Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Being a budget stereophile, I was looking forward to improving the sound of my Zone-2 setup, consisting of a pair Mordaunt Short 902i bookshelf speakers on BTech BT-77 stands Rocelco B-Tech Rocelco BT77 Ultragrip Pro Loudspeaker Wall Mount - Pair (Black). These speakers are connected to an Onkyo TX-SR604 a/v receiver Onkyo TX-SR604 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver (Black) and Pioneer DV-610 universal DVD player Pioneer Dv610av-s Silver Multi Region Code Free Hdmi 1080p Upconverting DVD Player with SACD and DVD-Audio Playback.

Background:

I have a very good collection of CDs that are mostly made in the European Union (E.U.). To make the best of my CD collection, I was initially planning on getting a budget CD player under USD500. I had rounded up on two budget CD players - Cambridge Audio 550C & Emotiva ERC-1. I had heard the Emotiva ERC-1 at a friends place and it was too good for the money - USD400. The slot loading mechanism of the Emotiva ERC-1 was a deal breaker for me. I have had bad experiences in the past with slot loading CD players. I especially hate the way they attract dust on the slot opening and they eventually leave soft scratches on the CDs. I w'd have surely bought the Emotiva ERC-1 if only it had a tray loading mechanism. It is otherwise a superbly capable CD player with functions such as a 12V trigger and a whole lot of other great features. Anyone who does not mind slot loading CD player sh'd surely give it a listen.

That left me with just the Cambridge Audio 550C CD player. I was at a point in my hobby where I was planning to get into Hard Drive / Server based music, sometime later this year. I was planning to rip all my CDs into FLAC or WAV and store them in a HTPC with an optical out or may be in a Network Media Player with an optical out. So I decided against the idea of adding a CD player and instead started researching budget DACs. I wanted to get started by just connecting the Pioneer DV-610 universal DVD player, I had at hand, to a DAC for improved CD playback and then later move on to a Network Media player such as LaCie Lacinema Classic HD 1TB 1TB LaCinema Classic HD Multimedia High Definition Media Player. I had rounded up on two very popular budget DACs - Musical Fidelity (MF) V-DAC priced @ USD300 and Cambridge Audio (CA) DacMagic priced @ USD400 Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter with USB, Black.

DacMagic vs V-DAC:

I ordered the MF V-DAC from Amazon & I managed to borrow a CA DacMagic from a friend for comparison. I used a Monster ILSR-1M Fiber Optic Audio Cable Monster ILSR-1M Toslink Fiber Optic Audio Cable (1 meter) & a pair of Monster 400i Stereo Audio Interconnects Monster MC 400I-1M Ultra-High Performance RCA Stereo Cables (1 meter) with both the DACs.

I felt that the V-DAC has the Magic & the DacMagic has the value. It's surely not the other way around. DacMagic offers a lot more bells & whistles for just USD100 more. It has multiple digital inputs, incoming signal strength indicator, sound filter adjustments etc. V-DAC is designed to be hidden behind the rack, while DacMagic is designed to be seen. Both are British DACs and they cost a lil' more in the US than in the UK. Both DACs immediately showed a difference in my system. There was more separation in both voice & instruments. The soundstage improved & the sound was more fleshed out, more like adding meat to bones. More realism than I have ever heard in my system before. The better the quality of recording in the CD, the better the realism. I'am rediscovering my music collection all over again. It's only after extended listening that U actually realize & appreciate the benefits of having an external DAC.

I preferred the midrange smoothness of the V-DAC & I preferred the dynamic range of the DacMagic. I liked V-DAC more with songs that were high on vocals & I liked DacMagic more with both instrumental & bass heavy music. I listen to all kinds of music & I felt that I could live with either DAC. Over extended listening, I found V-DAC a lil' more soft on the ears. Over all, I preferred the smooth midrange of the V-DAC over the dynamic sound of the DacMagic. It kind of grows on U over time. V-DAC has surely taken my system to the next level. Anyone considering to buy either of these DACs sh'd surely give them both a listen / demo. U'r surely going to prefer the presentation of one DAC over the other. Both DACs are not perfect and could have offered a lil' more for the money.

