Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
O N T E S T
26 www.avhub.com.auAustralian Hi-Fi
I’ve said it before of Bel Canto’s prod-ucts, I’ll no doubt say it again, and it certainly applies in the case of Bel Canto’s 2.7 DAC/Preamplifier. It’s superbly engineered, inside and out, but looking at it from the outside, it’s easy to see it was designed by
an engineer, rather than a product stylist. But that’s what Bel Canto and its owner and designer, John Stronczer, are all about: solid, no-nonsense electronic and mechanical engineering.
The equipmenTA dead giveaway that the DAC2.7 was designed by an engineer is the headphone socket on the front panel. Instead of the fixing method being invisible, as with most headphone sockets, the one on the DAC2.7 is fixed exactly the way an engineer would do it. Just screw it to the front panel, and leave the nut that’s holding it in place in plain sight. And there’s no need to make the nut pretty, just make sure it’s easy to tighten-up with a standard wrench.
Internally, the dead giveaway the DAC2.7 was designed by an engineer is that the Bel Canto DAC2.7 does not decode DSD in any of its many flavours. That’s because Stronczer believes that better results are achieved using external software (such as from companies such as JRiver or Pure Music) to convert DSD to PCM. ‘PCM is much quieter, with a larger dy-namic range, so it captures all of the performance of the original DSD signal,’ explains Stronczer. ‘By following our conversion recommendations the result will be superior playback of DSD ma-terial without compromising any digital format.’ Should you wish to read it—and it’s certainly a good read!—Stronczer’s full explanation is here: http://tinyurl.com/AHF-DSD. The USB port can be used for up to 24/192 data and is plug ‘n play with Mac, but requires a USB2.0 driver for Windows, available as a free down-load from www.belcantodesign.com.
Stronczer is also all about reducing inven-tory, as this is a product development strategy that keeps costs down for his company as well as for his customers. It’s the reason why almost all models in Bel Canto’s Evolution
One Series (or e.One Series) use the same chassis and front panel—power amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, network products, DACs, CD players… the lot. (The single exception appears to be Bel Canto’s uLink asynchronous USB to SPDIF converter.)
Another way to reduce inventory and keep costs down is to minimise the number of controls on the front panel, and you can see that Bel Canto has certainly done that with the DAC2.7… there’s only a single control. However, that control has multiple functions. First and foremost it’s a volume control, in which application it works superbly, turning smoothly and adjusting volume in sensibly small increments (from 0 to 100 in incre-ments of 0.5) but at the same time it’s very quick. The same control also functions as an input selector. Push the control inwards (but be forewarned that for reliable operation you need to do this by pressing the exact centre of the control) and the input source at the extreme left of the display will get brighter, after which when you turn the control you’ll be switching through the available source
Bel Canto e.one DaC2.7dac/preamplifier
27Australian Hi-Fi
Bel Canto e.One DAC 2.7
inputs—AES, SP1 (SPDIF1), SP2 (SPDIF2), OPT, USB and ANLG. There is no ‘last source’ memory, so if you switch the DAC2.7 off, it will always default back to the AES input, which is a pain if you’re using another input, so my advice would be to either connect via the AES input (using an adaptor cable if necessary) or just don’t switch the DAC2.7 off at all (the tactic recommended in Bel Canto’s manual.)
But there’s only so much you can sensibly do with just a single front-panel control so Bel Canto’s remote must be used to perform all the trickier functions… and the remote
control certainly has a few tricks up its sleeve! In addition to offering remote control over those functions that can be accessed via the front panel, it offers many other useful functions. For example, it can be used to rename each of the inputs to better-reflect the component you have connected to that input, so the display could show ‘TT’ if you had a turntable connected to the analogue input (though you’d need to connect an RIAA preamplifier between the turntable and the Bel Canto’s analogue input) or ‘OR’ if you had an open-reel recorder connected (though you could alternatively use ‘REEL’ instead, since you can program up to four letters into the display.)
