DacMagic Plus

[RochaCullen]

Cambridge Audio have entered the fray:

http://www.whathifi.com/news/cambridge-audio-expands-dac-range-with-wireless-dacmagic-plus?utm_source=Silverpop&utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=What%20HiFi%20E-News%2023.11.11%20%281%29&utm_content=DacMagic%20Plus_2

Looks like a nice piece of kit and has balanced inputs. All the things required of a dedicated dac, and also the elements required of a desktop dac and headphone amp.

Stan should get his hands on one and see what the Bushmaster will be up against.

Nathan

[StanleyB]

The Bushmaster is not designed to compete on the number of available input and output options. At an estimated price of less than 40% of the DM Plus you should expect that. What the Bushmaster is designed to do is to raise the bar in terms of value for money and bangs for bucks, without having to shiver about the asking price.

It's is good to see though that my competitors are copying my idea of releasing a PLUS version of their DAC as well, and to add headphone and variable output a la Caiman. I feel honoured :).

[sq225917]

Yes, because no one ever made a + version of another component until you did?

[StanleyB]

I didn't invent the + sign :). So which component did you design that had a + in it?

[bobbasrah]

+4rs ?

[StanleyB]

+4rs ?
He designed a DAC called that? Well, kudos to him :).

[MCRU]

I just noticed this new one is powered off DC instead of AC so will still have the dreaded wall wart PSU. Surely they could have squeezed a Fig.8 socket in there?

[alexthemusicbloke]

The tripath designs have always run off DC anyway haven't they? There will advantages to keeping the rectifier/power supply external...

[Mark Grant]

I think David is thinking of the really old model that was in a large case with built in PSU.
http://www.hifiengine.com/manuals/cambridge-audio/dac-3.shtml

The previous to this was also DC PSU.

http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=320

It's probably easier to meet CE approvals etc with a DC powered device and it might sound better.

[Bazil]

Seems like the best place to post my question, I have a DacMagic Mark II one of the last full size Dac's. I'd like to update/replace it with ??
I would get the Caiman Gatorized but I don't need the pre amp, headphone, volume control bits, the latest DAC magic , would it be a big step in quality from mine ?
I'm looking for something in this price range to go in my rack it won't be connected to a PC.
At the moment I have a Sony CD player and iPod dock (with iPod DAC bypassed) hooked into my Dacmagic.

[sq225917]

I didn't invent the + sign :). So which component did you design that had a + in it?

I favour a v1, v2 nomenclature personally. Not that the criticism was levelled at the way you name your kit, just the humorous idea that you 'invented' product functionality creep.

[Clive]

I favour a v1, v2 nomenclature personally. Not that the criticism was levelled at the way you name your kite, just the humorous idea that you 'invented' product functionality creep.

Been on the juice?

[Mark Grant]

Seems like the best place to post my question, I have a DacMagic Mark II one of the last full size Dac's. I'd like to update/replace it with ??
I would get the Caiman Gatorized but I don't need the pre amp, headphone, volume control bits, the latest DAC magic , would it be a big step in quality from mine ?
I'm looking for something in this price range to go in my rack it won't be connected to a PC.
At the moment I have a Sony CD player and iPod dock (with iPod DAC bypassed) hooked into my Dacmagic.

Stanley Beresford's new bushmaster DAC looks well designed and is 'minimalist'.

A thread about it here:
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14017

Might be worth waiting for that and do a comparison to your Cambridge Mark II and also see if you can try a new model Cambridge at the same time.

[Werner Berghofer]

Mark,


Stanley Beresford's new bushmaster DAC looks well designed and is 'minimalist'

there’s nothing wrong with the Beresford budget DACs, but it should be mentioned that other manufacturers also produce very interesting and probably better sounding DACs in a comparable price range, especially if additional features like preamp, headphone amp and volume control are not required.

Werner.

[StanleyB]

Mark,there’s nothing wrong with the Beresford budget DACs, but it should be mentioned that other manufacturers also produce very interesting and probably better sounding DACs in a comparable price range, especially if additional features like preamp, headphone amp and volume control are not required.
Given that only a mere handful of people have so far had a chance to listen to the Bushmaster, and its launch price is not yet cast in stone, it is a far too early to say that other manufacturers produce better sounding DACs in a comparable price range ;).

[Werner Berghofer]

Stanley,


it is a far too early to say that other manufacturers produce better sounding DACs in a comparable price range ;).

