Musical Fidelity V-DAC MKII

by Musical Fidelity

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches ; 12.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• ASIN: B001P6FO5E
• Item model number: MFVDAC2
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #4 in Industrial & Scientific > Electronic Components > Semiconductor Products > Signal Components
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 7, 2009

Product Description

The V-DAC is a sensational state-of-the-art DAC. By any measurement its performance is way beyond so-called state-of-the-art competition. In fact overall the technical performance of the V-DAC is probably about the best in the world regardless of price. There is no trickery here. It's simply that we use state-of-the-art digital components (these are very expensive) and implement them with state-of-the-art circuitry and layout. The secret is simple; there's no ridiculous packaging, and absolutely no wastage on anything. The V-DAC is rather like an F1 racing car. It is completely funcitonal with no excess flab or wastage anywhere.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich, fluid, clear sounding budget DAC, July 1, 2009

By 

Psymon JC (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Musical Fidelity V-DAC MKII (Electronics)

I've had the Musical Fidelity V-DAC for just over a week now and put it through it's paces with a variety of rock, pop, jazz and classical music. The V-DAC definitely sounds quite a bit better than my Oppo DVD-980H's analog outputs or the Oppo connected via coaxial digital to my Onkyo TX-SR705. The difference is immediate: much deeper bass, wider and deeper "sound stage", instruments are clearly differentiated whereas before they sounded mixed up, much better tonal differences with voices, stringed instruments, even electronic music. I didn't find the Onkyo or Oppo thin sounding at all (quite the opposite), but the V-DAC sounds significantly richer and more "solid". For the money, I really couldn't be happier - it's a great little device. I also compared the V-DAC to the DAC built into my Marantz SR5300 A/V receiver and again, the V-DAC comes out on top.

** WARNING ** Don't try the following yourself unless you're comfortable experimenting with and modifying electronic components! **
One "tweak" I couldn't resist was to replace the wall mart power supply it comes with with a larger regulated power supply. The one I got came from Amazon at a very low price and I recommend it too: Pyramid PS3 3-Amp 13.8-Volt Power Supply. Changing the power supply does improve sound quality further - most noticeable as deeper and tighter bass, more "solid" images, and stronger dynamics. All of these attributes were already strong points even with the stock power supply. The V-DAC does run cooler too using the bigger power supply, so hopefully that will extend its life.

Even without the above "tweak", the V-DAC sounds just great, and should provide a noticeable improvement for folks who do not already own a high-end DAC or A/V receiver. I hope you have as much fun with the V-DAC.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VDAC has helped me rediscover music!, November 28, 2009

By 

David "Deckhand Davy" Zamora (Mudbowl Lagoons) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Musical Fidelity V-DAC MKII (Electronics)

I upgraded my current audio setup. I purchased the V-DAC 2 weeks ago. After about 60 hrs burn-in, I have truly never experienced music on this level. Soundstage, articulation, tight bass, warm acoustics that will melt away everything that has troubled you the moment you sit down and start listening. I have never heard an audio system sound this good. I have a decent upper mid-level audio setup. The years have caught up to it, but after running all of my sources through the V-DAC, my setup now sounds like twenty grand.

This is the smartest and most rewarding purchase I have bought in a longggg time and the most amazing audio purchase I have EVER purchased. When I come home now, the first thing I do is listen to music. No, not just listen, experience it! I'm going through my entire collection. Revisiting songs I never thought much of, but now hearing new sounds, new layers of audio. It's really hard to put into words, but I guarantee that the MF VDAC won't disappoint.

My fiancee thinks I'm silly and doesn't understand my new fascination with my music collection...but I'm loving every minute of it!

**Please note that you MUST burn in the VDAC (run music through it continutally) for AT LEAST 30 hrs. Out of the box, it sounds fine. After feeding it some sound for over 30 hrs though, you will be rewarded with a warm articulated soundstage that doesn't come from any product you can buy over the shelf. Trust me...the VDAC literally transforms into a DAC that will cause you to sit at the edge of your seat and wonder, "So this is the sound that causes the audiophile bug!". Just so you know, I've had this Amazon account for many years and rarely review or comment on products. I thought it would be beneficial to help those of you who are beginning to upgrade your audio setups with quality components. The VDAC should be on your list...actually, it's a must if you need to upgrade to an external DAC!

My old and new music collection has been reborn...I'm loving every moment of it :)

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars V-DAC vs DacMagic. V-DAC has the magic & DacMagic has the value., March 5, 2010

By 

George Denver "Sound Addict Boy" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Musical Fidelity V-DAC MKII (Electronics)

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.