JOB, BelCanto, Perpetual, MilleniumDACs?

Thanks for all the advice, folks. To that end I managed to borrow a BelCanto DAC1 and Pioneer DVD333 (set to 96/24), 2m toslink, and started comparing it to my old Rotel CD855. I expected to be blown away by dramatic improvements...but it didn't happen! Certainly there were significant differences: the 'Canto w/DVD provided a more-resolved treble, but I sensed a tonally lightweight presentation (esp on pianos). Upper octaves' info, although smoother, seemed bathed in a soft, whitish glow that precluded complete individuation of tones (I hate to say "smearing"...maybe a lack of crispness.) Thus the presentation was less immediate, and certainly less exciting on pop recordings (like Paul Simon's latest: try Pigs, Sheep & Wolves) than my naked Rotel. Violinist and professional sopranos who listened observed that violins' upper partials and singers' voices seemed somewhat more natural, however, yet still tonally thin. (The dealer thinks ALL 24/96 processors sound spectrally uptilted due to the improved definition in the upper octaves; maybe there's a pychoacoustic effect wherein the added information results in percetual reorientation? He also suggested I redemo the 'Canto with a warmer, yet equally-resolving interconnect (instead of my RedDawn), such as a Siltech. I don't find my system uptilted with the Rotel, but is that because I'm not "getting" all the top end resolved correctly? The ARCAM 9 seemed spectrally ok, however, but very lacking rhythmically. [:( In many cases the 'Canto's lack of crispness (lack of digital glare?...help me here, guys!) pushed the soundstage back a bit. That was okay for most classical/jazz recordings, but ocassionally less involving on pop stuff. On a few great recordings (Nojima/Liszt) I found the 'Canto/DVD enthralling, and not significantly uptilted. But pianos are tricky. Substituting the Rotel as a transport resulted in some intermediate place I couldn't get a handle on; three-way comparisons are too hard, and mostly invalid, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't better than either of the former setups--just somewhere in between. I must say the 'Canto's rhythmic abilities are superb: it REALLY keeps time! So that part's okay. Do you think I should try the 'Canto again with a warmer cable, hoping to darken this whitishness on top (the "CustomHouse Barracuda" the dealer's clerk let me borrow was so obscuring of detail that ALL setups sounded equally unresolved! I've similarly been warned to stay away from MIT or CARDAS)?... or should I continue with the Red Dawn's openness and try another DAC, such as the Perpetual Tech,or EVS Millenium II. Some of you have mentioned the EMC1. $3k used is a lot in these pre-revolutionary times. I was about to try the RA CD55, but am concerned about its lack of digital outputs. I'm on Ric's waiting list for the EVS II, but I sadly find I'm not spending time listening to my system because I feel I don't know how to fix it. Am I bumping up against the limitations of the RedBook?...and if so, can I fix it, or do I have to await the newer formats? Sorry this post is a streamofconsciousness jumble.... Thanks again. Ernie PS. Bel Canto told ME that they prefer DVD/2meter toslink, and I related that to my cousin Wes Phillips, who printed it in his review...funny how it all goes around, eh?

Thanks, Tubegroover, et al. Your comment's facscinating in that I spoke with Michael at Bel Canto before my demo and he said they were evaluating power cords for the DAC1, and found an $8 french cord they liked a lot (didn't say if it'd become OE, however). I must admit my eyes began to glaze over, as I didn't believe it could make a difference. My system (noted in the lead post?) consists of Verity Audio Parsifal Encores (amazing!), powered by Aleph 2s I suspended from the floor joists in the basement under the speakers (heat/WAF) fed by an Aleph P, all strung by Nordost Red Dawn balanced IC and Red Dawn II (2.5m). I'm using cheap power strips (w/o surge crap), yet have a totally quiet noisefloor, so assumed power-cord evolution would be fruitless. I'm taken by your observation of a spectral balance shift attributed to the DAC1's power cord change! Hmmm.... Was the evolution away from being uptilted toward neutrality? That's clearly what I need. As nice as those pianos sound on the 'Canto, it's clear that they (and most instruments) shrink in scale!...Steinway D becoming like M or even S! FYI I measured pinks in the AB's, and noticed the BelCanto to be 0.4dB LOUDER than the Rotel 855, so I'm sure the laid-back soundstage is a valid observation of the 'Canto's effect, and not based on a softer level. Also, a few cursory 1/3 octave sweeps verified no other level differences at ANY frequency band, once corrected for the 0.4 dB diff. In-room frequency anomolies of my system, ref pink=0: flat 40-63, +4dB at 80, +1 @ 100, falling to -3dB at 300; climbing to +3dB at 600; falling to -3dB at 3k, then climbing to +3 at 6k, then falling through 0 at 12k. So it seems I have a lean lower-mid and lean lower-treble. The room-related 85Hz bump was worse before I got the Aleph/Nordost stuff. The bass is actually quite wonderful... its the midrange/treble leanness that's bothersome...and seems WORSE with the Bel Canto, again, maybe because its cleaner treble drew more attention to itsself?? Hope I'm making sense. Ya think a power cord can flatten this perceived-or-real upramp? Thanks again. Ernie PS I got a Steinway B in the room, so I KNOW what THAT sounds like! Ric Shultz wrote me that his new Millenium will be way better than the 'Canto (his words...I wish he had time to be more explicit!). What do you guys think? Anybody getting the Millenium II soon?