MF V-DAC c'd have improved on the following:

1) The AC-DC wall wart adaptor (rated @ 12V DC, 0.5A) is very ugly looking when U plug it in U'r home theatre power strip. The least MF c'd have offered is a well designed universal power supply unit (PSU) for the money, something in the lines of NuForce Icon 42W PSU NuForce Icon 42W PSU. I'm glad MF at least offers a PSU upgrade for its V-Series components: the MF V-PSU Musical Fidelity - V-PSU - Upgrade Power Supply.
2) MF c'd have offered a universal wall wart / PSU that works on 110V - 220V. This w'd have really complimented the highly portable MF V-DAC.
3) V-DAC c'd have offered at least one more digital input just like the DacMagic. This w'd have helped people to get more from other sources as well.
4) Build quality of the V-DAC is not really as bad as some people have stated. It's just plain & functional. It w'd have been great if it was also available in silver color just like the DacMagic.

DacMagic c'd have improved on the following:

1) The AC-AC wall wart adaptor (rated @ 12V AC, 1.5A) is worse than the one that comes with the V-DAC. This power supply really puts DacMagic to shame. CA sh'd at least give its customers a choice of buying a better PSU, depending on their needs. C'mon U can still offer this choice to customers who are not happy with their existing power supply.
2) An on/off switch on the DacMagic is good, a 12V trigger w'd have been even better. This w'd have helped to automatically turn on & off the DacMagic along with other components that have an inbuilt timer & a 12V trigger on it. Most a/v receivers these days come with a timer & a 12V trigger.

Conclusion:

Is spending USD300-400 on a DAC really worth it? Answer is yes and no. A DAC is purely for anyone wanting to improve server / PC based music or someone who does not want to waste space on their rack by adding a CD player. Others who want to improve CD playback c'd also consider investing in a good CD player for more robust playback functions such as shuffle play which most DVD / Bluray players are not great at.

I'm currently using the MF V-DAC with the MF V-PSU & I c'd not be happier with the improved performance. The ability to keep the power supply away from the DAC, in seperate enclosures, is a big advantage here. It keeps the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) really low. The MF V-PSU takes the already superb performance of the V-DAC to the next level. I cannot imagine ever using the V-DAC again without the V-PSU.

In order to see how far I c'd go with the MF V-DAC & V-PSU combo, I also replaced / upgraded a few things (see pix) in my system like:

1) The Monster ILSR Fiber Optic Cable was replaced with the WireWorld Supernova 6 Glass Optic Cable.
2) The Monster 400i Stereo Interconnects was replaced with the Anti-Cables Anti-ICs with Eichmann Copper Bullet plugs.
3) The cheaply built 0.7m long AC/DC link cable that comes with the MF V-PSU was replaced with a 1m long AC/DC link Kimber Kable from Russ Andrews, UK.
4) The supplied cheap power cord was replaced with a Pangea AC-14 Signature Power Cable with a figure 8 connector Pangea Audio - AC-14 - Signature - Power Cable 1.0 Meter - w/ C7 Connector.
5) Replaced the internal 3.15A Time delay (T) fuse with a Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme silver (T) fuse. When opening the MF V-PSU, I was surprised to find 2 fuse slots / holders. One for 110V & the other for 220V operation. Just putting the fuse in the correct slot converted the PSU to operate in the desired voltage. In other words, the MF V-PSU is a universal power supply with a lil' secret tweak. Wow!

I'm surprised at the improvement each upgrade has done to my budget system. My system now sounds very fluid smooth, three dimentional & fatigue free. I'm giving MF V-DAC 4/5 stars only because of the above mentioned minor issues & the way it is priced. As far as performance is concerned, it's a 5 stars product. I chose the MS V-DAC over the CA DacMagic because with MF V-DAC one gets to upgrade it's PSU & other accessories. MF V-DAC is the tweaker's DAC. After all the above mentioned upgrades, the MF V-DAC is ahead of the CA DacMagic in every way.

For those not interested in tweaking, the CA DacMagic has all the bells, whistles & performance a budget DAC has to offer.

Just my $0.02.

Brgds.

This DAC is incredibly easy to use and set up, but then again... how complex do DACs get?

