Combo - Acoustic Energy Corinium and Bel Canto e1X

Take two Product of the Year award winners, the Acoustic Energy Corinium and Bel Canto e1X Integrated Amplifier, and combine them for one outstanding combo. Of course, creating systems based on awards and excellent reviews alone is not wise, but our experience in matching these brands made us feel like this combo would be a winner…and it certainly is! See the third picture above for this combo in one of our demo systems.

Based on specs, you’d think the Corinium could be driven by pretty much any amplifier, but that’s not the case. Much like the Acoustic Energy 500 series, the Corinium want a healthy dosage of power to come to life. No, that doesn’t mean you have to play them loud at all to sound good, you just need an amp with considerable power on tap and reserves to bring out their full expressiveness along with weight and impact in the bass. That’s where the Bel Canto e1X integrated amp comes in. This amp seems even more powerful than its 180W into 8 ohm and 250W into 4 ohm rating suggests. 

People are always surprised by how the modestly sized e1X integrated can drive the bottom end of speakers with such excellent weight, control and definition. But, this amp isn’t about bass alone. The beauty of the Bel Canto e1X integrated is in its overall balance across all frequencies and refinement. It is highly detailed and dynamic, yet smooth and refined with lack of fatigue. Then, add the Acoustic Energy Corinium which provide speed, pace and rhythm with effortless dynamics and scale. The detail across the board is a step up over the 500 series with added top end extension, sparkle and airiness, but never veers towards being analytical. Combined with the Bel Canto e1X, you extract the layers and details within the recording to bring insight in the best possible way without having it be too assertive and in your face. This combo envelopes and involves you in the music rather than having it pushed at you. It can be exciting, propulsive and powerful or subtle and delicate. It responds to the needs of the music being played. This combo excels with beautiful tone plus excellent rhythm and pace with detail that engages and serves the music rather than dissecting it. 

Not only is this combination a winner sonically, but in its simplicity as well. Connect the Bel Canto e1X to your network via Ethernet cable or wifi (see how on our blog) to access digital streaming of the highest quality. If you’re into vinyl, the Bel Canto e1X’s internal MM/MC phono stage plays at a reference level. If you have other digital needs beyond streaming, such as CD playback, the internal DAC built into the Bel Canto is absolutely superb. Bel Canto has been known for many years for the quality of their DACs. You also have two analogue inputs as well. Then, nearly unseen in high-end audio, are sub outputs with built-in bass management capabilities. And to go one step further, you even have the ability to tweak the sound to your preference with options such as Bel Canto’s tilt control and bass EQ. These functions are all done in the 64-bit digital domain with absolutely no loss in sound quality. This helps you tune to your preferences and room. So, while this combination certainly isn’t inexpensive, the features and functionality make it a bargain compared to how much you’d spend in separate components and necessary cables that aspire to this level of performance.

Lastly, the Acoustic Energy Corinium are fairly flexible and unfussy in their placement which means they’ll be suitable to many rooms.