6moons.com reviews the e1X DAC
Srajan Ebaen
“Really, D/A converters are like mushrooms or rabbits. They proliferate, everywhere. Truly smart ones are few and far between. Bel Canto’s E1X DAC is one of the smart ones.”
Super AV Awards
E1X
Outstanding Overall Performance Awards
2020
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Tone Publications
Bel Canto Black EX Integrated
“We’ve been listening to some fantastic integrateds lately, and this one’s at the top of our list.”e1X Integrated reviewed by Michael Lavorgna
Michael Lavorgna reviews the e1X Integrated at TwitteringMachines.com:
“The Bel Canto E1X Integrated Amplifier is a subtle but very suitable pleaser – while not flashy or showy, if you enjoy spending time with your music as the sole center of attention, the E1X rewards with music’s riches.”
“The Bel Canto E1X is strikingly silent. Not sterile mind you, but operationally seemingly silent which makes for striking dynamics.”
Audio Esoterica reviews e1X
Print magazine Audio Esoterica from Australia thoroughly reviews the synergy of the e1X DAC and Amplifier combination.
“…make listening to these Bel Canto E1Xes a priority, simply because they work so well and sound so amazing.”
“Some Kind of Magic”
John Stronczer, the Owner and Chief Engineer of Bel Canto, speaks with AVGuide.ch on how Bel Canto products create some kind of magic.
e1X Integrated in The Absolute Sound
Steven Stone
“It’s a high-performance piece of kit that delivers sonics on a par with a combination of reference components at double the cost.
If you have limited space to devote to electronics yet desire superlative sound and audio technology, the e1X can do that with style. Recommended.”
e1X Stereo Amplifier in Stereophile
Tom Gibbs
“I wasn’t expecting the e1X to be this much of an improvement. I didn’t expect to be so completely gobsmacked by the level of clarity and musicality I’m hearing now from the e1X, with both the Magnepan LRS’s and the Zu Omens.”
Introducing e1X
The new e1X line incorporates many ground-breaking designs from the Black series. Each e1X component is designed with great attention to detail, focusing on our unique input approach, DAC core performance and power amplifier technologies that optimize and maintain the purest signal quality. Built in a constrained layer damped chassis with high-grade aluminum defines the simple and elegant look.
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ACI 600 on the Cover of Stereophile
Be on the lookout for the new Stereophile featuring the BLACK ACI 600: “One Amp to Rule Over Them.”
Review Archive
REF600M: The Absolute Sound 2017 Product of the Year
The REF600M monoblock amplifier has been awarded by The Absolute Sound in their 2017 Product of the Year awards.
Part-Time Audiophile RMAF 2017 Review
Rafe Arnott
“Bel Canto was showing off the new slim, powerful-looking Black EX line of preamplifier/streamer controller, power, and integrated amps making up their new high-end collection. Paired with gorgeous, black-gloss finished TIDAL Piano loudspeakers this was a system of nuanced highs, meaty midrange, and powerful bass, capable of handling wide swings in dynamic range without seeming to ever run out of steam regardless of volume level.”
Introducing Black EX at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest
We are proud to announce Black EX, consisting of 3 components based on the award winning Black amplification system.
Stereophile Follow-Up Review on the REF600Ms
Herb Reichert
“The Bel Canto Design REF600M’s strongest trait was its uncanny ability to make simply recorded music sound hauntingly real. With every loudspeaker I tried, the Bel Cantos offered up weight, body, punch, and crystalline detail better than some of the most expensive amplifiers I know.”
Audio Esoterica Reviews the Black ACI 600
Sean Ferris reviews the ACI 600 in issue #2-2017 of Audio Esoterica:
“Listening to the DSD version of the Aeon Trio’s ‘Elegy’ (on trptk) dispelled any thoughts we might have harboured of the high-frequency sound of Class-D amplification being at all errant, because the treble of both Maya Fridman’s cello and Atzko Kohashi’s piano (a Fazioli F228) shimmered like perfectly-positioned threads of gossamer in the moonlight, and remained perfectly balanced no matter what loudspeakers we used.”
