[Review] Bel Canto Evo4 v Tact SDAi2175

I follow what Alan's (alanbeeb) recommendation, got myself a Tact SDAi2175 integrated amp. I always wondered what the fuss is about these digital amps.

Originally I was searching for a SDA2175 power amp to partner a EAR 834L valve pre amp. I do like the sound of valve amps, but the ATC SCM12 needs the power to wake up. Searching for a used SDA2175 wasn't easy, I tracked one down from Shadows Audio but he wanted 640 pounds for the ex-demo one while a brand new one is 845 pounds (only 775 pounds a few months ago before the price increase). Bob from Tact Audio UK told me that it would be nearly impossible to find a used Tact amp in UK because there is such a high demand and Tact owners would prefer to trade in their lower for a higher model Tact amps. Then he usually sells the trade-in amps for 80% of the new price.

Fortunately, a zerogain member sold me a nearly new SDAi2175 integrated amp at a very reasonable price. I have been listening to it for a few days. The ATC matches the Tact very well. The midrange is very smooth and there is plenty of detail. I do miss the valve magic though, which was my original intention to use the Tact power amp with the EAR. At the end of the day, I can't be too choosy if I am looking for second hand items.

The sensitivity of the Tact is not very high, it requires 1V for full output. My Quad FM4 tuner's output is just a bit too low, but I never play my music too loud, so it is fine for me.

I tried a couple of interconnects from the Meridian 507 CD player to the Tact. The Van Den Hul D102 MKIII are too bright and forward sounding. I much prefer some 10 year old Linn black interconnects which give a more mellow, unfatique sound. I have always been a sceptic of mains cables and interconnects, but this time I can truly tell the difference.

 

Am I right in thinking you had a Meridian 557 power amp before? How did it fare with the ATCs? I would have thought it had plenty of power.

 

Yes, I still have the Meridian 557 but I am selling it. I bought the 557 after I got rid of a Bryston 4BST which was a very poor match to the ATC SCM12, being tight and shut in. The 557 is a very powerful amp with 200W per channel, plenty for the SCM12. What I find is that it has a very deep bass, just a bit too much for my ultra small listening area, if you remember how small it is. Actually, I prefer the 557 with the EAR 834L pre amp in terms of tonal quality, especially the vivid midrange. I was quite happy with this combo until I saw the Tact amp for sale which I couldn't resist, being a sucker of bargain!

The Tact seems to give a lighter balance and the bass is not as deep as the Meridian. I am still waiting for another week of "warm up" to finalise my full impression of the Tact.

 

Try your EAR 834 going into the Tact SDAi, set volume on the Tact to about 80. It might be quite good...

I had the same plan as you, to use the TACT SDA power amp with a valve pre-amp (the Bel Canto that I'm now selling) but got diverted by a pair of ATC SCM20s. However I've used the Bel Canto as I've described above and it works quite nicely - doesn't take anything away from the sound but does give a bit of that valve liquidity even though its going into an integrated amp.

 

What would be a good starting point for conditioners and power cables that work with the TacT/Lyngdorf gear?

 

Hi Garmt

Without a doubt, go for Vertex mains conditioning devices (http://www.vertexaq.com/ ). My £300 Jaya is very good, and when I took the Lyngdorf gear around to a friend's house, the Jaya brought about an immediate and fundamental change in the sound, which became much more melodious. Not quite the dramatic effect in my house, but the sound is definitely more 'open' and 'natural' with it in place. I have met the chap behind Vertex, and these are not Snake Oil products, but the result of years of research into cable effects in the military aerospace industry. They really do hide their light under a very unassuming bushel.

I've been playing around with mains cables on my TDA2200 and CD-1, and have found that a DIY cable made from screened solid core coax did not work too well; neither did Kimber, even though they have been good with other non-Lyngdorf gear. A simple 3-way DIY braid of 2mm solid copper in PTFE sleeving works best so far, sounding natural, open and musical. The others are to varying degrees a bit 'sat upon'. I was lent a Vertex mains lead, which has a Jaya in series, but with my own Vertex mains device already in place, it did not do anything positive. Well worth considering on its own, though, and quite superb on the Sony LCD telly, which can actually display natural skin tones with the Vertex lead in place.

Cheers

S

 

I have heard of them before... Thanks!

You mean a simple unscreened cable? What about the cables that are delivered with the product?

 

Yes. I have tried a number of mains cables with a physicist friend, and we settled on the 3 way solid copper braid as best. Fully screened cables were found to be universally bad - spectacularly bad and quite unlistenable. Those cables that use a separate screened coaxial conductor for live and neutral, with the screens combined to provide the earth (a la Krystal Kables) are OK, but just not as good as the cheapy 3 way braid. Also, these coax type cables are very stiff and unweildy. During our experiments a few things became clear:

• Solid core copper is better than silver
• PTFE insulation is best
• Braiding is important

I have not even tried the mains cables that Lyngdorf supplied.

 

So a power cable with a litze (not solid core, like Nordost?) construction for each of the conductors (live, neutral, earth) and a simple copper braid (NO foil screen) and PTFE isolation is best?

Can you suggest some brands/models?

 

Not Litz. Definitely solid core for each of the conductors. My favourite cable recipe has one 2mm (cross sectional area) solid core copper conductor (stripped out of ordinary domestic twin & earth cable) for live, neutral and earth respectively. Each length of copper is lightly treated with De-Oxit before it is pushed into a PTFE sleeve. The 3 sleeved conductors are then braided together in a simple 3-way plait. Add a supplementary stranded earth wire and a suitable outer sheath for safety, and that's it, apart from the connectors at each end. Cost is usually less than £10 per cable, unless using Wattgate IEC or similar.

This is a DIY cable recipe, which pretty much matches Nordost Eldorado, which was the reference cord for our experiments. Both my friend and I have played around with other cables, and have both come back to this design.

That said, the Silver Arrow power cord sold by Lyngdorf UK is very good but it's £350. It uses thick silver foil, and I did like what it did very much, but it is expensive. For the same money I reckon Vertex has the edge.

I hope this is helpful.

S

 

Thanks very much!