Bel Canto ACI600 vs Black EX Sepates

If I had the cash ready today I would be severely tempted to buy the Luxman 509x that WC put up for sale. I would use it in the office and likely move my office electronics to the future big rig in the living room.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis916dd-luxman-l-509x-integrated-the-best-integrated-from-luxman-...

I have heard the KEF Blade 2 with the Hegel 360 and it was surprisingly good driving the much bigger Blades. Your REF 1 would sing with the 360 and not need the extra little bit from the 590.

Totally agree the 360’s more than enough but want to have an integrated with internal dac that plays mqa.....the 590 will, the 360 doesn’t.

I have auditioned the full Bel Canto Black system at my dealer. I thought the system sounded very good when playing through Wilson Alexias. The name “black” describes it well as it is a naked, crisp type of presentation that is extremely transparent. I did think the vocals were a little recessed in the sound field though. At the time of audition I was actually considering the ACI 600 but the dealer no longer had that available. Long story short, I ended up purchasing an Audio Research system because I like its natural sound. The Black system in person looks really nice and exceeds the build quality of any equipment I have seen.

I have not yet heard or  seen any EX products first hand but I am considering the EX DAC as an upgrade for my Linn streamer. I am not really sure if the Bel Canto UX/UI is as good as the Linn from the streaming/app point of view. I would definitely want to give it a try first. 

I know this isn’t probably very useful information. Just wanted you to know that someone has heard, and likes, this system : )

We own the Bel Canto Black EX. It is $1K more than the ASC 600, but I like the added inputs. The Black EX DAC is SOTA, including Ethernet input. Its filers easily allow intergration of a subwoofer, if you go that route. 

Our Black EX system is driving YG Acoustic Carmels with a subwoofer. The Black EX brought them to life. My wife said the Black EX “has balls.” I, however, do not think it has a gender. My wife now spontaneously wants to dance. Some songs give the hair on her arms goosebumps when listening to her favorite songs. I have a single criterion for high-end audio: emotional involvement. Specs are meaningless IMHO.

After years of owning different DACs and amps, this is a final destination product, which is saying something coming from an upgrade junkie. The Black EX makes good speakers great, and there is no other way to achieve this sound.

The Black EX has a phono pre-amp and Tilt Control. The Tilt Control is amazing, especially with recordings that are hot, i.e., intentionally recorded with an emphasis on the high-end, like Adele 21. Listening to any song on that album on a car stereo may be ok, but you need to tweak it on a high-end system. Tilt also can be used if you room is too bright or too dead.

It has equalizer features – high pass and low pass filters. Subwoofer integration, in my opinion, is very difficult and rarely successful. The Black EX integrates subwoofers. It takes a bit of time, like an hour or two, to adjust the high pass and low pass filters for your room and subwoofer, but the end result is integration. By integration, I mean you cannot tell if the music is from the main speakers or the subwoofer. I am using 50 Hz on both settings but they do not have to be the same.

The Black EX has an Ethernet input. This is often overlooked, but it means you are not using a computer in your system (unless you want to use Roon; the Black EX is Roon ready). We mostly use the Bel Canto SEEK app. Ethernet is a superior connection over USB.

Finally, Black EX is MQA compatible. Playing an MQA recording using an Ethernet connection is a step up. It squeezes out that last five percent.