You can also use the remote to adjust channel balance by up to 6dB (again in suitably small increments of 0.5 dB). This is a great feature if you’re using a power amplifier, because almost no modern amplifiers have balance controls, but it’s great even if you’re using an integrated amplifier, because these days, few of these have balance controls either. Why use the balance control? You’d be horrified by how many recordings are ‘hot’ in one channel or the other, and it doesn’t matter if they’re sourced from a computer file, a disc or any other source. A balance control can bring the image back to ‘centred’
in an instant. The remote can also be used to invert absolute phase (i.e. not channel phase) should you be susceptible to this type of signal error, or if your digital source inverts phase and you want to correct for it. The remote also has a mute button, so you can totally mute the output if you wish.
The ‘Display’ button on the Bel Canto’s remote switches the display on or off, as you’d expect, but has additional settings including being able to show the product name and software version of your particular DAC2.7. But the feature I most liked was that it can be switched to show the sample rate
of the incoming digital data. Even nicer, even if you don’t have the display switched to show sample rate, the display will automati-cally show it whenever the sample rate of the source changes, which is particularly useful if all your music is stored on a computer or NAS. Sweet!
The rear panel of the DAC2.7 has five digital
input connectors: an XLR connector for the AES/EBU digital input, a Toslink connector for the optical input, a USB Type B connector for the USB input, and RCA connectors for the two SPDIF inputs. It also has a line-level analogue input, via RCA terminals, which is how the DAC2.7 provides its ‘preamplifier’ function.
There are two pairs of analogue outputs. One pair is fully balanced, using XLR connec-tors, while the other is unbalanced (or, if you prefer, ‘single-ended’), and uses RCA outputs.
A switch on the rear panel switches the output mode of the DAC2.7 between ‘Fixed’ and ‘Variable’. The ‘Variable’ is self-explana-tory, but the ‘Fixed’ position is more interest-ing, because the level is not actually ‘Fixed’ at a specific level (i.e., preset at the factory) but is instead ‘Fixed’ by the user at the level the user wants it to be fixed.
The idea is that you set up the DAC2.7 so that its maximum analogue output voltage is ideal for whatever component it’s connected to after which, when you press ‘Fixed’, the DAC2.7 will set this as its maximum output level.
This is a very clever and useful operational feature but, as Bel Canto’s Owners’ Manual quite rightly warns: ‘If using the DAC2.7 direct-ly into a power amplifier, ensure that the Fixed/
Variable Output button is in the OUT (variable) position. Operation in Fixed Mode directly into the amplifier could cause extreme output levels, clipping and damage to the loudspeakers, ampli-fiers or your ears!’
So, as you’ve no doubt already guessed, the ‘fixed’ mode is intended to be used when the DAC2.7 is driving an analogue preamp or in-tegrated amplifier input, so that control over volume is accomplished by using the control on the preamplifier or integrated amplifier rather than by using the volume control on the front panel of the Bel Canto DAC2.7.
However, if you are connecting the DAC2.7 directly to a power amplifier, you should make sure that it’s either a.c. coupled or has a d.c. servo control circuit because the DAC2.7 has a d.c. voltage continually present at its output, though Bel Canto says this is ‘typically less than 0.01 volts’. Because almost all amplifiers are either a.c. coupled or have d.c. servo control, this warning is of the ‘your coffee may be hot’ variety, but some high-end amps are d.c. coupled, which is presumably the reason for the warning.
But the feature I most liked was that it can be switched to show the sample rate of the incoming digital data.
Born in the USADespite its Italian name, Bel Canto is an all-American outfit with all engineering and production taking place in Minneapolis, where a small team (just 12 people at last count) is responsible for assembly. The company was founded by John Stronczer, who not only still owns it, but is also its chief designer. After graduating with a BSc (Electrical Engineering) from the University of Minnesota, Stronczer began his career as a Research Scientist for Honeywell Physical Sciences Centre in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he developed GaAs integrated circuits for communications systems used in defence and aerospace products. Projects he worked on included a next-generation high-data-rate secure communications chip set for the United States government, ultra-low-noise analog sensor electronics, and he was involved in developing the world’s first complementary GaAs operational amplifier for use in radiation-hardened environments. At last count he’d been awarded eight patents. g.b.
