In praise of the Cambridge Audio stream magic 6

[RichB]

Paid a visit to my mate Alan (mad moon) yesterday to drop off some cables and he was keen to show me his new streaming set up in his system. Alan runs a Cambridge Audio streammagic 6 v1 playing files from an inexpensive NAS.

I have to say the sound from this thing was bloody fabulous. Easily as good as any streaming kit I've heard. Alan and I did some track for track comparisons with his Musical Fidelity a3.5 Cd player, a fine player in it's own right and there was nothing at all in it.

Spotify connect with this thing was a doodle too. Connected my phone to Alan's network via WiFi, found the player immediately and within seconds we had all manner of stuff streaming in great quality to the player.

Soundwise it's entirely natural, no trace of any distortion and switching between some high and low quality mp3s we could clearly hear the difference in the amount of musical information available.

I understand richers are selling the latest version of this for £399 which is excellent value for a such a versatile machine. Cambridge have definitely got it right with this machine and the fact it can also be used as an external DAC and pre makes it a no brainer for anyone thinking of upgrading their digital set up or anyone moving on from the dacmagic products.

The app looked simple to use too.

Having just acquired a Benchmark DAC which I'm using with a laptop source it gave me a lot to think about. The Benchmark excels in retrieving the information and shows up every flaw in a recording as well as every detail but for the extra functionality the Cambridge is a seriously good piece of kit.

They've definitely done it right here and for squeezebox fans looking to move on from their now discontinued products I'd say give this a serious look.

[brian2957]

These look good VFM mate . Hope he made you a bacon sarny mate . :D

[Desmo]

+1 I've used one of these for years. Simple streaming solution - It just works! no need to learn any programming languages. The latest versions of the android/apple apps work much better than the earlier ones from Cambridge. The best thing is that Cambridge regularly releases upgrades to the firmware on the player and new versions of the app so it just keeps getting better.

[RichB]

These look good VFM mate . Hope he made you a bacon sarny mate . :D

Given my recent conversion to vegetarianism bacon sandwiches are off the menu unfortunately.

Anyway Alan's a tight get so you'd be lucky to get a biscuit off him :lol:

I'm going to start charging him for tea and coffee when he comes round mine.

[Stratmangler]

Why would I want to move on from my Squeezeboxes?
Just because they're an obsolete product?
Mine are working just fine, and I expect them to do so for a very long time.
My server runs on an inexpensive NAS, and the Logitech Media Server interface via web browser is excellent.

It's good that you have heard something that floats your boat - I know you didn't get on with your Squeezebox Touch whatever reason.

I have a few reservations about the Stream Magic 6.
First and foremost is this gem of a comment from the user manual "Everything that passes through the Stream Magic 6 is upsampled".
It doesn't look as though you can control the device from a web browser (which is a real pain - I control the Squeezeboxes on the network primarily from web browsers, although I do use the touch screen sometimes, use the IR remotes and sometimes use an app on my smartphone).
It uses DLNA protocols to access locally stored music files. DLNA does not support gapless playback so there may be dropouts between tracks that segue one into another.
And finally the user interface on the device itself is clunky.

From what I've seen so far of streaming equipment from the majority of audio manufacturers it's a case of close but no cigar.
And my opinion of what I've seen of the Stream Magic 6 is no different.

And should a Squeezebox finally expire along the way I'll probably go the route of Raspberry Pi assemble it and get it running on an appropriate distro route.
The strength of the Squeezebox server (Logitech Media Server) and the Squeezebox community is the talented team of code writers that do it for self satisfaction and the benefit of the greater community.

:cool:

[RichB]

Why would I want to move on from my Squeezeboxes?
Just because they're an obsolete product?
Mine are working just fine, and I expect them to do so for a very long time.
My server runs on an inexpensive NAS, and the Logitech Media Server interface via web browser is excellent.

It's good that you have heard something that floats your boat - I know you didn't get on with your Squeezebox Touch whatever reason.

