Digital Amps


What are your thoughts on these (e.e Bel Canto, Tact Millenium, Spectron)?
ehoehn
Personally I think the Spectron wins hands down.The Bel Canto sound very digital on the high end.The Tact is just plain overpriced and uses the same tripath technology as BC.I have notice alot of BCs being dumped on Audiogon.
Just goes to show how different personal experiences can be with this stuff. I've heard the BC amps(monoblocked) fairly extensively in a very high-end setup and the term digital did not even enter my mind. In fact, this system produced some of the cleanest, quickest, and most musically satisfying sound I've ever heard(coincidentally this system also incorporated the TacT RCS 2.0 room correction system). I've also heard the Millennium a few times in the TacT room at various shows and have come away very impressed each time without ever thinking it sounded digital in the least. I think TacT is coming out with a cheaper amp that is more within the reach of the common audiophile. Suffice it to say I've been very impressed with every digital amp I've heard, and when I get the itch to upgrade from my McCormack DNA 0.5 Rev. A these amps will be a must audition. Haven't heard the Spectron, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing but I'll be sure to give a listen as soon as I can find a dealer. One caveat when auditioning these amps--I've been told due to their design that clean power is an absolute must, even more so than with analog amps, which may lead some to perceive digital amps to sound "digital" or harsh--just something to keep in mind. In any event, the future sure looks bright for digital amps if the first-generation products are this good. As for contention that there are a lot of Bel Canto amps on the used market, one possible explanation is that people may be trading up to BC's new higher-powered amp that was introduced recently, but that's purely speculation on my part. Bottom line: whether you're considering tubes or solid state, go hear these digital amps before you plunk your money down.

Tim