O N T E S T
28 www.avhub.com.auAustralian Hi-Fi
Bel Canto e.One DAC 2.7
The DAC2.7 measures 216×318×88mm (WDH) and weighs 6.5 kg. I wasn’t particu-larly happy to find that it comes with only a single year’s warranty. Given that there’s almost nothing that could go wrong with it, there’s only one moving part and that this is an US-engineered, US-built product, using the finest internal components, 365 days seems a bit miserly.
in use and LisTening sessionsSince the Bel Canto DAC2.7 is small enough to use as a desktop headphone amplifier, this is how I started listening to it, using a variety of full-sized headphones and computer files at a variety of resolutions, from CD standard to hi-res PCM. The Bel Canto performed flawlessly, delivering state-of-the-art sound through all the headphones I used, and at all times I was able to achieve ear-piercing listening levels with the front panel volume control still having a lot of clockwise travel up its sleeve.
I then switched to using the DAC2.7 as a preamplifier, in its variable output mode, still connected to a computer, but this time also connecting a CD player, using both the analogue and SPDIF inputs. This ‘dual con-nection’ to the player made it easy to make A–B comparisons between the CD player’s internal DAC and that inside the Bel Canto and I was a bit miffed to find that despite the fact that the CD player I was using cost more than the Bel Canto is asking for the DAC2.7, the sound decoded by the DAC2.7 was clearly superior to that decoded by the CD player itself. So I have no hesitation in saying that if you have a CD player with a digital output, investing in the DAC2.7 will immediately im-prove your sound quality. Another approach would be to buy an inexpensive CD or DVD player with an SPDIF output and simply use it to feed digital data to the DAC2.7. I tried
this with a Samsung D530 (RRP $55!) and was amazed by the results. This unlikely combi-nation delivered crystal-clear sound quality with prodigious dynamic range, outstanding imaging and a perfectly balanced sound from the lowest of the lows to the highest of the highs. I’d go on, but it’s an experiment you should try for yourself, particularly since it costs so little to do.
By this time I’d been slightly irritated by two aspects of the Bel Canto DAC2.7’s operation. The first was only minor: the way the display shows ‘0’s and ‘5’s makes them hard to read, at least in my opinion. The second was that unless I was very careful with the front-panel control, I found I was accidentally switching inputs when I was actually trying to adjust volume, so rather than developing the ‘soft touch’ required to turn the front panel control more carefully, I instead used the remote to adjust volume. One excellent feature of the Bel Canto is that its muting circuit works correctly, as the DAC2.7 automatically turns off the muting when volume is adjusted, irrespective of whether you do this using the remote or the front panel control.
With computer audio as the source again, this time using high-res digital files, the Bel Canto excelled itself. One album I found de-livered truly astounding sound was ‘The Gyp-sy Life’ as performed by the John Gorka and recorded in ‘you are there’ fidelity by Mark Waldrep at AIX Records. I listened to the 2.0 version (it’s available in multi-channel and with different recording perspectives) and it’s as if Gorka and his guitar are with you in the room. Then, when the piano chimes in, it’s as if there’s now a piano in the room as well. And when the back-up singers chime in from the left and the right, you’ll be looking to see where they are… and at the same time wondering why Waldrep separated them in the way he did. If you haven’t heard an AIX
recording, you owe it to yourself to download an album—or even just a few tracks—to hear how great real hi-res music can sound.
