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advice on a few dac preamp combo's

shawnra

shawnra

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to buy a dac preamp combo and I'm kinda stuck. I guess after giving it a lot of thought I've narrowed it down to two different dac preamp combo's. The first is the Wyred4Sound dac2 and the second is the bel canto dac2.5. I like the Wyred dac but you know the dealerships are just a joke out here in Manitoba. Basically people are selling them out of the backs of their cars and stuff. I can't get a demo from one place cause they don't want to open a box and (he deals out of his basement in his house) and the other dealer is never around to demo the one he has. He is always out on a install. I've got confidence in the product but no confidence in their dealerships.

The bel canto is just so cloak and dagger. There are no reviews, they don't say anything about what decoding engine is used. The dealers seem reputable but the closest one to me is 500 miles away. The bel canto is about $500 more than the Wyred. Also one thing that bothers me about the bel canto is it uses op-amps in the output, albeit good one's but for a $2000 plus dac I don't know.

If I had my druthers I would get the Wyred but God help me if something goes wrong. There is just so much right with that dac, fully discreet output, nice modern decoding engine, good looking power supply. Just bad distribution.

On the other hand bel canto is an audiophiles manufacture through and through. Not sure if it's more about the name with them but they seem to have the backing. Why no reviews? Why absolutely no discussion about what the innards are? I can't even get a reply as to what's the difference between the dac 1.5 and the 2.5.

Any opinions and suggestions will be appreciated, if you know of another product distributed in Canada please advise the only caveat being that I don't want anything with tubes in it.
Thanks
Shawn
 
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Shawn, I've heard the Bel Canto 2.5 and it was a stunna'. The DAC was used as a preamp in a horn based system. The owner has a very nice highend system. The 2.5 was the second DAC he had bought from Bel Canto, he is a big fan and I can see why.

I talked, last year, with a Bel Canto designer and he was telling me something about a new type of power supply they are bringing forward. I've forgotten the details but if you are swinging towards the 2.5, you might want to give them a call and see if they have new product about to emerge.
 
I have a Bel Canto DAC3, which was upgraded to the DAC3.5 processor and the VBS (Virtual Battery Supply). It sounds fabulous.
 
It's probably below your sights, but at $300 what do you have to lose by trying the Emotiva XDA-1, besides shipping?
 
thanks for the input guys, the bel canto 3.5 would be my ultimate choice but alas I don't have that much coin. If I saved my lunch money for a few months maybe I could swing it. The Emotiva sounds interesting does it have a volume control?
 
Hey thanks for the heads up on the Emotiva, it looks like a well built unit. Cheap enough that when not in use I could just put it in the storage closet and it wouldn't bother me. Might just be the solution for now till I've got more coin. What do you think of yours? How long have you had one?
 
wallacefl said:
Take a look...I have it and love it but wish it had one more analog input....also a bit up the $$ food chain check out the Antelope Zodiac +
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I have thought about the Benchmark but you know I'm in Canada and anything crossing the border incurs about 30% in brokerage fees. Those damn shipping companies! Interesting though as I've seen quite a few used ones on CAM and have been tempted.
 
shawnra said:
Hey thanks for the heads up on the Emotiva, it looks like a well built unit. Cheap enough that when not in use I could just put it in the storage closet and it wouldn't bother me. Might just be the solution for now till I've got more coin. What do you think of yours? How long have you had one?
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I like mine. The only minor gripe I have is the manual says the front panel display can be completely turned off, but in reality it can't. Not that big of a deal except if you want a dark listening evironment. Even on the lowest setting it puts out a fair, although not blazing, amount of light.

Had it for about 1 month, I think. I used a Benchmark in the past on a 30-day trial and it was very good, IMO, I just didn't think it provided $1K worth of benefit to my system so I returned it. I also have a MSB Link DAC III with the big PowerBase external power supply. While I've not done an exhaustive comparison, the Emotiva seems to sound a bit more extended on the top, but from there down eh, not sure there's much difference if any.
 
Another I see that seems at least comparable, and in some case preferred to the Benchmark, is the Lavry DA10 or DA11, if you're looking at that price range. You don't see them on Agon very often, and when they do show up they seem to be snatched up very quickly, not that that's necessarily a big indicator.
 
Have you considered Peachtree Audio? I have the Decco2 and I'm very happy with it. It's being used as a DAC only in my system but not because of anything lacking from the pre-amp stage. If I didn't already have one I would use the Peachtree as a DAC and Preamp.
 
I've had a Benchmark DAC1-HDR for about two weeks, and am about to send it back. Great dynamics, pace, rhythm, timing, energy, and accuracy -- but even when fed into a tube integrated, what comes out is all bone, no meat. All leading edge and transients, more like cinder and less like wood. It's just a little hard, metallic, and lean to my ears. Great resolution though; I've never heard cymbals rendered so well, and I'm a bass player who spends a lot of playing time next to the drum kit.

I've ordered the Wyred DAC-2 as a replacement. I'm not expecting full tube warmth, but hopefully this thing will be a little meatier in presentation.
 
cymbop said:
I've had a Benchmark DAC1-HDR for about two weeks, and am about to send it back. Great dynamics, pace, rhythm, timing, energy, and accuracy -- but even when fed into a tube integrated, what comes out is all bone, no meat. All leading edge and transients, more like cinder and less like wood. It's just a little hard, metallic, and lean to my ears. Great resolution though; I've never heard cymbals rendered so well, and I'm a bass player who spends a lot of playing time next to the drum kit.

I've ordered the Wyred DAC-2 as a replacement. I'm not expecting full tube warmth, but hopefully this thing will be a little meatier in presentation.
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You may also want to consider that Lavry. The proponents of it say it does not have the characteristics that you report about the Benchmark, which is why those folks like it better.
 
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