For a couple of years, the DAC in the main system here has been a Bel Canto DAC3, which we’ve enjoyed very much. Recently, Bel Canto has announced a new TOL DAC, the 3.5. I heard the 3.5 at the Fest and talked with the Bel Canto designer, John Stronczer, and Steve Sinkoff, the dealer (Superior Sight & Sound) who featured Bel Canto in one of his rooms. I decided to send the DAC3 off for upgrades: a 3.5 processor board, a new power supply board, and the VBS1 external power supply. The result is equivalent to a DAC3, without the new display features and without the additional inputs (analog and ST optical). The DAC now accepts 192K inputs (previously it was limited to 96K). The upgraded DAC and power supply (which looks identical to the current Bel Canto amps) arrived last week, and I thought I’d post some impressions.
Bottom line first – the upgrade was pricey, but definitely worth it. The most obvious improvements are better-defined bass, more detail without sacrificing smoothness, and a greater sense of space, especially depth. But the real “wow” moments have come listening to well-recorded voices – for example, Neil Young on “Live at Massey Hall” sounds like he’s in the room with us. The system also seems to have an increased tolerance for less-than-perfect recordings, but without the additional “smoothing” that often goes with that. And orchestral recordings benefit greatly from the increased detail and spatiality.
As I’ve upgraded DACs over the years, I have been repeatedly impressed how much more sound quality can be extracted from CDs. This is by a significant margin the best digital sound I’ve heard.
For those who are interested, the rest of the system is: Bel Canto CD2 transport, TacT RCS 2.0S room correction system, Channel Islands D200 amps, and Newform Research R645v3 speakers; all cables are Analysis Plus. The DAC3 is run directly into the amps.
Bottom line first – the upgrade was pricey, but definitely worth it. The most obvious improvements are better-defined bass, more detail without sacrificing smoothness, and a greater sense of space, especially depth. But the real “wow” moments have come listening to well-recorded voices – for example, Neil Young on “Live at Massey Hall” sounds like he’s in the room with us. The system also seems to have an increased tolerance for less-than-perfect recordings, but without the additional “smoothing” that often goes with that. And orchestral recordings benefit greatly from the increased detail and spatiality.
As I’ve upgraded DACs over the years, I have been repeatedly impressed how much more sound quality can be extracted from CDs. This is by a significant margin the best digital sound I’ve heard.
For those who are interested, the rest of the system is: Bel Canto CD2 transport, TacT RCS 2.0S room correction system, Channel Islands D200 amps, and Newform Research R645v3 speakers; all cables are Analysis Plus. The DAC3 is run directly into the amps.