ConCLusionIf you insist that your DAC must have a DSD capability on board, then Bel Canto’s DAC2.7 is obviously not for you, but if you’re happy with hi-res PCM (and I certainly am) or are prepared to decode your DSD externally, the DAC2.7 is as high-res as they come, has more features on board than most DACs, and is better built than nearly all of them. Highly recommended. greg borrowman
Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the Bel Canto DAC2.7 DAC/Preampli-fier should continue on and read the LABORATORY REPORT published on the following pages.
laB RepoRt on p 30
ContaCt Details
Brand: Bel CantoModel: DAC2.7Category: DAC/PreamplifierRRP: $3,950Warranty: One YearDistributor: Absolute HiEndAddress: PO Box 370 Ormond VIC 3204T: (04) 8877 7999E: [email protected]: www.absolutehiend.com
• DSD
• Defaults to AES
• d.c. offset
• Standby mode
• Balance trim
• Superb sound
• Feature-packed
• State-of-the-art build
30 www.avhub.com.auAustralian Hi-Fi
L A B R E P O R T Bel Canto e.One DAC 2.7
Newport Test Labs measured the performance of the Bel Canto DAC2.7 using two different digital standards: the ‘Red Book’ CD standard using 44.1kHz/16-bit digital signals and the AES-17 standard, using 48kHz/24-bit digital signals, plus it also measured the DAC2.7’s performance using its analogue inputs and outputs. In all cases, its performance was superb, but due to the amount of data that resulted, I haven’t included all the results from all the tests, merely a representative sample.
Frequency response was excellent using both digital standards and also the analogue inputs. I have shown only the AES-17 digital result, in Graph 7, with an expanded scale of just 1dB per vertical division, and you can see that even despite this, the response is literally
‘ruler-flat’ from 50Hz up to 5kHz and only 0.02dB down at 20kHz, with a 0.1dB droop between 20Hz and 50Hz. Interestingly, the 44.1kHz/16-bit response didn’t exhibit this l.f. droop, being flat down to 20Hz, but rolled off a little earlier at high frequencies to be 0.5dB down at 20kHz.
The frequency response of the analogue section is shown in Graph 11 and you can see that it has 1dB downpoints at 13Hz and 40kHz. Across the 20Hz to 20kHz audio band, it measured at ±0.2dB. Channel separation was excellent, returning results of better than 120dB in the 44.1kHz/16-bit testing (as tabulated) but interestingly returning results of around 110dB in the AES-17 tests, as shown in Graph 8. I suspect this is more to do with the different test methods used for the two different digital formats than any real difference in separation, meaning that if the AES-17 test were to be re-done using the same methodology as used for the ‘Red Book’
LaboraTory TesT reporT
Frequency response was excellent using both digital standards and also the analogue input
Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Preamplifier — Laboratory Test ResultsAnalogue Section Result Units/Comment
Output Voltage 4.4564 / 4.4142 volts (Left Ch/ Right Ch)
Frequency Response See Graphs dB (20Hz – 20kHz)
Channel Separation 124 / 127 / 120 dB at 16Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz
THD+N 0.002% @ 1kHz @ 0dBFS
Channel Balance 0.08dB @ 1kHz @ 0dBFS
Channel Phase 0.02 / 0.04 / 0.71 degrees at 16Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz
Group Delay 180 / 5.28 degrees (1–20kHz / 20–1kHz)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (No Pre-emph) 116 / 123 dB (unweighted/weighted)
De-Emphasis Error 0.002 / 0.004 / 0.171 at 1kHz / 4kHz / 16kHz
Linearity Error @ –60.00dB / –70.00dB 0.00 / 0.06 dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)
Linearity Error @ –80.59dB / –85.24dB 0.02 / 0.01 dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)
Linearity Error @ –89.46dB / –91.24dB 0.07 / 0.05 dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)
Linearity Error @ –80.70dB / –90.31dB 0.07 /0.04 dB (Test Signal Dithered)
Power Consumption N/A / 8.12 watts (Standby / On)
Mains Voltage During Testing 239 – 244 (Minimum – Maximum)
Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre — Lab Test Results (AES-17 Standard 48kHz/24-Bit)
Digital Section Result Units/Comment
Out of Band Spurious Components –124.604dB
Suppression of Imaging Components 120.186dB (Worst Case)
Level Dependent Logarithmic Gain 0.051dB
Intermodulation Distortion (1) –90.023dB 18kHz/20kHz 1:1 Ratio
Intermodulation Distortion (2) –85.783dB 41Hz/7993Hz 4:1 Ratio
Low Level Noise Modulation 3.086dB Worst Case
