Bel Canto Design in 2013 Stereophile Recommended Components

Three were tested – three made the list. All Class A.

Bel Canto e.One DAC3.5VB Mk.II: $3495

Like other Bel Canto products, the e.One DAC3.5BV is roughly half the width of a typical audio component and boasts a black-painted steel chassis with a beautifully milled faceplate of naturally finished aluminum. It accepts resolutions up to 24-bit/96kHz and offers a wealth of inputs: RCA and BNC digital, balanced AES/EBU digital, TosLink, ST fiber-optic, and a single pair of analog RCA jacks. While its D/A section is similar to that found in Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3, the DAC3.5VB has revised jitter-rejection circuitry for improved performance with high-jitter sources. Meanwhile, the optional VBS1 power supply ($1495) provides 12V DC and adds heroic LC filtering and energy storage. EL was most impressed by the Bel Canto’s ability to produce big soundstages with exceptionally quiet backgrounds. Adding the VB-REF power cable ($495) opened up those stages even more, reduced treble grain, and lowered the perceived noise floor. On the test bench, the Bel Canto exhibited high resolution and low jitter. The Bel Canto traded the sweet tone of Weiss’s DAC202 for greater overall clarity and cleaner highs; compared with the dCS Debussy, the Bel Canto lacked some bass, but offered a warmer, more musical sound, with blacker backgrounds and fleshier images, said EL. Review was of original version; Mk.II has improved power supply and a master clock with lower phase noise. (Vol.34 No.6, Vol.35 No.1 Read Review Online)

Bel Canto Ref1000M monoblock: $5990/pair

Outwardly identical to the original Ref1000, the 500Wpc 1000M uses an updated version of B&O’s ICEpower module, a more complex input board, and a new power-supply board. The new Bel Canto was “dead silent” and sounded “clean, powerful, and neutral,” with a heftier bottom end and a more natural midrange. No longer marked by the shortcomings of other digital amps, the Bel Canto “can be compared with the cream of the other amps I’ve had in my system,” enthused Kal. JA’s measurements revealed the REF1000 Mk.2 to be very powerful, delivering 600W into 8 ohms or 1200W into 4 ohms. It will work best with higher-impedance loudspeakers, however, and at lower frequencies. (Vol.32 No.3, Vol.33 No.7 Read Review Online)

Bel Canto C7R: $2995

Made in the US, the versatile C7R is a 60Wpc solid-state FM receiver with four S/PDIF digital inputs (two coaxial, two TosLink), two pairs of analog inputs (one phono, one line), one pair of line-level analog outputs, a front-panel headphone jack, and a built-in DAC with USB input capable of handling resolutions up to 24-bit/96kHz. Though it lacked some midrange clarity and high-frequency smoothness, the C7R sounded clear, immediate, and powerful, with excellent dynamics and tight, tuneful bass, said EL. “I loved the Bel Canto C7R. I recommend it to anyone who wants simplicity and great sound,” he concluded. “Overall, the C7R is a well-designed piece of hardware,” said JA. (Vol.36 No.3 Read Review Online)

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