The Elephants Graveyard

OK - The DAC Graveyard.

I am sure we have all read posts which opine that any DAC that is more than four years old is only worth using as a door stop. However, we all know that a DAC is more than just a chip, it is also a collection of other electronics, software and the correct handling of power.

In the last 15 years my DACs have been: Benchmark DAC1 > Naim DAC / XPS > Bel Canto 3.5vb.

However good or bad people may rate these DACs, and I think all three are excellent, I was particularly struck having read negative commentary here about the Benchmark DAC1, so I went to my local dealer who left me to set up the Benchmark in a middle tier Naim system, and it sounded ......poor; yet in my system it was great. Context does make a difference.

With the death of my NS01 the other day, currently in intensive care at Salisbury, I decided to give the microRendu a go. It having a USB output it was logical to use it into my Oppo 105D. Having spent a bit of time setting it up - and being LUCKY - I ended up with some spectacular sound. The 105D Sabre DACs are superb, but better than my Bel Canto?

I decided to buy a USB/Spdif convertor, as all I had at home at the time was a HiFace I, and so I bought a Gustard U12. This weighty box, for the size, includes a linear PSU and outputs to AES, Spdif, I2S and Toslink.

I set it up thus:

Synology > mR (DLNA)> U12 (AES - VdH)> Bel Canto 3.5vb/VBS1 > VdH 'The First' RCAs > EAR Amps > Focal 1008be II.

Having fitted the Bel Canto back into my system I went back to Kazoo, which I find has a slight edge in comparison to JRiver, but balances well with the Bel Canto.

I immediately went for what I consider to be problem recordings, in particular Phil Collins Tarzan and Adele 21. Both of these are less than stellar recordings, but have some great music. The Bel Canto, as I expected, was kinder than the Oppo. It did not mask the issues, but allowed me to listen to both albums and concentrate on the good.

Having lived without the Bel Canto for a few weeks what immediately struck me was the imaging. With the Oppo the music concentrates round the speakers. With the BC you gain the impression that you are listening to groups of musicians sitting in a space and playing together.

WRT dynamism: What I find wonderful with the mR is micro-dynamics, the variation in the strumming of a guitar for instance. You become just so aware of when the players are building to a crescendo, or playing far softer. Those dynamic contrasts are just so essential. This is delivered via the Oppo or Bel Canto, as is the extra detail being rendered by the mR.

Having listened to the Bel Canto for a week a went back to the Oppo 105D:

Synology > mR (DLNA)> U12 (SPDIF)> Oppo 105D > Living Voice XLRs > EAR Amps > Focal 1008be II.

The Bel Canto is less dynamic and less detailed than the Oppo, on occasion a drum strike through the Oppo will make you jump in a way that is not quite replicated by the BC. Also, putting the U12 in circuit has improved the imaging through the Oppo and is on a par with the BC.

Conclusion

I am still amazed at the quality that the Oppo 105D delivers for what is, in audiophile terms, a very reasonable price. Rather than surprise I can now fully appreciate why HiFi World keep using this as a source for reviews of other equipment. In combination with the microRendu, U12 and an IFI PSU you can have a great digital front end for a really good price; and in terms of HiFi this is the hands down winner. However, when it comes to playing music it is the Bel Canto that wins the day. I would really like to have the attributes of both in one box! One of the things I have always enjoyed about the Bel Canto is its ability to portray a stereo image and micro dynamics even at low volumes. I sat at 2350 last night listening to 'Relatively Easy' by Jason Isbell courtesy of Quboz with the wick turned low, but I was still aware of the detail, musical interplay, application of weightier bass and dynamic shading, music.

I dragged my younger daughter down to borrow her ears in a blind listening test. I played a selection of tracks and mixed the order in which I played it through the two DACs. She consistently picked the Bel Canto.

M