Used Cambridge Audio DACMagic or Dacmagic Plus??

[AudioEagle01]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post as I just joined this forum today. I think it's great that this forum is open.

Anyways, I'm seeking advice, opinions on whether to purchase a used Cambridge Audio DacMagic or get a CA DacMagic Plus. I know it should be an easy decision but I've learned that the original DacMagic is discontinued and no longer sells brand new. If I purchase a used DM what is the major differences of these 2 DACs? Is it worth buying the DM+? Pros and cons please. Thanks in advance.

AudioEagle01

[SoundGame]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post as I just joined this forum today. I think it's great that this forum is open.

Anyways, I'm seeking advice, opinions on whether to purchase a used Cambridge Audio DacMagic or get a CA DacMagic Plus. I know it should be an easy decision but I've learned that the original DacMagic is discontinued and no longer sells brand new. If I purchase a used DM what is the major differences of these 2 DACs? Is it worth buying the DM+? Pros and cons please. Thanks in advance.

AudioEagle01

It appears that the differences are mainly in the feature list with the new DAC+ having a headphone amp and a greater upsampling capability...384kHz vs the formers 192kHz max. both being on 24-bit. The new DAC+ also has reduced channel cross-talk which may result in a broader soundstage - the stereo separation will potentially be greater between channels.

So if you like upsampled source files - it appears the DAC+ will have increased performance in this arena, as well as a broader soundstage. Is it worth it, well, if you need a headphone amplifier...then yes, maybe so.

Cheers!

[AudioEagle01]

Thanks SoundGame. So in terms of "futureproofing" this would be a keeper for awhile? Soundwise according to your info it seems that the new Dac+ will excel in that area as well. I'm not quite sure what you mean by upsampling files? I would only be listening to my iTunes Library mainly, if that's upsampling then I guess it would be a great choice.

Any other comments and/or experience with either of these DACs are welcomed. Thanks.

AudioEagle01

[SoundGame]

Futureproofing - well, is there any such thing in today's rapidly changing technological environment? The DAC+ does offer all the current feature-set of competitive offerings; however, the latest in DAC's is now up to 32-bit/384 KHz, so even the DAC+ at 24-bit/384 KHz is not leading edge - however, it is at the front end of middle of the pack features.

For a little more money, you may want to consider a Peachtree DACit, which seems to be garnering a lot of attention, especially since it just got a Stereophile A-class reference component rating. It is around $999 to $1200 so may be a little rich for what you're looking for but will take you up there with the big boys.

Regarding upsampling, your iTunes library could have anything from MP3 to Apple Lossless / WAV files - the DAC+ through it's upsampling feature, can try to raise the resolution of these files beyond what there native (inherent) resolution is. So if you have a music file in your iTunes that is standard redbook i.e. 16-bit/ 44.1 KHz, the DAC+ could upsample it to as much as 24-bit/384 KHz. Some people like the sound of upsampled files but others prefer native resolution. That all said, it give you the opportunity to upsample.

Cheers!

[AudioEagle01]

Thanks for that information SoundGame. You're right for now I think the DacMagic falls into my price range for now. This will be my first DAC. I was also reading how DACs are system dependent. Is this true? Would it depend on the components I have and if the DACs in my Rotel preamp are superior or not to the DacMagic+'s Dacs? Guess I make sure the dealer has a good return policy so I can return it if I do not like how it sounds in my system but chances are it will make a difference.

Since I admit I'm a bit of novice when it comes to external DACs, can anyone explain how a DAC is hooked up to a home theater system. Do you plug all your source components via optical, usb, and coaxial to the DacMagic and then I would be using the RCA unbalanced outputs to where??? Do I plug them directly into an RCA input into my preamp or directly into my 2 channel power amp?? Won't this affect how my home theater setup gets affected meaning I use my 2 channel amp and my 5 channel amp for watching movies as well. Any diagrams or pictures would be greatly helpful so I can see just how a DAC is set up in a home theater surround system. Thanks all. Happy New Year!!

AudioEagle01

[Suave]

Thanks for joining our forum AudioEagle01! The Cambridge Audio DacMagic is a very well reviewed DAC at a very reasonable price point, and I'm sure that you would be pleased with either of the two options. Personally, I would probably go with the DacMagic Plus because of the options that SoundGame pointed out above.

The actual performance of every audio component is system dependent. The general idea is that your system will sound as good as your lowest performance component.

Since the DAC performs digital to analog conversion, it will sit in your system between the digital source outputs (for example the digital output of a cd player or the USB output of a computer) and your RCA analog inputs (on the pre-amp in your case).

Here's a link to the DacMagic Plus manual (starting on page 19 it shows how to connect the DAC in your system):
http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/assets...-01English.pdf

Happy New Year to you as well!

[AudioEagle01]

Thanks Suave. Appreciate the welcome. Thanks for the link to DacMagic+. I understand that Peachtree is also something to look at as well but right now they are a bit out of my price range for now. This hobby is never ending for sure when it comes to improving the sounds and getting the most of all the detail possible when listening to music. Anyways, so all I need to do is hook up the rca analog out of the DAC to an rca analog in to my preamp? Sounds easy peasy. The manual of the DacMagic is a bit confusing as it only states to hook it up to an amplifier but doesn't say anything about hooking it up to a preamp. Thanks for the clarification on that one Suave. I'll be picking it up within a few weeks. I've seen this on signature thread on another forum and it said "If you haven't tried it, you don't have an opinion"...so I'll give this Dac a try and see what I think about it.

AudioEagle01

[AudioEagle01]

Does anyone know the Canadian list price for the DacMagic Plus? Thanks.

AudioEagle01

[AudioEagle01]

Hi all,

Picked up my Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus today at a Cambridge Audio authorized dealer Audio Oasis. Just finished hooking up my Mac mini(usb) and my Rotel RCD 1072 cd player(coaxial output). Although its early, so far I've noticed how much my iTunes music sounds more open, midrange improved, airy highs, and the bass has also improved quite a bit and this is with my iTunes equalizer turned off as well. My cd player has also improved too with more clarity, depth and detail as well. I'm sure with burn in it will open up even more. For now I'm quite satisfied with my CA DacMagic Plus in my system.

AudioEagle01

[AudioEagle01]

All of my albums are in 192khz MP3 encoded format. I did this only to save on space as I figured it would take up a lot of space on my mac mini. In your experiences with DACs do you leave off any equalizer controls and just play it with the current file format? Do you find it better with the equalizer on or off? Is this just a matter of personal preference? Does this defeat the purpose of getting a DAC if you are using equalizers or does it enhance the image and sound even further? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I have mine set to equalizer off in my iTunes. I just wanted to get an idea of what other forum members are doing with their Dacs and equalization iTunes. I am playing with the equalization. I also have the digital filter set to Min. I'm not too familiar with this feature. If anyone can chime in and share the different types of sound these filters provide would also be of great help. I have Min, Linear and Steep Filters. Thanks again.

AudioEagle01