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The Bel Canto CD-2 meanwhile does not render such albums unlistenable. Surprisingly, this isn’t synonymous with a hooded treble or sonority and warmth generated by different means. Rather, it is coincident with an exceptionally refined airy treble yet not spot-lit detail. Take Vasilis Tsabropoulous’ suave piano work (www.tsabropoulos.gr – secret tip for classical and Jazz fans alike) on "Simplicity" from his 2008 ECM album Melos.


The attacks and decays of the highest notes dying on the air are most carefully drawn. Equally formidable are the cymbal’s flickering star dust and the multi-layer harmonics of the cello gaining in finesse and richness. In a recent interview with violin builder Falk Peters, he called "the harmonic envelope of the violin its most under appreciated aspect".


Naturally, it’s the harmonic content of instruments and voices which encode their individuated aural finger prints. Relevant in this context is how the CD-2, despite its satisfying long-term friendliness, has a serious penchant for the treble which routinely is a contradiction in terms but not here. Recessed or golden the upper ranges clearly are not.


Yet it’s particularly the deeply worked out, highly differentiated and well aerated treble in conjunction with the mentioned ability to properly track decays to their very end which turns the CD-2 into a highly musical machine. Its pleasing flow needn’t invoke the common trick of artificially rounding off the upper frequencies to work. This honest musicality reminded me of my much-loved Fonel Simplicité spinner whose price sits in a similar range.


Before we get to differences, similarities between these machines occurred in their soundstaging. Without wander, nervousness or compaction, they both staged highly sorted, with strong localization focus, plasticity and proper air and bloom around instruments. But similar wasn’t identical. The Bel Canto was a tad more open still and its stage even farther removed from my Thiel CS 3.7, this also a function of tonal balance differences. Unlike so very often with speakers, those weren’t pronounced but obvious enough to easily differentiate between these machines and thereby approach being core traits.


Colleague Ralph instantly called the CD-2 more illuminated than the Fonel while I opted for the even more fitting "lighter". That was due to the American’s exceptional treble which also seems to lift up the virtual soundstage higher. While Fonel’s spinner survived the comparison without seeming any less silken or satisfying than the Bel Canto (nor guilty of rounding off), it couldn’t quite match the latter’s stupendous airiness and micro resolution in the uppermost reaches.


The lightness of the Bel Canto also appeared in a tonal tendency with vocals and acoustic guitars—Current 93’s album Black Ships Ate The Sky (2006) was a good example—to light up the upper outlines of the stage actors. This didn’t extend as far as to suggest a lean anemic midrange. Fundamentally, the CD-2 was a colorful and energetic performer but compared to my Fonel, its foundation wasn’t as grounded. This required solid A/B comparison to really sink in. What became clear simply over extended normal listening related to the lowest bass. Infernal bass orgies—think The Bug’s 2008 release Londonzoo—-showed flawlessly clean contours but less pressure and extension than usual. While not imbalanced, friends of powerfully rendered bass drums and runs as my Simplicité supports when the remainder of the rig is up to snuff should personally audition Bel Canto’s CD-2 to be sure.



I found it interesting to come across a player which was equally pleasing as my formidable Fonel and sells for similar coin. No less interesting was the fact that despite considerable overlap—-foremost the exemplarily non-artificial presentation—there also were significant differences. The fleet-footed Bel Canto CD-2 was exceptionally airy and "molecularly particled" in the upper ranges without reducing this prowess to a core character. In matters of midrange and bass meanwhile, the well-balanced Fonel was the more developed and sonorous. Simply put, the very open American is definitely worth a very serious audition.


Bel Canto’s CD-2 is characterized by…
  • A fundamentally pleasing, very non-artificial character which some might nearly call analogue in feel.
  • An exceptionally developed, open, airy and micro-detailed treble with perfect long-term friendliness.
  • A three-dimensional sound picture with immaculate staging.
  • A fleet-footed yet colorful rendition which is tonally a tad on the lit-up or light side.
  • Immaculate rhythmic fidelity including well articulated bass, the latter somewhat softer in matters of pressurization and extension.
  • Fetching cosmetics and superb fit’n’finish.

Facts:

  • Category: Top-loading CDP with magnetic puck
  • Weight: 8,2 kg
  • Dimensions: 216 x 75 x 318mm (W x H x D)
  • Trim: Silver face, black chassis
  • Power consumption at idle: ca. 8 watts
  • Socketry: analog RCA and XLR outputs, digital AES/EBU, S/PDIF and Toslink outputs
  • Other: Selectable upsampling (48, 96, 192kHz), 24-bit word length, external PSU
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Website

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