“Bass delivery was incredibly quick — so fast that it was almost as if the Bel Canto was able to anticipate that a drummer was about to stomp the pedal on their kick drum, or that the fuse on a cannon being fired during Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was just about to ignite the gunpowder therein.”The Absolute Sound reviews the REF600M
Steven Stone
Steven Stone reviews the REF600M in the February 2017 issue of The Absolute Sound:
“How good is the REF600M? To my ears it’s good enough to qualify as the best all-around power amplifier I’ve heard to date, regardless of technology or circuit topology. Its combination of extremely low noise (that makes it suitable to drive even highly sensitive loudspeakers), precision three-dimensional imaging, relaxed and natural harmonic balance, and power capability makes for a potent package. Couple all its sonic achievements with its relatively modest price, and you have a power amplifier that could well be a benchmark reference for many audiophiles for years to come.”
Hi-Fi+ reviews the DAC2.7 and REF600M
Eric Neff
Eric Neff reviews the DAC2.7 along with REF600M amplifiers in the January issue of Hi-Fi+ Magazine:
“There was no aspect of the sonic presentation where I became focused on some flawed nuance. Instead it was simply the joy of a classic musical masterpiece. Immersive and musical, it was an experience we all seek as music lovers.”
Review Archive
Stereophile: Ron Carter and his Bel Canto system
“The Bel Canto is perfect for my needs.” – Ron Carter
From Stereophile: “The recordings sounded warm, transparent and dynamic through Carter’s setup. He noted that his bass notes on the ‘Trout’ were a full fourth lower in pitch than his solo introduction to Miles Davis’ classic ‘So What,’ a sequence that many systems fail to reproduce clearly and with impact.”
Sound+Image 2017 Awards: REF600M
The e.One series REF600M has won a POWER AMPLIFIER OF THE YEAR AWARD (Under $10,000.00) at the Sound+Image Magazine 2017 Awards!
Press Release: Black Series ACI 600
Bel Canto Design
October 2016
“Bel Canto Design Ltd., manufacturer of high performance home audio electronics for 25 years, an established leader in digital to analog audio control components and amplification system announces the new Black Integrated Amplifier the ACI 600 based on the 2015 award winning Black Amplification system.”
Stereophile: REF600M Review
Kalman Rubinson
Stereophile reviews the REF600M in its October 2016 issue.
“Bel Canto Design’s e.One REF600M amplifier packs a huge amount of power into a small package, and offers impressively low levels of distortion and noise.” – John Atkinson
“[The REF600M is] so satisfying that is encouraged, even demanded, listening with complete engagement.”
Review Archive
DAC2.7 Reviewed in Australian Hi-Fi
Australian Hi-Fi reviews the DAC2.7 in their Sept/Oct issue: “Bel Canto are all about…solid, no-nonsense electronic and mechanical engineering. It’s superbly engineered, inside and out…”
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Computer Audiophile CES 2016 Wrap-up
“Bel Canto displayed its DAC 2.7 and e.One series amplifiers [ed. note: REF600Ms] connected to Joseph Audio Profile loudspeakers ($7,000). I have to say Jeff Joseph made my day by providing an iPad with the Computer Audiophile 100 Tidal playlist queued up and ready to go. I played several of the tracks of the playlist, enabling me to really get a feel for the sound of this system. This system was one of the best I heard at the show.”
