BEL CANTO E1X DAC/CONTROL PREAMPLIFIER
In addition to a full complement of digital inputs, Bel Canto’s e1X DAC1 has two pairs of single-ended line-level analog inputs on RCA jacks and a third pair for an MC/MM phono input. The signal fed to all three analog inputs is converted to digital so that they can be adjusted with the e1X’s DSP-domain controls like Tilt and Bass EQ, as well as with the volume control. As I wrote in my review of the e1X DAC in the October 2022 issue, John Stronczer, Bel Canto’s founder, CEO, and chief of design, says that digitizing the phono input means that it is less susceptible to picking up noise than a purely analog phono stage.
In my original review, I concentrated on the Bel Canto’s performance as a D/A processor; this Follow-Up review will examine the behavior of the analog inputs.
To audition these inputs, CD/SACD player; the phono input, set to 0.5mV sensitivity and 100 ohms impedance, was connected to my Linn Sondek LP12/Lingo/Ekos/Arkiv B LP player. The Bel Canto’s balanced outputs were connected to a pair of Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock amplifiers with 10’ AudioQuest Wild Blue interconnects. AudioQuest Robin Hood speaker cables connected the amplifiers to first the Audio-vector QR 7 loudspeakers I reviewed in the September issue, then to Mission 770 loudspeakers, which I review elsewhere in this issue. I also used Audeze LCD-X headphones plugged into the Bel Canto’s front-panel headphone jack, though the Tilt and BassEQ controls are not operative with this output.
