Digital Processor Reviews

Bel Canto e1X DAC/Control Preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server with HDPlex linear power supply; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+.
Loudspeakers: Audiovector QR 7, Mission 770.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-X
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Headphones: Nordost Heimdall. Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Target TT-5 equipment racks, Mission 770 speaker stands; Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System and AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System (source components); AudioQuest Fog Lifters cable supports. AC power comes from two dedicated 20A circuits, each just 6' from breaker box.
Room: 20' (left side), 25' (right side) × 16' × 8'.—John Atkinson

COMPANY INFO
Bel Canto Design
221 1st St. North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 317-4550
belcantodesign.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Long-time listener's picture
Submitted by Long-time listener on September 28, 2022 - 7:46pm

Well, a tilt control is nice, and I approve. But what if you want to increase bass, and INCREASE treble at the same time? As long as they're providing a tone-control capable device, why not give us the real thing? I get so tired of waiting for actual tone controls.

Bob Loblaw's picture
Submitted by Bob Loblaw on September 29, 2022 - 6:56am

Have a look at the RME ADI-2 DAC FS. It sounds good, has close to state of the art performance, gets regular firmware updates to improve performance, has a powerful headphone output, is reasonably priced and has full tone control capabilities.

Long-time listener's picture
Submitted by Long-time listener on September 29, 2022 - 9:26am

Thanks for the information; I'm interested. I guess a year or two ago Stereophile reviewed a Weiss DAC that does have tone controls, but I'm not willing at this point to pay that kind of money ($6-7000+ as I recall). My question was also partly rhetorical, aimed at all the people who are, apparently, just philosophically opposed to tone controls. Including manufacturers. So many imperfect recordings from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and onward can benefit from a bit of adjustment that I have no way of understanding their objections. Thanks again

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on September 29, 2022 - 5:43pm

It got pride of place above all in digital processors for 2022??

"A+ Bel Canto e1X: $6800"

I'm sure I read other dac's that got better sonic reviews and measurements than this did??

Cheers George

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on September 30, 2022 - 4:17am
georgehifi wrote:
It got pride of place above all in digital processors for 2022?? I'm sure I read other dac's that got better sonic reviews and measurements than this did??

Note that entries in Recommended Components are listed in alphabetical order. That's why the Bel Canto is at the top of the list.

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on September 30, 2022 - 4:32pm

I stand corrected, with the "pride of place comment"
It's still A+, with that not so attention grabbing review/measurements. That uses a dac chip from 2004!!!

Cheers George

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on October 1, 2022 - 9:16am
georgehifi wrote:
It's still A+, with that not so attention grabbing review/measurements. That uses a dac chip from 2004!!

I felt the Bel Canto's sound quality was definitely Class A+. And note that as implemented in the e1X DAC, that 18 year-old DAC chip offers slightly greater resolution than the high-performance RingDAC in the dCS Rossini Apex.

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

FredisDead's picture
Submitted by FredisDead on October 2, 2022 - 1:02pm

otherwise intelligent folks can't seem to accept that later iterations of DAC chips primarily offer greater flexibility by means of more complexity and not better sound. Cirrus, TI, Wolfson, AKM, ESS sell far more chips for computers and cell phones than audiophile equipment. The manufacturers' priorities are in line with the intended customer. It takes guts for a higher profile producer like Bel Canto to admit that they rely on an old design that they know well and have fine tuned over many years. Kudos to them.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 3, 2022 - 7:40pm

Agreed.
That's why I'm a big lover of the sound of older well implemented R2R ladder dacs, chips, or the discrete new ones like the Holo May KTE which also got A+ rating, they sound sound better to me, more meat on the bones like great vinyl does except with far better channel separation, not like what Delta Sigma does "thin and sterilized", which from what I understand this is, even when it's converting PCM Redbook it gets "Delta Sigma'ized". https://ibb.co/ZJDsY9Z

Cheers George

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