Idle Channel Noise –123.421dB CCIR-RMS weighting
Signal-to-Noise Ratio 122.920dB CCIR-RMS weighting
Power Line Products –136.043dB 50Hz
Non-Linear Interchannel Crosstalk (a) 122.877dB 3kHz (2nd-order ref 17kHz/20kHz)
Non-Linear Interchannel Crosstalk (b) 131.103dB 6kHz (3rd-order ref 17kHz/20kHz)
Non-Linear Interchannel Crosstalk (c) 123.619dB 10.040kHz (2nd re 40Hz/10kHz)
Non-Linear Interchannel Crosstalk (d) 110.914dB 10.080kHz (3rd re 40Hz/10kHz)
Absolute Phase Switchable Normal/Inverted
Output Voltage (Balanced Outputs) 4.4564 /4.4142 Volts
test it, too, would return results of better than 120dB. Either way it’s not important, since even the 110dB result is far, far better than necessary to deliver perfect aural channel separation and perfect imaging.
Newport Test Labs measured channel balance at 0.08dB at 1kHz, which is outstand-ingly good. Channel phase was also outstandingly good, just 0.02° at 20Hz and just 0.71° at 20kHz. Group delay was typical of an oversampling delta-sigma DAC,
speaking of which it was good to see that Bel Canto has implemented the de-empha-sis circuitry in the DAC and that it’s very accurate, with only a 0.171dB error at 20kHz. Many DAC manufacturers don’t bother to implement de-emphasis, which means that all CDs recorded more than 25 years ago will be replayed incorrectly on those DACs, though since so few will still exist, it’s rather a moot point.
The DAC2.7’s signal-to-noise ratio was
32 www.avhub.com.auAustralian Hi-Fi
20.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00
-3.00
-2.00
-1.00
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00dBr
Newport Test Labs
Graph 7. THD @ 20kHz @ 0dB recorded level. (44kHz/24-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 4. THD @ 1kHz @ –91.24dB recorded level. (No dither) (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto 2.7]
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 1. THD @ 1kHz @ 0dB recorded level. (44.1/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
10.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00
-140.00
-130.00
-120.00
-110.00
-100.00
-90.00
-80.00dB
Newport Test Labs
Graph 8. Channel Separation re 0dB recorded level. L–R/R–L (48kHz/24-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
20.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00
0.00010
0.00100
0.01000
0.10000
1.00000
5.00000
%
Newport Test Labs
Graph 9: Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise (THD+N) vs Frequency at –20dB (Red Trace) and –1dB (Black Trace). Digital input. 24-bit/48kHz. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 5. THD @ 1kHz @ –90.31dB recorded level. (With dither) (44.1kHz/16-bit) [BCDAC 2.7]
0.00 Hz 9600.00 19200.00 28800.00 38400.00 48000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 6. CCIF Distortion (Twin-Tone Intermodulation) @ 0dB using 19kHz and 20kHz test signals in 1:1 ratio. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 2. THD @ 1kHz @ –10dB recorded level. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 3. THD @ 1kHz @ –60dB recorded level. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 4: THD @ 1kHz @ –91.24dB recorded level. (No dither) (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto 2.7]
graph 1: THD @ 1kHz @ 0dB recorded level. (44.1/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph5: THD @ 1kHz @ –90.31dB recorded level. (With dither) (44.1kHz/16-bit) [BCDAC 2.7]
graph 6: CCIF Distortion (Twin-Tone Intermodulation) @ 0dB using 19kHz and 20kHz test signals in 1:1 ratio. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 2: THD @ 1kHz @ –10dB recorded level. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 3: THD @ 1kHz @ –60dB recorded level. (44.1kHz/16-bit) [Bel Canto DAC2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 8: Channel Separation re 0dB recorded level. L–R/R–L (48kHz/24-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 9: Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise (THD+N) vs Frequency at –20dB (Red Trace) and –1dB (Black Trace). Digital input. 24-bit/48kHz. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 7: THD @ 20kHz @ 0dB recorded level. (44kHz/24-bit) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
L A B R E P O R T Bel Canto e.One DAC 2.7
measured at around 123dB (weighted) with either test standard, which means the Bel Canto will not only be exceedingly quiet, but will also contribute less noise to the music than whatever amplifier you’re using, so it’s self-evidently an excellent result.