I have a few reservations about the Stream Magic 6.
First and foremost is this gem of a comment from the user manual "Everything that passes through the Stream Magic 6 is upsampled".
It doesn't look as though you can control the device from a web browser (which is a real pain - I control the Squeezeboxes on the network primarily from web browsers, although I do use the touch screen sometimes, use the IR remotes and sometimes use an app on my smartphone).
It uses DLNA protocols to access locally stored music files. DLNA does not support gapless playback so there may be dropouts between tracks that segue one into another.
And finally the user interface on the device itself is clunky.

From what I've seen so far of streaming equipment from the majority of audio manufacturers it's a case of close but no cigar.
And my opinion of what I've seen of the Stream Magic 6 is no different.

And should a Squeezebox finally expire along the way I'll probably go the route of Raspberry Pi assemble it and get it running on an appropriate distro route.
The strength of the Squeezebox server (Logitech Media Server) and the Squeezebox community is the talented team of code writers that do it for self satisfaction and the benefit of the greater community.

:cool:

All good points and if you've already gone significantly down the Squeezebox route then it might not be for you.

It's all down to the listening really. If you get the chance to hear one you might prefer it.

Don't forget it's also a dac/preamp and does a lot of stuff the SBT can't. The Spotify connect on this works flawlessly, wish the same could be said of my experience of it with that godawful triode app for SBT.

[Stratmangler]

I've never had any problems using Spotify with the Triode app.

I don't use it currently, but that's everything to do with me being a tight arse and not wanting to pay for a Spotify Premium account. Once in a while I'll pay for a month's worth of premium service, but it depends really on whether there's been a spate of new releases I'd like to hear, so it isn't often.

I found that Qobuz worked well too when I had a trial membership. Again, I dropped the service before I had to start paying for it, but I just wanted to see if the server could handle it.
I don't tend to stream from remote servers, BBC radio services being the exception. Most of what I play is on my local server.

[Theadmans]

I tend to agree with Stratmangler on this.

I run an original SBT I bought on a half price offer from Amazon for £135.

I also run an SBT clone in the form of Raspberry Pi with Wolfson Card in a custom case in my second system (total cost somewhere south of £80).

I have no problems with reliability and the Triode App for Spotify worked with no problems (although I have ditched it now as I have more than enough lossless stuff to listen to 6000+ albums without paying £10 a month for 320kbps MP3).

Having said that I would be interested in a Stream Magic at £399 if it offered significantly better sound than the SBT. Has anyone ever done a comparison ? BTW I run my SBT from an external battery pack which also powers the Beresford Bushmaster II DAC that the SBT is connected to (the battery cost £50 off Amazon).

[m10]

I'm giving one of these a whirl at the moment, and I think it will be staying. There is a problem with streaming albums with more than one disc in them, in that it jumbles the tracks and ignores the disk number tag in the metadata. Cambridge seem to be aware of this looking at their website, so I suspect it will be fixed in a future firmware update. I also think the iPad app could do with some development as it is not pretty.

It looks as if my Mac Mini will have to stay in the system for a while at least connected up with Toslink. Audio is indistinguishable whether it is from the Mac by Toslink, or from my Oppo DVD player by coaxial, or music streamed from the NAS drive via ethernet. I have never heard Spotify sound as good as it does through the Cambridge, and it is with this that it may have sealed its fate. Spectacular.

[winstonmalcolm]

Paid a visit to my mate Alan (mad moon) yesterday to drop off some cables and he was keen to show me his new streaming set up in his system. Alan runs a Cambridge Audio streammagic 6 v1 playing files from an inexpensive NAS.

I have to say the sound from this thing was bloody fabulous. Easily as good as any streaming kit I've heard. Alan and I did some track for track comparisons with his Musical Fidelity a3.5 Cd player, a fine player in it's own right and there was nothing at all in it.

Spotify connect with this thing was a doodle too. Connected my phone to Alan's network via WiFi, found the player immediately and within seconds we had all manner of stuff streaming in great quality to the player.

Soundwise it's entirely natural, no trace of any distortion and switching between some high and low quality mp3s we could clearly hear the difference in the amount of musical information available.

I understand richers are selling the latest version of this for £399 which is excellent value for a such a versatile machine. Cambridge have definitely got it right with this machine and the fact it can also be used as an external DAC and pre makes it a no brainer for anyone thinking of upgrading their digital set up or anyone moving on from the dacmagic products.