Review Archive
Australian Hi Fi reviews the REF600M
Frank Wright
“OMG! How powerful are these new Bel Canto REF600M amplifiers? Enormously, overwhelmingly powerful is the answer, and it’s instaneous, super-clean power… Enormously powerful, very quiet and with a sound quality so tonally accurate that it’s a constant delight to the ears… an outstandingly good power amplifier. Steve Holding puts the REF600M on the test bench and concludes: “In sum, I think this may be the best-performing Class-D amplifier I have ever seen…”
Review Archive
The Audio Beat: CES 2016 Jimmy Awards
Jim Saxon presents his CES 2016 Jimmy Awards:
“Every year the good guys at Bel Canto Design team up with Joseph Audio to produce award-winning sound. This year was no different, although the dollar cost of the system may have reached an all-time low. Jeff Joseph unveiled his timbre-correct Profile loudspeakers ($6990/pair) and brought his own music files as well. According to Bel Canto’s Michael McCormack, “We were running Roon on the computer through USB to the DAC2.7. This gave us all the music that was on Jeff’s computer drive and we were streaming from Tidal. It was just that simple with great sound and connectivity to a huge music library, all at minimum CD quality.” Since I happen to like CDs, I thought the sound was realistically large in scale. Bel Canto electronics system consisted of the DAC2.7 ($2495) and REF600 mono amplifiers ($4990/pair). Lashing the Profiles to REF600 was Cardas Clear Beyond speaker cable ($9500/pair). When I asked to hear an Elvis Presley track that Michael played in 2014, he spooled it up faster than I can say “Don’t Be Cruel.” That there Roon is quick. Despite the “minimum CD quality,” Elvis was in the room. For capturing the King in all his vintage glory, the Bel Canto Design/Joseph Audio room scores a Jimmy Award for Most Accurate Timbre from Computer Files at the CES.”
Bel Canto is now on Instagram
We are now on Instagram as @belcantodesign. Please follow for exclusive Bel Canto images and updates.
Computer Audiophile CES 2016 Wrap-up
“Bel Canto displayed its DAC 2.7 and e.One series amplifiers [ed. note: REF600Ms] connected to Joseph Audio Profile loudspeakers ($7,000). I have to say Jeff Joseph made my day by providing an iPad with the Computer Audiophile 100 Tidal playlist queued up and ready to go. I played several of the tracks of the playlist, enabling me to really get a feel for the sound of this system. This system was one of the best I heard at the show.”
Review Archive
SoundStage! Hi-Fi raves about the REF600M
Roger Kanno
“Several Bel Canto Design amplifiers have come through my system over the years, but the e.One REF600M is the best sounding of all, … In fact, it’s one of the best-sounding amps from any company that I’ve had in my system”
Stereophile Best of 2015 Issue
Thanks to Stereophile for naming Black by Bel Canto as the Amplification Product of the Year 2015!
REFStream praised by Audiostream
The e.One REFStream has earned a Class A rating from Audiostream.com.
“[The REFStream’s] way with music delivers a lovely sense of ease combined with great attention to detail all wrapped up in a nearly super-natural sense of space. Class A all the way.”
Review Archive
Oslo Hifi Center Celebrates 40 Years
Oslo Hifi Center is celebrating their 40th year and we will be there showcasing the Black system as well as the new e.One REF600M monoblock amplifiers! Join us there from October 16th – 18th.
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RMAF 2015 Review in Stereophile
Sasha Matson
Bel Canto teams up with Audiohouse LLC, Cardas Audio, and Joseph Audio at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Sasha Matson of Stereophile reports on the REF600M amplifiers: “Driving this system was a pair of Bel Canto’s new REF600M monoblock amplifiers. These little beauties put out 300W into 8 ohms, and operate with (if I am reading the number of zeros correctly) 0.0006% distortion over the entire audio bandwidth.”
e.One C7R featured
by Bright Audio
A brief introductory look at the features and functions of the Bel Canto C7R DAC/Integrated Amplifier from Bright Home Theater. Watch as David from Bright Home Theater in New York City describes the Bel Canto C7R.
California Audio Show 2015: Striking Gold on Day 3
Jason Victor Serinus
Stereophile reports on Bel Canto Black from CAS6.
“The tonalities were absolutely beautiful—demonstration class—and both snap and bass control were exemplary. Tonal balance, midrange, you name it—everything was ideal. In terms of system synergy, this one had it all.”
