SOLD : Up for sale is the well regarded and versatile Bel Canto 1.5 DAC / Preamp / Headphone amp and M-Link USB / SPDIF convertor. I am the original owner and have had the DAC for about three years, and the M-Link for about a year and a half. They are both in near mint condition and have the original boxes, and the 1.5 also has the remote. The 1.5 has some very minor scratches on the edge of the faceplate (see photo - doesn't show) but NOT the front of the faceplate. It's otherwise in excellent cosmetic condition.
Asking $900 for the Bel Canto 1.5, and $250 for the M-Link. If bought together will sell both for $999 ($150 off). You can also save shipping as they can ship out together.
USA sales & Paypal preferred and free if sent "friends / family" which has no commission. Other forms of payment are accepted.
Shipping most likely will be via Fedex ground / home delivery at actual cost. I can do UPS & USPS as well, though I've had the best experience with Fedex, service and rate-wise.
I have excellent rating / feedback via Audiogon & Ebay (jarcher & jona9289 respectively). Frankly I prefer to sell via here, USAudiomart, and Audio Asyium trader though.
Any other questions, please feel free to ask. Meanwhile, some addition information about the 1.5 & M-Link:
Bel Canto 1.5 :
The 1.5 has a warm, clean and smooth sound that helps considerably even with less than perfect digital files. The preamp feature (operated with the front multifunction wheel or included remote) along with the headphone amp and dual single ended and balanced outputs gives it additional utility and flexibility.
The "entry level" 1.5 is really the sleeper value of Bel Canto's current generation of DACs. Because it uses an external switching power supply via a barrel connector, it can be upgraded with a better external linear power supply, or even use the same VBS power supply as the top of the line 3.5 DAC with the right Bel Canto cable. I would highly recommend this as that's what I did with a custom built power supply, and the benefits were noticeable, mainly better / tighter bass response, more transparency & clarity.
An upgraded external power supply will bring it pass the performance of the 2.5 and even touch on their top of the line 3.5, that is twice the cost of the 1.5, which aside from the DAC chip used and some added functionality, is not vastly different from the 1.5 Of course you don't have to use the pricey Bel Canto linear power supply or VBS, either low power third party or custom power supplies can do the job just as adequately. The unit sells with the standard power supply : I am keeping mine for other purposes.
If I was a richer man I'd keep this DAC (and M-Link) for secondary systems as I've had many years of enjoyment. But could use the money to fund the purchase of a new and considerably more expensive DAC.
From Bel Canto Web Page :
SpecificationsDigital Section:
Maximum Data Input Rate:
24bit Data at 192KS/s:
AES XLR, SPDIF BNC/RCA, TOSLINK
24bit Data at 96KS/s:
USB
Master Clock jitter:
2picosecond RMS
Analog 24/192 DAC Section:
Maximum Output:
4Vrms balanced XLR, 2Vrms RCA
Output Impedance:
200 ohms balanced XLR, 100 ohms RCA
Frequency Response:
20 Hz-20 KHz, +/- 0.5dB
THD+N:
<0.0015%, 4Vrms balanced out, 1KHz
Output Noise:
3.3uVrms A-weighted 20Hz-20KHz
Dynamic Range:
122dB A-weighted 20Hz-20KHz
Headphone Section:
Maximum Output:
138mW
THD+N:
0.01% 35mW, 1KHz
Output Noise:
17uVrms, A-weighted 20Hz-20KHz
General:
Power Usage On:
5W
Power Usage Off:
0.0W
Power Requirement:
100-120VAC, 220-240VAC 50/60 Hz
Dimensions:
8.5” W x 12.5” D x 3.5” H (216 mm x 318 mm x 88 mm)
Weight:
13lbs. (6.5 kg)
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M-Link :
There's not a lot to say about the M-Link, other than it does it's job and that I tried others around it's price point and found it to be the "goldilocks" unit. I.e. the HiFace2 was a bit too shrill & "hi-fi" sounding, whereas units such as the Stello U2 were too far in the opposite direction. At $350 it was a good value vs the competition. At my asking price of $250 it's an outright bargain.
The 1.5 DAC DOES have a USB input, but it's limited to 24 / 96 and is not asynchronous, but otherwise a good USB input. The M-Link is both asynchronous and supports everything (24/192, DSD - meaning DOP - etc). Suffering from audio nervosa and wanting something that would work with the few +24/96 files I have, I decided I "needed" the M-Link for my Mac mini. It's a great unit at $350, and even better at the $150 asking price.
From Bel Canto Web Page : mLink Core Technology
Proprietary 500MHz DSP Asynchronous USB Core
Dual Low Phase-Noise Clocks
Galvanic isolation
USB Bus Power LC filters, local regulation
Specifications
Input: High Speed USB type-B receptacle
Output:
Coaxial SPDIF on BNC 75Ω
Supported sampling rates:
44.1kHz
48kHz
88.2kHz
96kHz
176.4kHz
192kHz
Supported word lengths: up to 24-bit
Compatibility:
Native MAC USB 2.0 compatible on OSX 10.6 and later
Custom Windows USB 2.0 driver Win 7 and XP
Driver appears as Bel Canto uLinkUSB2.0 select as default playback
System volume control is disabled upon installation
BNC/RCA adapter included
USB cable not included
General Specifications
Power Usage On: 1W
Power Usage Off: 0.0W
Power Requirement : USB Bus 5VDC
Dimensions: 4" W x 4.75" D x 1.2" H (103mm x 120mm x 30mm)
Weight : 1lbs (0.45kg)