In my system, it replaced a $2000 combo of DAC and Timing/De-jitter boxes (Camelot) which were over 10 years old. Technology has changed a lot in that time, and this $430 replacement certainly outshines its predecessor. If you have balanced inputs on your amp/integrated/receiver, I highly recommend you get some balanced interconnects and plug it in that way. A $12 pair of balanced xlr cables greatly improved the sound over my customer made $80 rca interconnects in every way.

I use this DAC in a fairly high-end system which includes a McIntosh MA7000, McIntosh XRT-20 speakers, and an iMac for file serving. I'm very happy with the natural, uncolored, precise, and musical sound this system delivers, not to mention wall-crumbling volumes.

I run the DACMagic with Airport Express/iTunes on my PC. My entire music library is pretty much digital now.
This little box is unreal ... clean highs, tight bass.
If you're nuts about music and have a decent home stereo setup (I run NAD C370 amp with Paradigm speakers), you owe it to yourself to buy this DAC.
I was lucky, my stereo shop owner let me audition for two weeks. It took about two minutes to decide I was going to buy it.

I originally bought a CA Azur 640C CD player which produced excellent CD rendering with the Azur 640A amplifier. After I started ripping my CDs to store on my ZEN player, I started to like the idea of not having to change CDs every time I wanted to hear something different as well as the idea of playlists that would provide music for hours on end. I acquired a CA Azur 640H Music Server but quickly ran out of disk storage space. Then came the DAC Magic. I got myself a little ASUS EEbox computer with Toslink outputs and loaded the WAV and FLAC files on an external hard drive. Hooked up to the CA Azur 640A amplifier drving Totem Mite speakers, I finally got the perfect setup. The result is even better than what I was getting with the 650C CD player. The depth, presence, detail, stereo separation, accuracy and resolving power of this little device is indeed magical. Audiophile The quality of my audiophile recordings such as produced by Stockfish, BIS, Astrée and ECM stands out brilliantly to a level I had never neard before in my home. The rendering of acoustic instruments (acoustic guitar, violin and piano in particular) as well as classical quartets, jazz trios or baroque orchestras is remarkably clear, fresh and lifelike.. so is voice too.. The presence in acoustic folk/blues and ancient music is simply astounding. Full symphony orchestras do not fare as well though, but that remains a tall order for any system. At this price, this is the little gem that has allowed me to take full advantage of lossless digital format while still being able to buy the source CDs. At one point, a shop was advertising on e-bay an upgrade of the DAC Magic. I have yet to figure out why I could possibly want that.

I bought the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter because the LG LED LCD flat panel television that I bought from Amazon.com (see my review; the shipping was superb and the LG television continues to amaze me) only featured digital audio out via a TOSLINK cable, so I needed a DAC to connect the audio to my ROTEL preamp. I'm not going to editorialize about the lack of analog audio-out RCA connectors except to say that you need to do your homework before you buy a flat panel television.

The Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter is easily connected to your digital source, and it features balanced and unbalanced options. It has 2 digital input channels, each of which have TOSLINK or coax inputs. You can connect your Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter to an analog-in source on your stereo system using RCA connectors, but to take advantage of the high-end sound, you may want to consider using high-end cables. I recommend KimberKable Hero AG Interconnect with WBT 0144 connectors. Joe D at audioadvisor.com can assist you in your purchase of analog and digital interconnects.

The sound is marvelous! Precise imaging, wide soundstaging, extended highs and deep bass. My CD player is a ROTEL made in 2006 and I use an Audio Quest VDM-1 Video/Digital Cable out from the ROTEL into the DacMagic. Adding the DacMagic made a very noticeable difference, as the focus and clarity improved immensely and the microdynamics are stunning.

I love the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Digital-to-Analog Converter and what it contributes to my audio and video enjoyment.

I've ordered two of these DACs at separate times. First one worked fine. Second one was defective and sporadically shrieked distortion. The replacement unit works fine.

These are great DACs. Maybe the bad one I got was a fluke. Anyway, Audio Advisor overnighted the replacement, but it was missing the stick on rubber feet, which they sent later.

This little device wimps on the competition! It out performs dacs that are well into the $1k range. You will not be disappointed. Seller was great and shipping was quick!