Bel Canto DAC 1 Upgrade

All right boys and girl, here is what I hear using the upgraded Bel Canto Dac-1; All music (individual instuments, hand held percussion, bass including vocals) are more detailed, have a richer more dimensional sound with better resolution and body. I listened to 8 cd's I know extreamly well and heard small details that I never heard before. It was also as if a layer had been peeled off and I was closer to the music (this happens to me every time I make a significant upgrade). Please keep in mind this is a game of diminishing returns, for me it was worth the $150 plus one way shipping and insurance. I am happy with the upgraded Bel Canto Dac-1. Others of course mignt feel differently. I have not had the oppertunity to compare the Dac-1 to any competitor other than the Birdland Dac (send me other Dac's and I will do an A/B comparison)! Components used: Salamander archetype 5.0/Megaspikes, Chang Lightspeed 6400, Audio Points on all components, Silver Audio Symphony 48 speaker cable, Klipsch KLF 30 Series Towers (102 dB), Silver Audio Appassionata interconnects, Cary 94 Pre-amp/Silver Audio Power Burst PC, Wadia #20 Transport/Black Mamba PC, Illuminations D-60 digital cable, Bel Canto Dac-1/Black Mamba PC, Cary SE 2A3 Monoblocks (5 watts per ch)/Eel Reference PC and/or Conrad-Johnson 11-A amp. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks Lak. It appears that there is an improvement and for 150 clams sounds as though it might be worth it. One question though, did you notice an improvement in dynamic contrasts micro/macro dynamics or does it remain polite and evenhanded?

Tubegroover, I'd say polite and evenhanded. However I will say this; those little 5 watt monoblocks were really pounding out some highs, mids and lows, better than I had expected! Its hard for me to comment on the CJ 11-A because I am use to hearing it on a pair of Legacy Studio speakers. Now that I use the Klipsch 102 dB with either amp, obviously the CJ rocks the sound room.

Lak can I ask you how did the Bel canto compare with the Birdland dac

Chucky, I addressed that question in another thread; however, I don't remember the name. Using web tv it's a pain in the butt to go back and find it, so here goes from memory: I demoed the Bel Canto DAC-1 and the Birdland DAC (I forget the exact name) in my listening room (lair) using a Legacy (Coda) SS high current amp, Cary pre-amp and Legacy Signature III speakers. For the money I thought they were both good. I obviously purchased the BC. I thought it had greater bass extension and more detail. I have heard others say the opposite. Perhaps if I used the Birdland without pre-amp it would have sounded different, more fulfilling. Or maybe I needed to demo it longer to break it in. However, I used it for the specified length of time that was allowed. I wonder how much better the Birdland DAC would sound if it had a removable AC cord so you could use a power cord of your choice. I hope this is of some assistance, I would love to compare the upgraded BC to the Birdland.