White Paper for Black by Bel Canto
“BLACK communicates the musical experience completely, reproduces music in the most accurate way possible, and is always true to the recorded event. Achieving this level of detailed playback required rethinking the way signal travels through the many stages of the electronics system.”
Bel Canto Design Black Amplification System
Michael Fremer
Black on the Cover of Stereophile
Michael Fremer of Stereophile: “Black by Bel Canto Design is a breakthrough product and, because of its sound quality , the most intriguing one I’ve reviewed.”
Press Release: REF600M
Bel Canto Design
June 2015
Bel Canto announces the new REF600M monoblock amplifier with NCORE® technology. The new design takes e.One power, performance and musicality to greater levels, advancing the recognized high value we build into all our audio components.
Audiophilia
Anthony Kershaw
“Black is a staggeringly well made audio system designed with care and with a serious eye on the digital horizon.”Joël Chevassus reviews BLACK:”For absolute audio performance achieved, it is already impossible not to give my very highest recommendation to the Bel Canto Black. Whilst winter may be coming, Black rules!”
hifitest.de reviews BLACK
Review is in German.
Bel Canto’s ASC1 and MPS1 system redefines digital playback by combining cutting-edge DAC technology with powerful amplification in a streamlined, fiber-connected setup. Praised for its precision, power, and musical finesse, this innovative trio delivers an exceptionally coherent and high-performance listening experience that challenges traditional hi-fi configurations.
Angie’s Audio Corner – What’s New for June 2014
Suave Kajiko
Canada HiFi talks more about Black: “The sound of this system is nothing shy of stellar.”
Audiophile Magazine (FR) reviews Black
Joël Chevassus reviews BLACK:”For absolute audio performance achieved, it is already impossible not to give my very highest recommendation to the Bel Canto Black. Whilst winter may be coming, Black rules!”
Bel Canto Defines the New Black
Jason Victor Serinus
“I loved the wonderfully clear and uncolored sound, as well as the natural you are there detail. To be honest, I drank it up.”
Angie’s Audio Corner – What’s New?
Suave Kajiko
“The background of clean recordings was completely black – perhaps this is exactly where the name Bel Canto Black comes from. When a music system reproduces audio with such a quiet background and accuracy, the end product is simply music nirvana.”
Stereophile: Bel Canto Looks Good in Black
John Atkinson
In his RMAF 2013 report, Stereophile’s John Atkinson summed it up simply: “I was impressed.” Bel Canto’s sleek Black series didn’t just turn heads—it delivered a performance that matched its minimalist beauty.
Computer Audiophile: RMAF 2013 Photo Essay
Chris Connaker of Computer Audiophile
Chris Connaker of Computer Audiophile used a medium format Hasselblad 503CW camera with a 120 film back to take pictures at Rocky Mountain.
Audiophilia.com name Black as Best Sound of Show – Digital at the Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show 2013.
“bel canto/Vienna Acoustics/Transparent. An easy first choice. Listening to Glenn Gould and Rimsky Korsakov orchestral music was a humbling experience.”View Product
Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile
Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney
“[Y]es, it sounds very, very good. Notes emerge from an utterly silent background, and the TAD CR-1 speakers ($40k w/stands) were powered with ease, fullness, and clarity. This is definitely an exciting step for Bel Canto.”
SoundStage
Future Fi -- Bel Canto Paints It Black
Doug Schneider
Doug Schneider from SoundStage reviews his experience of Black at the 2013 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.
“The Black-based system at RMAF 2013 sounded extremely good. So I encourage you to visit their site because this system appears to be more than just a little bit promising. As I said earlier, it’s likely a sign of what’s to come.”
“The World's Best Audio System”
Jeff Fritz
“…the Bel Canto stack stacks up well against the DACs that many feel are among the best available, and at less than Arab-sheik prices. They’re sonically very well balanced across the board, but are simply superb in the midrange, where lots of music needs it most.”
