Outboard Processor Question?

I can not A/B the Bel Canto against the Sigma. I owned the earlier version of the Bel Canto (just before the 1.1) for about a year. The Bel Canto had more subtle detail and a larger soundstage than the Micromega Duo BS2. The Micromega was a little smoother and richer sounding. The Bel Canto worked great for me while I was using it with a Parasound CBT2000 transport. However, for reasons irrelevant here, I needed to switch to a cd changer and that combination with the Bel Canto did not work as well. I was willing to trade some detail for tonal balance so I sold the Bel Canto. The Cal Sigma is a little more refined than the Micromega, but it does also present more information. I especially liked what the Sigma does with violins, which is one of the weaknesses of digital reproduction. Images seem larger, something I had not experienced since I sold my Theta processor years ago. Does it present more information than the Bel Canto? Tough call, but I can tell you absolutely that the Bel Canto is not 100% better which is about what the difference in cost will be (if not more). Consider this: if you buy the cheaper Sigma you would have $ left over for better cables, maybe some more cd's and you can play with tube rolling.

Along the same lines (similar?), how about using a DVD player to send out the signal to the DIP/DAC? Would it make a difference to send out the signal as 24/96, considering CD data is 16/44?

KP

I am sure you'll find people who will give you various technical reasons why a dvd player makes a good transport, especially using the toslink output. Bel Canto recommends dvd players with their dacs. When I first got my Bel Canto I corresponded with two people who tried dvd players as transports only to find they preferred the sound of their cd players as transports. Since I liked what I heard with the transports I had, I never tried a dvd player as a transport.

One follow up point to my comments on the Cal Audio Sigma. I purchased an Ensemble Digiflux cable with it and this is apparently a synergistic match and partly responsible for the smooth sound I hear.