JA's measurements revealed that the Bel Canto easily exceeded its rated output powers of 250Wpc into 8 ohms and 500Wpc into 4 ohms, clipping at 340Wpc into 8 ohms and at 530Wpc into 4 ohms. "I didn't expect to be so completely gobsmacked by the level of clarity and musicality I'm hearing now from the e1X," he concluded. TG commented positively on the e1X's image specificity, low-frequency control, and extremely low background noise. Trickled down from Bel Canto's premium Black line, this slimline, lightweight amplifier uses the well-regarded Ncore class-D modules and a low-noise switch-mode power supply. ![]() All amplifiers are stereo models, except where designated. Except where stated, output powers are not the specified powers but rather those we measured into an 8 ohm resistive load. Careful auditioning with your own loudspeakers is therefore essential. Nevertheless, even within each subclass, Class A amplifiers differ sufficiently in character that each will shine in an appropriate system. Their newer amps are cleaner and more neutral than their older ones and they gentle smooth out the signal while having extremely low distortion that many people including myself love.especially their solid state amps.Editor's Note: Because of the disparity between typical tube and solid-state "sounds," we have split Class A for separate power amplifiers into two subclasses. A different approach is the McIntosh designs. More so, the JC5 has more straight Class A on seveal watts before getting into Class AB. I have limited experience with Parasound but I have heard the A21+ and JC5 and the 2nd harmonic distortion on these amps for my taste sounds pleasing. ![]() Having an amp that gentle smooths out these recordings (gently, while still being clean and detailed) can allow you to enjoy the music more. This includes many remastered albums where they over did it with adjusting the EQ. With that being said, a lot of recordings can sound either harsh, or too bright on cymbals and ssss on vocals. In the same way engineers in recording studios like Rupert Neve and API audio gear that adds a gentle rounding to the signal. Having an amp with some 2nd harmonic distortion can sound pleasing to our ears. The choice we make has a lot to do with personal preference and how music sounds in our room. Spending 5, 10, and even 20 grand on power amplification is passé unless you're running some sort of cinema in your home or running a venue, and at that stage you would want to be upgrading to something like Genelec active speakers/subs at which point what amplifier you're using ceases to matter anyway. These things will actually better your sound, and it will be significant. Shift your time, energy and wallet to measuring your room with and worrying about DSP/EQ, proper sub integration, and potential room treatments if possible. Dual mono benchmark or maybe the Mcintosh is the only real "upgrade" from Purifi from the things we have 3rd party measurements for, and these still have some cons over a cheaper Purifi/Hypex amp such as costing 6-8x the price and larger/heavier units to deal with. ![]() While the Benchmark is a great product, I generally suggest Purifi or Hypex as they are top tier performers and you will barely pay more than $1-2k for stereo amplification, unless you want to buy from a premium brand with a premium chassis which may cost more. There are few exceptions to this suggestion, but any deviation from this is buying for looks, vanity, brand/reputation, warranty, etc.- NOT sound quality and engineering up to modern reproducible standards. Buying one of these according to your power needs and you will be happy, period, and they will all sound the same as long as it can provide the power. Also the new upcoming Chinese products like Topping for lower power outputs are making their appearance. If buying new, Purifi, Hypex, and Benchmark are really the only ones that matter these days in terms of the objective best, and thankfully they have comparatively sane prices compared to overpriced audiophile grade junk.
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