Positive Feedback
Robert Learner
“The Bel Canto 3.5VB strikes as a fundamentally honest DAC. … No doubt a lot of listening went into the design but this isn’t a DAC that sounds voiced. It’s more about fidelity to the source. … It has a super-clean, upfront presentation … It sounds full-blooded, yet not afraid to the let sharp, edgy attacks through. This increases the jump factor … The utter lack of noise present in the unit … super-clean … no muffling on either a macro or micro level.”
The Wall Street Jounral
The New Tech Collectibles
“In an era when iPods feel obsolete after six months, there are still some products you’ll be searching for on eBay decades from now.”
“For bookshelf audiophiles who like their separate components down to the individual power supply, Bel Canto’s full range of modular matching half-size power amps…”
Stereophile
Erick Lichte
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3.5VB. It does everything you might ever need a DAC to do, and I’d put its sound as being among the best I’ve heard. In fact, the only other digital sound I’ve enjoyed significantly more (in an environment I was familiar with) was when I heard the Meridian 808i.2 CD player ($16,995) at John Atkinson’s house. Yes, I do think the e.One DAC3.5VB is good enough to stand comparison with a front-end of the Meridian’s caliber and price. The Bel Canto’s styling, build quality, and performance make it an obvious contender for Class A of our “Recommended Components,” and one of the best D/A converters I’ve heard.”
Audiophilia
Anthony Kershaw
“It’s a lifetime DAC and worth twice the price. You won’t need anything else for a long time. And, you can sell your preamp to buy it!”
Review Archive
Positive Feedback
Gary Beard
“For the listener who requires truthfulness and very high resolution, [the DAC2.5] is a must audition. If you have a little bigger pile of cash, add the uLink USB converter and you’ll have a killer digital front-end that will stand the test of time. Highly recommended.”
ReMusic
Guiseppe Trotto
“In conclusion, I can affirm that the Bel Canto 2.5 is a marvelous modern DAC, an excellent-sounding and high level engineering product. It is an item hardly equaled in terms of versatility. Great experience, fantastic machine, good sound… Bel Canto! Ah! If Verdi and Rossini were still here…”
Goodsound.com
Roger Kanno
“[The DAC2.5] can be used as the control center of a high-performance two-channel rig and still be easily integrated into a multichannel system. The e.One DAC2.5 offers a lot of performance and flexibility…”
Digital Audio Blog
DAC 2.5
“If I have to give one word describing the DAC2.5, it would be “clean”. The background is exceptionally black, nothing there! I put my ear next to the speakers and it is completely silent…The dynamics are excellent. Sharp transient came out from dead silent and the impact was all there in one of the most realistic recreation I have ever experienced. You do not have the “compression” effect of lesser DACs, the music expands….Bel Canto DAC2.5 is an excellent modern DAC. It is nearly faultless technically in conveying music. It is dynamic, clean, and neutral…”Review Archive
AVShowrooms.com
Zach Galarza
“The Bel Canto DAC1.5 offers superb sound, excellent versatillity…especially with its two available output modes that enable it to fit into any system… I highly recommend this product as an entry level DAC.”Review Archive
Audiostream,
Michael Lavorgna
“If I were to describe the Bel Canto DAC1.5’s sonic character in a nutshell I’d point out its incredible clarity, darn-near dominatrix-like bass control and an overall crispness… Well-recorded music sounds absolutely stunning; breathtakingly beautiful because these recordings are and because the DAC1.5 seems to be infatuated with well-recorded music… At the end of the day I could see myself listening to and enjoying the Bel Canto DAC1.5
over the longer haul… For those listeners who enjoy a pristine experience in terms of
presentation and recording quality, the DAC1.5’s voice may speak directly to your desires.”
Review Archive
Inner Magazine
Kai Ekholm
“The DAC3.5VB brought a totally new control and level of quality to the whole variety of my digital music collection. … When the Bel Canto DAC3.5VB was part of my system, I found myself feeding the CD transport with CDs after CDs, and I felt again the joy of this wonderful hobby.”Review Archive