Total harmonic distortion (THD) was vanishingly low. The distortion compo-nents have been graphed individually for the 44.1kHz/16-bit digital tests in Graphs 1 through 5, as a summed total for the 48kHz/24-bit digital tests in Graph 9, and again individually for analogue-in/ana-logue-out in Graph 12. You can see in Graph
partly due to the high output voltage of the DAC2.7 at this level, of around 4.4-volts. It’s also a ‘worst case’ result since no music will ever be recorded at this high a level.
Graph 3 shows the distortion with a –60dB test signal and you can see that there’s no harmonic distortion at all, just quantisation noise (the ‘grass’ across the bottom of the graph). This quantisation noise is just an artefact of the test signal not being dithered and would not occur when playing music, which is always dithered to remove quanti-sation errors. The effect is clearly illustrated in Graphs 4 and 5, which show the same test
1 that there’s a little output stage distortion at the 0dB recorded level that lifts the levels of the second and third harmonic distortion components to around –100dB (0.001% THD), with the fourth and fifth harmonics at around –110dB (0.0003% THD) and all others below –120dB (0.0001% THD). At –10dB recorded level, the second and third components drop to –110dB (0.0003% THD), there’s a fifth harmonic at around –125dB (0.00005% THD), and a sixth and eighth at –130dB (0.00003% THD) with all others below the –140dB noise floor. The slight dis-tortion at 0dB recorded level could have been
34 www.avhub.com.auAustralian Hi-Fi
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 12: Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise (THD+N) at 1kHz at 1V using analogue input and outputs. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
-80.00 dBFS -60.00 -40.00 -20.00 0.00
0.00010
0.00100
0.01000
0.10000
1.00000
5.00000
%
Newport Test Labs
Graph 10 THD vs Level. Digital input. 24-bit/48kHz. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
0.00 Hz 6000.00 12000.00 18000.00 24000.00 30000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00dBFS
Newport Test Labs
Graph 13: Intermodulation Distortion (CCIF IMD, 19/20kHz, 1:1) using analogue input and outputs. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
10.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00
-3.00
-2.50
-2.00
-1.50
-1.00
-0.50
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00dBr
Newport Test Labs
Graph 11: Frequency Response @ 1-Volt. Analogue Input/Output. ) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 10: THD vs Level. Digital input. 24-bit/48kHz. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 11: Frequency Response @ 1-Volt. Analogue Input/Output. ) [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 13: Intermodulation Distortion (CCIF IMD, 19/20kHz, 1:1) using analogue input and outputs. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
graph 12: Total Harmonic Distortion & Noise (THD+N) at 1kHz at 1V using analogue input and outputs. [Bel Canto DAC 2.7 DAC/Pre]
L A B R E P O R T Bel Canto e.One DAC 2.7
signal, but with and without dither. Graph 4 shows an undithered test signal at 1kHz at –91.24dB at far left. All the spikes across the graph are quantisation errors. Graph 5 shows a dithered test signal at 1kHz at –90.31dB and you can see that because of the dithering, all the quantisation errors have vanished. The only penalty for dithering is an in-crease in the level of the noise floor, but in the case of the Bel Canto DAC2.7, that noise floor is down at around –140dB even with dithering, so it really doesn’t matter.
