Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter with USB, Silver

by Cambridge Audio

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001QFOG58
• Item model number: DacMagic-S
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,165 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 22, 2009

Product Description

Enjoy digital music like never before... Adapted Time Filtering (ATF) asynchronous upsampling technology might sound complicated but the benefits are instantly audible. Essentially it converts 16-24 bit audio to 24 bit/192kHz so you hear so much more from compressed material. Meanwhile a 32 bit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) eradicates jitter which is especially effective with hard disk playback from PCs or Macintosh computers. Whether your digital music collection is stored on a PC or you use a network music client - SqueezeboxTM, SoundBridgeTM, SonosTM etc - the difference in audible quality is incredible! Games just explode into life Gaming isn't just about the moving image. By connecting your games console - PlayStations(PS2 and PS3TM), XboxTM and Xbox 360sTM to your hi-fi via DacMagic, dramatically improved soundtracks and special effects are immediately apparent. DacMagic is an audiophile tour de force! DacMagic sports a range of components you'd never dream could be crammed into such a compact case. These include a 32-bit Texas Instruments Digital Signal Processor (DSP), dual Differential Virtual Earth balanced filter topology and twin Wolfson WM8740 high quality DACs in dual differential mode for excellent stereo imaging. Other features include a choice of digital filters - linear phase/minimum phase/steep filter - and an incoming sampling rate indicator which shows the original source quality. You can experiment with different filters for each source connected but DacMagic always remembers the last one assigned to that source. It's flexible and easy to set-up Up to two digital sources - network music devices, games consoles, CD/DVD players etc. can be connected concurrently using S/PDIF or Toslink inputs. Additionally, you can connect DacMagic directly to your PC using a USB connection (no drivers needed) and dramatically improve the quality of your digital music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DacMagic + Squeezebox = Victory!, May 23, 2009

By 

Lars Tackmann (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter with USB, Silver (Personal Computers)

I recently purchased a Logitech Squeezebox to stream my music collection to my HIFI and have been pretty happy with it. The sound quality from the Squeezebox's DAC did however not impress me, compared to my old rather cheepish Denon CD player, it was dull, lacked attack and was generally uninspiring. So when I discovered that Cambridge Audio had made this little (and cheap) gem I immediately bought it.

So how good is it ? - In my opinion its the cheapest thing I have ever bought that made so clear a difference; the music is now warm, organic, detailed and full of attack. It is sturdy build and has a very cool and professional look. The device itself has a ton of nice features (such as being able to remember different settings based on input channels) yet is still very easy to use. It comes with three different high quality filters: "linear", "minimum" and "steep" which can alter the audio experience to your personal taste. Of these I have found the "minimum" filter to provide the best audiophile experience.

To sum up, if you have a Squeezebox or a similar device, but feel that its analog output is somewhat lacking, then get this brilliant little device.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DACMagic and Squeezebox offer outstanding performance, November 1, 2009

By 

Russell Bennett "RussellJBennett" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter with USB, Silver (Personal Computers)

I have suspected that music servers would most likely become the future of high-end music reproduction. The advantages seemed obvious. But it wasn't yet clear to me what platform, configuration or companies might provide that solution.

My epiphany came when I found a 2006 article by John Atkinson on Stereophile's website. He reviewed a Squeezebox Classic, comparing its output with an Ayre C-5xe ($5,995 universal player). Both were connected to a Mark Levinson No.30.6 Reference D/A processor ($16,950).

"Comparing the original CD on the Ayre C-5xe disc player, its digital output driving the Levinson DAC via a 1m DH Labs AES/EBU link, with SlimServer feeding an Apple Lossless-encoded file to the Squeezebox with its digital output feeding the Levinson via the AudioQuest OptiLink-5, I was hard-pressed to hear much of a difference."

He couldn't hear a difference!

Well, if this Stereophile reviewer admitted that he couldn't hear a difference between a $6,000 CD player and a $249 Squeezebox using a high-end DAC, I figured that I had found my solution. I just needed something more `affordable" than the $17,000 Mark Levinson DAC.

I began searching reviews of various DACs at all prices. I liked what people said about Music Fidelity's V-DAC, but I wanted to use XLR connections. DACMagic had them. The V-DAC did not.

The professional reviews had all been good for the DACMagic, but I was most influenced by Lars Tackmann's comments here on Amazon. So I decided to give it a trial in combo with a Squeezebox Duet.

I connected the Duet using RCA interconnects and the DACMagic using XLRs to my Krell integrated amp. My speakers are MartinLogan electrostatics.

I had expected a volume difference between these interconnects but it was far too great to compensate; it measured close to 15 db. I reconfigured everything using just RCA interconnects.

Afterward, the comparison still sounded like I had a large imbalance. To my ears, the DACMagic sounded at least 6 db louder, or so I thought. I ran a 1-khz test tone through both outputs and measured the volume with an SPL meter. I was shocked. There was only 1 db difference.

When I realized there was no significant difference, I listened again and decided what I was hearing were actually improved micro-dynamics within of the music. The DACMagic made the system sound more like live music.

I listened to a vocal performance by Josh Groben accompanied with an acoustic guitar, about as simple and clear as it gets. The most obvious difference the DACMagic made was in the detail, decay and reverberation of the performers. There was much less of this from the Duet alone. The sound was a bit more like I had thrown a blanket over the speakers.

I've now listened for dozens of hours rediscovering my library. And yet, I continue to be impressed by the sound quality; a precision I never remember hearing from CDs or even SACDs on my Sony or Denon players of the past. The combination offer outstanding performance and value for the price.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have iTunes, May 17, 2010

By 

George H. Hackett (New York City) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter with USB, Silver (Personal Computers)

Like many people, I gave up vinyl, reluctantly, some time ago. I prefer CDs to MP3 et al. But, inevitably, more and more of the music I listen to falls into that category. I live in New York City, where space is at a premium, and, let's face it, buying single tracks often makes more sense than paying for an entire CD.
I have a decent CD player, so the difference between its direct output and that through the DAC Magic is not pronounced, though I'd have to do an A/B comparison to make a real judgment.
Playing music from my Macs through an Airport Express is a different story. The improvement is HUGE, indistinguishable from CDs (again this is without A/B). The detail, soundstage and overall clarity is excellent. Tight bass. Playing from iTunes, Pandora or MOG sounds great.
NB: If you are using an Airport Express to wirelessly connect to your sound system, you must use the optical digital output. You might not know that the Express has one, but it does--it's hidden inside the 1/8 inch headphone output. You need to buy an adapter from Apple. It's part of a kit made by Monster Cable, which also includes a earphone-to-RCA adapter and an extension cord for the Express. It's $40. Some Apple geniuses don't realize they sell these, but they do. You need this for wireless operation.
An alternative is to use the USB output of the Express to the Mac Magic. This only works if you connect directly to a computer.
The Mac Magic is very compact, good looking and easy to use. It has pretty blue lights. A remote would be nice, but that would add size and price.