The app looked simple to use too.

Having just acquired a Benchmark DAC which I'm using with a laptop source it gave me a lot to think about. The Benchmark excels in retrieving the information and shows up every flaw in a recording as well as every detail but for the extra functionality the Cambridge is a seriously good piece of kit.

They've definitely done it right here and for squeezebox fans looking to move on from their now discontinued products I'd say give this a serious look.

+ 1,

I have a v2 which I am very pleased with now the app has been improved, it's not in competition with a PI, horses for courses but if you are in the market for a dedicated streamer it's well worth an audition

[winstonmalcolm]

Paid a visit to my mate Alan (mad moon) yesterday to drop off some cables and he was keen to show me his new streaming set up in his system. Alan runs a Cambridge Audio streammagic 6 v1 playing files from an inexpensive NAS.

I have to say the sound from this thing was bloody fabulous. Easily as good as any streaming kit I've heard. Alan and I did some track for track comparisons with his Musical Fidelity a3.5 Cd player, a fine player in it's own right and there was nothing at all in it.

Spotify connect with this thing was a doodle too. Connected my phone to Alan's network via WiFi, found the player immediately and within seconds we had all manner of stuff streaming in great quality to the player.

Soundwise it's entirely natural, no trace of any distortion and switching between some high and low quality mp3s we could clearly hear the difference in the amount of musical information available.

I understand richers are selling the latest version of this for £399 which is excellent value for a such a versatile machine. Cambridge have definitely got it right with this machine and the fact it can also be used as an external DAC and pre makes it a no brainer for anyone thinking of upgrading their digital set up or anyone moving on from the dacmagic products.

The app looked simple to use too.

Having just acquired a Benchmark DAC which I'm using with a laptop source it gave me a lot to think about. The Benchmark excels in retrieving the information and shows up every flaw in a recording as well as every detail but for the extra functionality the Cambridge is a seriously good piece of kit.

They've definitely done it right here and for squeezebox fans looking to move on from their now discontinued products I'd say give this a serious look.

+ 1,

I have a v2 which I am very pleased with now the app has been improved, it's not in competition with a PI, horses for courses but if you are in the market for a dedicated streamer it's well worth an audition

[icehockeyboy]

Would one still use a separate Dac with something like this?

[Stratmangler]

Would one still use a separate Dac with something like this?

You could if you wanted.
It has a SPDIF out on the back.
The tech spec suggests that the offboard DAC would need to be capable of handling 24/192, as the Stream Magic 6 v2 upsamples everything to 24/192.

[m10]

But it doesn't up sample on digital out. 16/44 in is output as 16/44, likewise for PCM up to 24/192. Upsampling is only applied on the analogue outputs. It does however include a remarkable DAC, which has given grunt and earth to the digital side of my system that was missing before.

I think this machine does something special with Spotify, and possibly other compressed formats -- as it sounds markedly better than streaming Spotify via airplay into an Airport Express even via the digital output.

[Stratmangler]

But it doesn't upsample on digital out. 16/44 in is output as 16/44, likewise for PCM up to 24/192

I've just read the manual, and it confirms what you've said.
It's a pity they couldn't make this information available on an open web page - it's a pain in the bum having to dig around looking for user guides.

[loonytunes]

Another formidable low cost streaming alternative would be the AURALiC Aries Mini from a company that's serious about high quality audio. You have built in streaming support for TIDAL, Qobuz and WiMP lossless streaming services (sorry no Spotify), it uses a decent DAC, has the normal coax out and amazingly a USB out too for any fancy trend setting async USB DAC you may have kicking around. In addition you can add an internal hard disk, and the control is from an Apple iPad (and now I think there's support for Android).

Let's not forget vTuner internet Radio and Apple Airplay!! Of course if you are hanging onto Spotify you could always Airplay that to the Mini. Or, as a side cheap £30 add-on, just buy a Google Chromecast Audio and 'cast' Spotify which is one of their supported apps.

Pretty damn good modern alternative to the SBT I would say.