Graph 9 shows THD vs. Fre-quency at two levels right across the audio band, and you can see that it’s almost perfectly linear, and down around 0.001%, where it would be totally inau-dible. Analogue THD+N (Graph 12) is also low, with all compo-nents except the third harmonic (which is at –97dB, or 0.0014% THD) more than 110dB down
(0.0003% THD).Intermodulation distortion
was very low but—and again interestingly—it was very slightly lower for the ana-logue input than for either of the digital inputs. Analogue CCIF IMD is shown in Graph 13 and you can see there are only two sidebands either side of the test signal, both sitting at –110dB (0.0003%). There is an unwanted regen-erated signal at 1kHz (the difference signal between the two test signals at 19kHz and 20kHz), but it’s sitting down at –117dB (0.00014%). Digital CCIF IMD is shown in Graph 6 and the two h.f. sidebands are at –105dB (%) and the regenerated signal at –104dB (0.00056%). This graph also shows some higher-order components that are caused by interaction with the sampling frequency. Although the differ-ences between the graphs are interesting, they’re of academic
interest only, since in all cases the IMD is so low it would be completely inaudible at any playback level.
Absolute phase on the Bel Canto is switchable, but defaults to ‘Normal’ which is as you’d expect, and linearity errors are vanishingly low, as listed in the tabulated results. I was a bit surprised that there is no standby mode, but given that the DAC2.7 will draw only 8.12-watts from your 240V mains supply, you could safely leave it on all the time without fearing for your utility bill, or the planet. That said, it would have been ‘greener’ of Bel Canto to fit a stand-by mode.
Overall, I found the performance of the Bel Canto DAC2.7 to be outstandingly good and, taking into account differences in measurement techniques, also completely in accord with Bel Canto’s own specifica-tions for the DAC2.7, so it delivers all the performance that’s promised. Steve Holding
Readers should note that the results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or displayed using graphs and/or photographs should be construed as applying only to the specific sample tested.
New Subscription or Extend Subscription or Gift Subscription
Mr Mrs Miss Ms
Your Name
Your Address
Postcode
Daytime Phone ( )
IF A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION Mr Mrs Miss Ms
Recipient’s Name
Recipient’s Address
Postcode
Daytime Phone ( )
Terms and conditions: Price offer available to Australian and NZ residents. Expires 4/9/16. Includes GST. Savings based on total cover price. Overseas Airmail 14 issues A$195 or 7 issues A$99. Australian Hi-Fi subscription comprises of 7 issues PA – 6 regular issues and 1 special issue. This form may be used as a Tax Invoice. nextmedia Pty Ltd ABN 84 128 805 970. Please tick if you do not wish to receive special offers or information from nextmedia or its partners via email mail. Please refer to www.nextmedia.com.au for the full Privacy Notice. If you would prefer to receive communication electronically, please ensure we have your current email address.
MA
/HF
PAYMENT DETAILS
I enclose a cheque/money order for $
payable to Next Media Pty Ltd OR Charge my credit card:
Mastercard Visa American Express
Name on Card
Expiry Date / CVV:
Cardholder’s Signature
SYDNEY (02) 9901 6111TOLLFREE 1300 361 146
SUBSCRIPTIONSPO BOX 3355
ST LEONARDS NSW 1590
MYMAGAZINES.COM.AU
W
REVIEWED
July/August 2016 | $9.99 | www.avhub.com.au
Krix Neuphonix MkIILoudspeakers
Bryston 14B3 Power Amplifi er
Stax SR-L700 Earspeakers
JBL Studio 530 Loudspeakers
Meridian Explorer2 DAC
SHOW REPORT: MUNICH HIGH END
Dan D’Agostino intros his Progression amp
and B&W launches the fl agship 800 D3
THE LAST CD PLAYERLIFTING THE LID ON YAMAHA’S CD-S3000
HF July16_001 Cover.indd 1
6/17/2016 1:55:25 PM
INCLUDES HOME CINEMA & HI-FI LIVING SPECIAL EACH YEAR
Please provide phone or email in case of delivery issues
14 ISSUES (2 YEARS) $109 SAVE OVER $30 7 ISSUES (1 YEAR) $59 SAVE OVER 15%
YES! PLEASE SEND ME A SUBSCRIPTION TO AUSTRALIAN HI-FI
Yes, you can read some of our reviews in full on
AVHub.com.au. You can now swipe your way through
every page of Australian Hi-Fi on your iPad or Android
tablet, (or computer) using our snazzy Digital Issues.