You should have noticed that I didn’t mention the “Bushmaster”, but wrote about the Beresford DACs in general. I own two TC-7520 and three Caiman DACs (all of them in the “gatorized” variant) plus a Schiit DAC, so I have a personal chance to compare them. To my ears the Schiit Bifrost DAC sounds better, maybe also because it does not try to act as a headphone amplifier and preamp.

Werner.

[StanleyB]

To my ears the Schiit Bifrost DAC sounds better, maybe also because it does not try to act as a headphone amplifier and preamp.
No doubt more recent designs would be expected to be an improvement over older designs going back many years. My own TC-7520 can finds its roots and selection of main components back to the TC-7500 first released in 2000. How many people even knew I once sold a TC-7500?
But I would not equate the absence of a headphone and variable output as a factor governing DAC sound quality. That has never been demonstrated in any review or test in any shape or form. As a matter of fact, more and more designers are now adding the option of a headphone socket and variable output to their DAC design. When I started adding that feature to the TC-7510 MK6, there was only one other company of note that was doing the same to their DAC at below the U$500 price point. Nowadays it is more often than not that a DAC without headphone socket and variable output cost more than a DAC with those options.

[dave2010]

When I started adding that feature to the TC-7510 MK6, there was only one other company of note that was doing the same to their DAC at below the U$500 price point. Nowadays it is more often than not that a DAC without headphone socket and variable output cost more than a DAC with those options.Perhaps/presumably, for economic reasons, as well as marketing ones. I'm guessing that putting more features in is going to increase sales, and hence volume of production somewhat, thus allowing the possibility of lower prices. On the other hand, some suppliers might play on the prestige value of minimalism to put the price up. Whether they provide quality for money will depend ....

[Werner Berghofer]

Stanley,


Nowadays it is more often than not that a DAC without headphone socket and variable output cost more than a DAC with those options.

maybe I’m an old fashioned guy, but I think that higher quality components usually are found in stand-alone devices. I have no idea about electronic hardware design, don’t even know how to hold a soldering iron, but I know that the headphones I use sound better when they are plugged into a stand-alone headhone amplifier instead of the headphone socket of one of your DACs, no matter if TC-7520 or Caiman. Also, to my ears the output of the stand-alone Schiit Bifrost DAC sounds better than the output of any of your DAC/headphone amplifier/pre-amp combinations I’ve heard so far.

Don’t know if this is a result of prejudice or wishful thinking, but for me it’s the truth.

Werner.

[Butuz]

The dac market is certainy getting very interesting!

Butuz

[maxrob200]

IMO, all components will impart their sonic signature, sins of omission or commission and if we are really lucky stumble upon a synergistic combination that suits our preference. I currently own a TC-7520 after purchasing or trying a number of other DACs and find it performs very well in my current set-up given its affordable price. There are areas in which I would prefer it to be better (richer mid-range)but I beieve other factors in my equipment may be affecting the overall sound as well

[synsei]

Having just completed a lengthy assessment of both the DacMagic2 (w/o headphone amp) and the Beresford Caiman (with) I found the Caiman to sound far superior in my system. The DacMagic2 just doesn't resolve the nuances of a performance as well as the Caiman does. The DacMagic seems to suck the life out of the music in comparison :eyebrows:

[Reid Malenfant]

Stanley,



maybe I’m an old fashioned guy, but I think that higher quality components usually are found in stand-alone devices. I have no idea about electronic hardware design, don’t even know how to hold a soldering iron, but I know that the headphones I use sound better when they are plugged into a stand-alone headhone amplifier instead of the headphone socket of one of your DACs, no matter if TC-7520 or Caiman. Also, to my ears the output of the stand-alone Schiit Bifrost DAC sounds better than the output of any of your DAC/headphone amplifier/pre-amp combinations I’ve heard so far.

Don’t know if this is a result of prejudice or wishful thinking, but for me it’s the truth.

Werner.
No, you are correct ;)

As you have discovered some headphones can sound good on certain equipment & not others. This is because there is no "standard" as to what headphone impedance should be, they are all over the place :eyebrows:

There is no way that any integrated circuit headphone amp should sound great imo. If it's driving low impedance headphones it'll run out of current delivery & if it's driving high impedance headphones it'll run out of voltage delivery :rolleyes:

A stand alone headphone amp that can supply both will be vastly superior to any compromise. What's needed is something that can swing +/- 15V & deliver current if the headphones are low impedance but at a lower voltage...

Not some IC that craps out at 20 or 40 mA.

