rig, I found the Bel Canto lacking in certain areas and stronger in others. Even though I am still fiddling with VTA and working on isolating the TT and breaking-in the table, cartridge and arm; my LPs still sound more natural with a greater sense of air and space. The Kuzma/Rega/Goldring combo has a sense of weight, depth and breadth and naturalness which is just not found in digital. The Bel Canto makes digital information musical while the Kuzma just makes music. Analog is still much more immediate and transcendental. But, then again the Bel Canto has greater clarity and detail (I think this can remedied by a good MC cartridge) without the surface noise, pops or ticks. I don't view either one better than the other, just different.

How about the Audio Note DAC1.1 kit that Steve raved about? or the Perpetual Tech's P1-A? And how do they compare with the Bel Canto DAC1? Hopefully, Jim will soon tell us.

REVIEW: Bel Canto Design DAC1 DAC Processors Review by Jose R at Audio Asylum