But there’s nothing like the proper print edition, landing
in your letterbox sealed in shiny cellophane, ready for
you to read at your leisure, at full size, in
the order we intended, in the bath, if you like.
Get every issue of Australian Hi-Fi the way it should be.
SUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBEANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDSAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!
HF Jul15_000 House Subs.indd 3 8/23/2016 10:22:16 AM
35Australian Hi-Fi
New Subscription or Extend Subscription or Gift Subscription
Mr Mrs Miss Ms
Your Name
Your Address
Postcode
Daytime Phone ( )
IF A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION Mr Mrs Miss Ms
Recipient’s Name
Recipient’s Address
Postcode
Daytime Phone ( )
Terms and conditions: Price offer available to Australian and NZ residents. Expires 4/9/16. Includes GST. Savings based on total cover price. Overseas Airmail 14 issues A$195 or 7 issues A$99. Australian Hi-Fi subscription comprises of 7 issues PA – 6 regular issues and 1 special issue. This form may be used as a Tax Invoice. nextmedia Pty Ltd ABN 84 128 805 970. Please tick if you do not wish to receive special offers or information from nextmedia or its partners via email mail. Please refer to www.nextmedia.com.au for the full Privacy Notice. If you would prefer to receive communication electronically, please ensure we have your current email address.
MA
/HF
PAYMENT DETAILS
I enclose a cheque/money order for $
payable to Next Media Pty Ltd OR Charge my credit card:
Mastercard Visa American Express
Name on Card
Expiry Date / CVV:
Cardholder’s Signature
SYDNEY (02) 9901 6111TOLLFREE 1300 361 146
SUBSCRIPTIONSPO BOX 3355
ST LEONARDS NSW 1590
MYMAGAZINES.COM.AU
W
REVIEWED
July/August 2016 | $9.99 | www.avhub.com.au
Krix Neuphonix MkIILoudspeakers
Bryston 14B3 Power Amplifi er
Stax SR-L700 Earspeakers
JBL Studio 530 Loudspeakers
Meridian Explorer2 DAC
SHOW REPORT: MUNICH HIGH END
Dan D’Agostino intros his Progression amp
and B&W launches the fl agship 800 D3
THE LAST CD PLAYERLIFTING THE LID ON YAMAHA’S CD-S3000
HF July16_001 Cover.indd 1
6/17/2016 1:55:25 PM
INCLUDES HOME CINEMA & HI-FI LIVING SPECIAL EACH YEAR
Please provide phone or email in case of delivery issues
14 ISSUES (2 YEARS) $109 SAVE OVER $30 7 ISSUES (1 YEAR) $59 SAVE OVER 15%
YES! PLEASE SEND ME A SUBSCRIPTION TO AUSTRALIAN HI-FI
Yes, you can read some of our reviews in full on
AVHub.com.au. You can now swipe your way through
every page of Australian Hi-Fi on your iPad or Android
tablet, (or computer) using our snazzy Digital Issues.
But there’s nothing like the proper print edition, landing
in your letterbox sealed in shiny cellophane, ready for
you to read at your leisure, at full size, in
the order we intended, in the bath, if you like.
Get every issue of Australian Hi-Fi the way it should be.
SUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBESUBSCRIBEANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDANDSAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!SAVE!
HF Jul15_000 House Subs.indd 3 8/23/2016 10:22:16 AM
