Jun 01, 2009 stereophile test of the cambridge audio dacmagic. It connects quickly and easily to any usb port and allows you to hear your favourite music and movies with every drop of detail, exactly as the artist intended. Probing the dacmagics usb data input with a utility program, the cambridge identified itself to the host computer as cmedia usb headphone set, and. Oct 02, 20 up untill now i didnt try ap linux with the musical fidelity vdac ii. Doing our best to not look too interested in a dac or some filebased accoutrement at a show or hifi shop. Aug 30, 2018 its got the dac magic which i think is a great analog sounding dac. The unit i received was in silver with a brushed aluminum faceplate, but the dacmagic plus can also be had in a sleek, unassuming black. My system evolved a lot since my posting here about the vdac. Cambridge audios original dacmagic was something of a whirlwind success. It was perfectly placed as the digitaltoanalogue converter thats a dac to the uninitiated reemerged as a popular way to give your digital system a sonic boost. Then ask your question on this page to other cambridge audio dacmagic plus owners. Jul 20, 2019 five dacs every audiophile should hear hyperbole. The dacmagic 100 is a fairly simple usb equipped dac. It measures approximately 2 18 by 1 18 by 38 and weighs under 4 oz.
Azur dacmagic 100 media converter pdf manual download. My dacmagic is suddenly making high pitched noises and static. Using its own driver it will handle data rates up to 192khz over usb. Its usb input will handle data at rates of up to 192khz excluding 176.
Weve talked about why theyre so great, and how to choose a good. At about the same time, within a few weeks of each other, arcam introduced their delta black box and musical fidelity their digilog. The dacmagic plus is a rather light weight and unassuming box, but given its relatively low price, the construction is more than adequate. Stereophile test of the cambridge audio dacmagic dac. On one end youll find a microusb input and on the other end is a 3.
I have been using a cambridge audio dacmagic plus for about 5 years now. Five dacs every audiophile should hear audiostream. Review and measurements of cambridge dacmagic plus audio. In 1989, cambridge audio, then run by stan curtiswho is still active in hifi introduced their dac 1. View and download cambridge audio azur dacmagic user manual online. Cambridge audio dacmagic plus digital to analog converter. The static and its not an even static is very loud even with my amp at low volume, and those high pitched tones were downright scary to listen to, like some freakish bird monster from a cheap horror movie. At a glance plus pcworthy usb dac iosworthy rear usb input coaxial, optical inputs minus no headphone amp the verdict about the size of a thick paperback, the arcam irdac is a usb dac that will make your audio filesfrom lossless to lossysound great. Perhaps to some, but im being serious because every digitalcentric music lover has been there at one time or another. Review cambridge audio dacmagic plus english tntaudio. The cambridge audio dacmagic plus is an inexpensive, lightweight, chinesemade dac with astounding performance.
Press and hold the source button whilst bringing the unit out of standby. The name of this little box of tricks may ring a bell. Jan 08, 2012 not a good dac compared to my dac it, the dac is good for improving the overall sound of lowerend speakers, if i need to compare this dac to other lowend dacs i owned i would compare it to the nuforce icon, the dacmagic 100 isnt amazing but you could hear the difference all tho that isnt. Its not the biggest, toughest, heaviest or mostimpressive looking, but nothing outperforms it sonically. Cambridge dacmagic plus v benchmark dac1 gearslutz. Outputs are rca only losing the coaxial outputs of its larger stablemate. Stereophile covers everything highend and audiophile audio. Cambridge audio has had a dacmagic in its range before, but the last one disappeared a while ago when dacs appeared to be in terminal decline. The original dacmagic continues for now but will be replaced by a new model in the near future. Except that my experience was so different that i wondered if it might have been a schill posting. Software volume control could be considered reducing from 100%.
With the dacmagic plus, cambridge once again sets a new benchmark for audiophile excellence at a more than affordable price. Select rating, give cambridge audio dacmagic plus 15, give cambridge audio dacmagic plus 25, give cambridge audio dacmagic plus 35, give cambridge. The cambridge dacmagic has been out for a while now, and last year i did have a chance to listen to them, but i was unimpressed. I upgraded a lot in my system and am now using a mytek stereo 192 dsd dac. I installed no software, and magically it fed itself with 96 ksps audio via usb from itunes on my mac. View and download cambridge audio azur dacmagic 100 user manual online. Once you have installed the relevant updates, you will need to switch to usb 2. Does digital preamp mode affect the digital output on the dacmagic plus. It has the highest performance of any dac ive ever measured, and is among the least expensive. The dacmagic plus has fantastic new features including wireless device connectivity and stunning audio performance from music of all formats. The first bryston dac to offer dsd compatibility, the bda3 supports the. Giantkiller though it was it even boasted balanced outputs its usb input signal was limited to 16bit48khz. The dacmagic xs usb digital to analogue converter dac headphone amp is an instant upgrade to any computers sound output.
Read about the tda1549t here at first sight the tda5 seems to be u out dac and that is how i lampized it voltage out taken to srpp tubes 6n6p via a foil cap. The sound of any particular cd transportdigital processor combination will be dependent on the datalink usedsee bits is bits. Have you read the manual but does it answer your question. View full cambridge audio dacmagic plus specs on cnet. These dacs were released last year as the latest in a long line of dacs from cambridge audio. Transport for cambridge dacmagic audiogon discussion forum. Whether you need a desktop solution, a mobile device for onthego listening, or a dedicated unit for home listening, we have a chord dac for you. In 1989, cambridge audio, then run by stan curtis who is still active in hifi introduced their dac 1. Turntables and music servers, to solidstate and tube amplifiers and preamps, to loudspeakers. Then ask your question on this page to other cambridge dacmagic owners.
I still didnt have the possibility to build a dedicated linux machine with ap linux. Cambridge audio dacmagic upsampling dac for sale us audio mart. A good digitaltoanalog converter or dac can make all the difference when listening to music, especially through headphones. Its headphone amplifier performance is typical, limited by its.
Cambridge audio azur dacmagic da converter measurements sidebar 2. I picked up the cambridge dacmagic after reading about it in stereophile and thought it was a tad better than the vdac in that it was a little more. Fortunately i had in reserve a focusrite scarlett 2i4 also purchased at amazon which i had used for recording. It is about two digital to analogue converters from cambridge audio the dacmagic plus and the dacmagic 100. The usb implementation is asynchronous, so the dac controls the speed and order of the. Dacmagic 100 firmware information cambridge audio support. Cambridge audio azur dacmagic user manual pdf download. Researching the unit, it seems to have come out around 2012. Cambridge audio azur dacmagic da converter measurements. Cambridge audio dacmagic upsampling dac for sale us. Jon iverson jan, 2012 and then there is a new update on the original dacmagic. View here the free cambridge audio dacmagic plus manual. It is also a dac and so i hooked it upsounded way better than the dacmagic. Will digital preamp mode reduce the audio quality of the dacmagic plus.
682 339 210 1143 125 314 117 1059 254 454 777 1376 483 1124 1094 903 1072 381 283 108 1021 799 312 161 897 185 1213 937 1369 760 167 320 1231