McIntosh XLS320 monitor setup with Bel Canto...

[-E-]

Well,

The Bel Canto S300iu arrived today. I promptly unpacked it, and my excess XLS320 pair I had sitting around. This little Bel Canto device is slick, elegant, and carries with it a small footprint.

My first thought was: holy crap - no way can this crank the XLS320's - those suckers are THIRSTY. Holy crap, was I wrong.

Out of the box (this was used already so I'm sure there's been reasonable break-in time on it), the Bel Canto seized total, utter control of the 320's. In fact - the level of transparency and upper frequency is leaps and bounds above what I have ever remembered out of these speakers. I'm not sure entirely why - but I know that my position to the speaker has a lot to do with that, as well. This is now a very near-field, close-range system (speakers are ~3ft apart and away from me in a triangle).

Aside from having no low end from the 320's, which doesn't bother me (yet), I decided to solve this issue and thieved my Focal/JM Lab Cub subwoofer (usually mated with the Sib/Sub subsat system) from my bedroom system. Ok - good "oomph" ensues, especially since the little cube sits as a footrest in my corner where the LCD screen is. It's no XLS112, or JL Fathom/Gotham, but it will do for now. (future plans are to bring the XLS112 here when I eventually upgrade to dual... somethings, for the XRT1K's).

This combination of the Bel Canto and the XLS320 is truly magical. Way surpassed my expectations, and really shows that the XLS320 is built as a "you need to be really intimately close with me" kind of speaker. The soundstage, from a 3' triangle - is MASSIVE. As soon as these got put in, and upon starting up some tunes, I found myself working better, harder, faster... I now realize the little crap system I put in here previously was a huge mistake - even my working mind wants accuracy, depth, and emotion from music to keep me on track.

Anyhow, that aside - and with small quirkiness (the Bel Canto in Win7 refuses to run anything higher than 16/48 resolution; BC support has been contacted; hopefully they have a solution since they do advertise this as a 24/96 machine), I absolutely adore this new device, and its natural pairing with the XLS320's. Highly recommended.

Pics to follow once I get the office cleaned up

[two dot]

This is GREAT news... I have considered this amp for my office....

I like the built in BC DAC... the small footprint and the single knob interface...

[cmalak]

Congrats Emile. Glad you are liking the new pairing.

[-E-]

Rather than continuing to hijack Ivan's chat thread I figured I'd respond here.

To add to the additional information above - after listening to it for a few days I can safely say this: the XLS112 needs to come into my office. Hopefully something decent opens up for purchase to put into the main system - soon.

The price/enjoyment/quality for the Bel Canto is beyond reasonable. In fact, I've heard many things costing 4-5 times as much and perform to a lesser extent than the Bel Canto unit mated to XLS320's.

Anybody that needs a studio system at a reasonable price - find used versions of these items and go for it. The harmony they create together is nothing short of phenomenal. The volume they can crank out is nothing short of "wow!"

Also - I am using the WireWorld USB cable I got from David gratis at the last CES. I also hate to admit this (sorry David - "1KW") - but even the USB cable matters. It came with a regular one, and while everything still sounded good, transparency, bass, and upper ranges all improved quite a bit. (WW Silver Electra 5.2 PC was only power cord used - won't even touch another one any more for just about any piece of gear)

[miatadan]

The XLS320 is one of my favorite bookshelf speakers

When I had a pair of these I was amazed with the performance they had...

Dan

[o0OBillO0o]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

Pics to follow once I get the office cleaned up

Vesuvius....Can we get an updated photo?

I am considering pairing the XLS320 with two JL Audio F113s in a 13 X 17 room. On the wall, with my Sony Flat-screen in between.

Please advise.

Thanks.

Bill

[-E-]

Ehhhh, you'll be fine. Never got it cleaned up enough to start shooting pics and now the office system is a bit smaller as I refocused on the main room (and I don't work at home as much as I used to).

XLS320+2xF113's = you are in good shape. Really good shape. What amp? You could pretty easily put a MC402 on the XLS320s and have no problem. Not 501's (maybe not a 452 either), but a 352/402 for sure would match them very nicely.

They still remain one of my more favorite bookshelves due to their ability to work in just about every scenario (wall mount, in an actual bookshelf, on stands, recessed in-wall, etc.).

They sound much larger than the footprint they have; and with dual subs you won't have to worry about not having any low end. If you are a KHorn fan these will sound more refined but have a lot of output (like the KHorns) potential.

[o0OBillO0o]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

Ehhhh, you'll be fine. What amp?

the "Ehhh' doesn't seem to get your vote of confidence. Or I may be reading into the 'emotionless' text. Still, good to know that I'd be livin' the good life.

I plan on using an MA6600 or a MA7000- can't seem to make up my mind between the two. I'm going to schedule a sit down listen this fall.

Thanks,
Bill

[-E-]

The ehhh was more the answer to your question requesting photos, hah!

You should be fine with those integrated amps. They can handle far higher loads, though.