The Wadia, Bel Canto & Kef System

I love music. More than that, I love high resolution lossless music. I like being able to hear Diana Krall’s fingers strike that Piano key, or be able to tell that the guitar Carlos Santana is stringing out his tunes on is a PRS guitar made with solid Brazilian Rosewood. I am speaking of music on my computer and iPod and not music on a CD. We still carry a handful of CD players and they do sound phenomenal however, with the correct hardware your ipod or music on your hard drive can sound just as good as an audiophile grade reference CD Player. Digital Smart Homes embraced the Digital download era long before any other high end dealer in the city did and continue to introduce and carry high quality music systems. There is really no place other than our store for the generation “Y” to go to for iPodphile products.

In listening to Rubén González’s Luv Lluvia Track 3 from his new album“Chanchullo”, the experience was like watching water dance on a superhydrophobic surface. I was able to visualize the Bongos playing with such amazing three dimensional detail that I could hear the hands make contact with the drums. There are so many instruments that come alive, you truly feel like you’ve escaped to Cuba. Rubén González’s plays the piano with such fluidness and perfect timing with the many cuban percussion instruments and does it with such finesse even in his eighties. The aluminum dome on the Kef speakers almost act like a visual mirror reflecting every detail back to my hears with perfect harmony, range and depth. Below I will be briefly covering the components that I used to experience this album.

Lets start with the Wadia 170i Transport. The iTransport is the first ever component specifically designed to transform your iPod into a high-resolution audio/video media server. The iTransport combines the convenience of personal audio with the performance and connectivity of your home audio/video system, delivering bit-perfect digital audio signal via S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) output, DVD quality video via component outputs, and built on a sleek aluminum chassis. When the iPod docks with iTransport, the iPod transforms into an audiophile-grade media server that rivals some of the top performing digital source components available. >> download the Wadia 170i brochure

Basically when the Wadia 170i Transport is “engaged” it allows you to bypass your iPods/iPhones internal 16 bit/44.1KHz DAC. Music is stored digitally and for us to hear that music a DAC needs to convert that digital music file to Analogue (DAC - Digital/Analogue Converter) Now the Wadia does not have an internal DAC of its own. Its main purpose is to deliver or “transport” bit perfect 0’s and 1’s to an outboard DAC which than converts it to Analogue. In our store for example I am using Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3 connected to a Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated USB Amp which are powering a pair of Kef XQ10 speakers.

The second component in our system is the Bel Canto e.One Dac3DAC/Preamplifier with Ultra-Clock™ Technology which has Digital Level Control, 24/192 DAC vs the iPod’s 16/44.1. The e.One also comes with Balanced I/O, 5-digital Inputs w/USB. This combination reproduces music with new levels of dynamic expression and accuracy of timbre. Your music communicates as never before. The Ultra-Clock™ Technology recalls the best of analog music reproduction, without the limitations of either analog or other digital technologies. All components work in concert with every detail of the Dac3’s design to achieve a new level of musical realism. >> Learn more about the e.One DAC3

The third component is our Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated Dual Mono Amplifier with USB port shown in the bottom of the stack of components pictured on the left. The S300iu raises performance expectations for an integrated audio amplifier. The S300iu integrates a high performance preamplifier with 300 Watts of dual mono balanced power capability per channel. The high performance preamplifier uses the latest digitally controlled analog volume control and sealed relay switching to provide a transparent signal path for up to 4 analog inputs, including a USB Digital Audio converter. The USB DAC allows you to create a high performance audio playback system using your computer as the audio source. This will optimize playback of either compressed audio files, uncompressed audio files, and CD playback from your computer drive. This option opens up a new world of audio experience. >> Learn more about the eOne S300iu

The last component of our system are the Kef XQ10 bookshelf speakers. They reproduce the sound with effortless accuracy. Packed with technology derived from Kef’s Reference Series, it features a new generation Uni-Q® array and ‘tangerine’ waveguide: a stunningly natural-sounding elliptical dome 19mm (0.75in.) tweeter perfectly time-aligned with the surrounding midrange/bass cone to disperse the sound far more evenly across the listening area than is possible with conventional speakers. A speaker that’s big in everything but size. Available in Birdseye Maple, Khaya Mahogany and Piano Black. >> Learn more about the Kef XQ10


I invite you to come by our store and experience the sweet music of Rubén González while sipping on a glass of wine or bring your iPod for a truly amazing listening experience.

(Source: www.wadia.com, www.belcantodesign.com & www.kef.com)