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Praise for DacMagic

Just wanted to give some very positive feedback for the Cambridge Audio DacMagic DAC. It doesn't seem to get much attention around these forums, but I am enjoying it immensely. In my opion, terrific value for the money.

During the past few weeks, I have used it with great success both within a PC music server and 2-channel environments.

Who knows, I may end up switching it out for a better DAC in the future, but for now I am quite pleased.

As a side note, I was not impressed with it at first when used to enhance an NAD C541 CDP. On a whim, I switched out the NAD for a modest Sony DVD player that is around 5-7 years old. Then, everything came into place and the music was rich and detailed. The Sony DVD/DacMagic combination blew the doors off the NAD/DacMagic combination. Go figure...
headshrinker2
magfan
1,583 posts
 
NEW DACMagic Plus is now almost out. Shown at CES, according to my local CA folks.

Adds headphone out and vol. control. Vol control can ALSO go to outs which are still balanced and unbalanced.
Can you say minimum system?

New DACMagic also has an input for a BlueTooth dongle for use in a BlueTooth system!
Add the Async USB input, 2 channels of optical/coax, the selectible filters and how could you miss?

I'm seriously going to check this out.
williewonka
3,077 posts
 
Magfan - Be aware that the new Dacmagic Plus is 12v DC and not 12v AC, so you cannot use the same power supply as the original Dacmagic.

Other than that it is an impressive spec.
williewonka
3,077 posts
 
Sop1 - the Pyramid PS3Kx appears to be a 12v DC and the original Dacmagic is 12v AC - so they are NOT compatible.

However, the new Dacmagic Plus is 12v DC - according to the user manual on the CA website, so it is compatible

How well it works depends on the build quality of the transformer and rectifier in the power supply (there is a huge variance across power supplies) and how much noise it introduces.

The cable you use to hook it up is extremely important. I started using some 14 awg speaker cable, then changed to Kimber speaker wire - very high quality copper - amazing difference in sound!

You may experience some humming from the actual power supply unit, since $30 would only buy you a pretty basic transformer which tend to hum at the mains frequncy.

But, I did run run mine for a couple of months with a basic transformer (not the one you mentioned) and the hum did not get through to the analogue sound circuits.

I purchased these DC connectors from Ebay, which worked extremely well on mine. They grip the cable like a vice!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150602258980

They took about a week to arrive.
sop1
12 posts
 
Williewonka - thanks for the correction, I missed the point that the Pyramid PS does not do both AC and DC like the Pangea P100. I read some good reviews about using it with the V-DAC and when I saw it was $23 instead of $100 went brain dead.
williewonka
3,077 posts
 
Sop1 - here's another possible GOTCHA!

Beware of 12V AC power supplies that use an "electronic transformer"

When I was looking for a transformer I came across these "electronic transformers" used in 12v halogen lighting and discovered they may not give you a perfect sine wave and could cause problems in the DAC.

Much like a DAC assembling the audio signal, they build the sine wave, but the applications they are intended for do not require a perfect sine wave, so they don't bother to try!

The other problem is they might not handle the instantaneous peaks required in analogue audio, i.e. like a good old iron cored transformer would!

So the DAC would sound like CR*&!

If you are not a DIYer the Pangea is the best option I have seen at present.

Let me know if you see something else
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