[Werner Berghofer]

Mark,


A stand alone headphone amp that can supply both will be vastly superior to any compromise.

thanks a lot. I’m really very glad to see that I’m not alone here with my opinion and my way of hearing :-)

Kind regards to your cat,

Werner.

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi Werner, that's not me & I don't have a cat :D

Cheers for the thought though ;)

[Werner Berghofer]

Mark,


Hi Werner, that's not me

oh sorry, I wasn’t aware of this. However, the face in my avatar picture is *really* my own and not the face of Leonard Nimoy :-)

And may I suggest to seriously think about sharing your life with at least one cat. These creatures certainly are more interesting than toying with HiFi gear.

Werner.

[roob]

My cat is in the garden at the moment having a Mexican Standoff with a cat twice his size, its amusing to watch.

[Reid Malenfant]

<snip> And may I suggest to seriously think about sharing your life with at least one cat. These creatures certainly are more interesting than toying with HiFi gear.

Werner.
I kind of figured your avatar was you :)

As for cats I have had quite a few in the past ;) Yes I'd love another or a few even, but I can't go down that road again. I live on my own & I don't drive, so if something was to happen to one of the cats I'd have severe difficulty in getting it to a vets. Worse, if something happens to me like my back giving way badly then the cat/s would suffer.. If I ended up in hospital for whatever reason there would be no-one to feed them :(

So as you can see it's not a good idea ;)

[Werner Berghofer]

Mark,


So as you can see it's not a good idea ;)

I see, and I respect your reasons and your decisions. But you can be very glad that you had the chance to spend some time living with cats in the past.

Kind regards,

Werner.

[RichB]

My cats are divided on their opinions of Beresford DACs! It is certainly true that since installing the TC-7520 betwen a PC and Pioneer A400 the tabby has spent more time on the computer desk and occasionally stares at the speakers, appreciating the near-field listening opportunity this provides. The ginger one however appears to prefer the warmer tone of Arcam/Rega set up, particulary enjoying the acoustic dampening provided by the fleece blanket on the corner of the settee. Neither cat has yet reviewed the Dacmagic+ so if any member required this form of testing simply send one to me and I'll do the important research for the benefit of our community of interest!

[Cans]

Seems like the best place to post my question, I have a DacMagic Mark II one of the last full size Dac's. I'd like to update/replace it with ??
I would get the Caiman Gatorized but I don't need the pre amp, headphone, volume control bits, the latest DAC magic , would it be a big step in quality from mine ?


Hi there, I think you need to go into the store and have a listen and bring your old DAC with you. I have a Caiman Gatorised and a DacMagic Plus. I use my laptop though, and push it through as bitperfect. I listened to an Ipod Dock through my cheaper Westone UM2's in the shop, and I was surprised it sounded so good. So I bought one on 14 day full refund deal, and there's no way that it's going back:)
Myself and my girlfriend sat and listened side by side for hours on friday, using my laptop, a 5m Cambridge USB lead and a Cambridge Topaz AM10 Integrated with mission MX1's on mission stands.
I was bowled over by what I heard from both the Caiman and the DacMagic Plus, but myself and my girlfriend were rock solid from the first minute of listening to the Plus. It is smooth, detailed, controlled, a revelation.
Every track sounded gorgeous.
And to think I was going to buy a benchmark or electrocomwotsit or naim....
My girlfriend is a tough nut to crack, she knew we were on to a good thing as soon as she heard it in the shop.

[Gromit]

Following on from Trev's informative post above, a mate of mine has just got hold of a DM+ and, knowing I'd been snooping around for people's opinion on it, brought it over this afternoon for a brief listening session. Have to admit I'm very impressed with it - and what's more it has a highly useable USB input.

It has many of the qualities of my old CA840C (Simon's hot-rodded one) in that it gives a wonderfully organic flow to music, a natural gait if you like, and whilst it's arguably not as up-front as the Caiman, it certainly doesn't lack dynamic clout nor contrast. A great little bit of kit. :)

[Cans]

I have sent mine back, but don't let put you off , as a one box solution the headphone lets it down, through speakers it simply blew me away:):):):):)

[nbaptista]

Is it the Plus a worthwhile upgrade from the DM?

[maxweber]

DacMagic Plus improved with features like streaming music with iPhones. By Adding the BT100 adaptor one can stream music via APT-x (lossless bluetooth) to the DAC then upsample and send to your Amp.Latley found concise review about DACmagic plus on [website removed] website

[The Grand Wazoo]

Max,
Please read this (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=17333) and then comply with the request at the end of the first post before you do anything else on AoS