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bel canto dac 3 cd 2 owners

hi, I have the cd2 transport dac 3 digital front end, and next week I am going to add the new vps power supply, which takes place of the power supply in both the cd2 and dac 3, has any one out there done this yet ? is it worth the money ? I know that better power supplies make about anything sound better, but this is a $2,000 upgrade so I hope its worth it ! thanks, chris
chrissain
scottmac62's avatar
scottmac62
106 posts
 
So, can you give us a cost of the mk2 upgrade?
bill_k
671 posts
 
The Mk.II upgrade of the BC DAC3.5VB is $500 from any authorized dealer in the US, and is performed at the factory in MN.
scottmac62's avatar
scottmac62
106 posts
 
Thanks Bill.

Say, do you have the REF VB Cable?
The big question is, which is better. The REF VB Cable
or the mk2 upgrade. They both cost the same. I am sure they additive. However, my main concern is musicality. If I have to sacrifice musicality to get better sound staging, then I do not want it. For my system a Synergistic Research Hologram D with a Galileo MPC was the ticket to get this dac to sing.
Now it is much more fluid with no digital glare. The hang time of decay trials
are like nothing I have ever heard before.
bill_k
671 posts
 
Glad to help, Scott. I do have the VB Ref cable and was very surprised at the significant improvement it made over the standard cable. It certainly does not sacrifice musicality, but just makes an across the board improvement. I now see that BC includes it in the Ref DAC Control System package when it used to be an optional upgrade.

I haven't yet heard the Mk.II upgrade so I can't comment on how the two options compare, but here's a quote from the BC product announcement at CES: John Stronczer is always thinking how he can make things better. The DAC 3.5VB MK II upgrade delivers an improved analog supply that better isolates the PCM1792 DAC and a new low-phase-noise main clock oscillator. These changes reduce the already extremely low noise of the DAC3.5VB delivering a more engaging, musical and communicative sound. John enthuses, “We’ve taken the DAC3.5VB to the next level of performance!”
scottmac62's avatar
scottmac62
106 posts
 
Thanks a million Bill. Valuable info. Wish I could find a used VB Ref cable. I hate to pay retail when latter down the road they offer the upgrade for the same
price. They now do this with the ST fiber light link. I am going to have to get
one. As for the MK II upgrade, more engaging, musical and communicative sound is exactly what I am been try to achieve with the 3.5vb. I will have to
upgrade this summer when I do much less listening.

Thanks again and let us know your impressions of the MK II once you have it
fulling run in.
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