Cambridge Audio DacMagic Owners Thread

[Permanent Waves]

Well it's ordered, be here in about a week.

I can't wait to (hopefully) rediscover my music again.

 

[Duffinator]

Let us know what you think of the sound quality after you have about 20 hours on it.

 

[Permanent Waves]

I will! :thmbsp:

It shipped today!

Even though it will only be my second external DAC and I have not ever owned any high end cdp's, I do think I have a fairly discerning ear and can tell low fi from mid fi or "budget" hi fi. Thus I found the Thingee to be crap with no other DAC reference, and my Cambridge 640a v2 to be a better amp than any other I've owned (including the 4 vintage ones, sorry ).

Not to derail the whole discussion, but I am very skeptical of the whole "burn in" phenomena. For example, right away I found the Thingee to be lacking, and unless the burn in on it is going to take months, it still is. It hasn't changed from the first day. I've gotten more used to its limitations, but I believe that this is due to a psychological occurence within me, not an empirical alteration of the external electronics. The Thingee still sounds "off" in the same manner it always has.

But then I don't have the experience many others have with burn in, so I will remain agnostic on this issue until convinced one way or the other...if that ever happens lol.

Will post impressions after I hook the "Magic" up!

 

[Duffinator]

I had a furlough day today so I had the house to myself for most of the day. That allowed me to do some listening at moderate levels. I was listening to SRV Couldn't Stand the Weather and the songs Voodoo Chile and Tin Pan Alley just sounded outstanding from my PC through my ATV to my DM. :guitar: I was sitting there thinking WOW that really sounds great. Then reality set back in and I was off to pick up my kids from school, my favorite part of the day. :thmbsp:

 

[Permanent Waves]

Got it!

I'm 5 "sample" songs into listening to it and it already kills my crappy "Thingee"! :yes: (Actually, in the first few seconds I knew it was better. Yes, really.)

It's smoother, MUCH more powerful (i.e. I don't have to turn my amp volume control up to over halfway to rock out, this guy likes to CRANK ), MUCH more full, tighter, faster, energetic, and, most important: The midrange is forward, not recessed in the background! Voices sound were they should in the sound stage again and the sound stage is wider than with my Thingee which I thought did put out a decent sound stage (a few woah! moments here already, with imaging as well). Nope lol. Oh, and highs, while slightly harsh, are not nearly as much so as with my Thingee. There is great clarity and less silibance already. And what is there may go away with "burn in" (I do have it on the linear setting as well).

I'm happy so far, this is going to be fun! :yes: Time to rediscover my music again!

 

[gelmhirst]

Got it!

The midrange is forward, not recessed in the background! Voices sound were they should in the sound stage again and the sound stage is wider than with my Thingee which I thought did put out a decent sound stage (a few woah! moments here already, with imaging as well). Nope lol. Oh, and highs, while slightly harsh, are not nearly as much so as with my Thingee.

I'm happy so far, this is going to be fun! :yes: Time to rediscover my music again!

Mids and harsher highs should smooth out in the next couple of weeks...:yes:

 

[Permanent Waves]

Mids and harsher highs should smooth out in the next couple of weeks...:yes:

Well the mids are fine as is, and the highs, while slightly harsh, are good in every other aspect. But if everything evens out a bit more then this DAC will be even better!

The main thing is that I'm enjoying listening to my music through this DAC, it's hard to turn off! It's musical and exciting iow, engaging. Very happy so far! :thmbsp:

 

[Duffinator]

What I've noticed recently is the sound is smoother and the sound stage and imaging have improved.

Please post if you hear of anyone performing any mods on the DM.

 

[Face]

I have over 50 hours on mine already. Two things stand out over the 840C it replaced in this rig, there's much more gain, and I believe there may be more bass. The extra gain is nice since I use a passive pre. But the extra bass may be a problem, I may have to build some better bass traps or do some x-over modding, my Tannoys are overpowering the room at my listening levels.

The filters and phase controls are also pretty convenient.

Over the next few days I'll move it into the same rig as my 840C and do a comparo.

 

[Permanent Waves]

What I've noticed recently is the sound is smoother and the sound stage and imaging have improved.

Please post if you hear of anyone performing any mods on the DM.

There's a 55 page thread about the Magic over on Head-Fi if you care to read it.

(Maybe you already know about it though.)

I skimmed through parts and found that it seems no one's modded it yet as it's difficult to. I'm no DIY'er, I don't even own a soldering gun, so I'm not even worried about it. And mine sounds great with less than 15 hours on it (and USB hook up, seems optical sounds better) already.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/cambridge-dacmagic-anyone-368563/

 

[Permanent Waves]

Well I suppose my "Honey Moon" phase of this DAC is over.

So I should be less enthralled right?

Nope!

It sounds great! Totally satisfied with it's sound as is. In particular the bass seems very articulate, which I love (Geddy's bass is a pleasure to listen to!). And overall, again, the presentation is well balanced and "musical".

That said, there seems to be a slight "thumpiness" or roundness to the upper bass/lower midrange. It's really fine as is, but I've read this DAC takes a looonnnggg time to "burn in" (and I still don't know if I buy that or not). When it does the bass tightens and highs become smoother (I think they already have) and the mids more thin.

That all sounds good, if it occurs then this DAC will be even better than it is now, which, again, I'm already satisfied with. :thmbsp:

I've got about 30 hours on it btw.

 

[mamboni]

Which source input are you using, optical, coax, or USB?

Coax! How's that for a delayed reaction!

 

[Jazzz]

Gentlemen,

Quick question - does it do its own reclocking, or use an input buffer?

Thanks!

 

[Duffinator]

Gentlemen,

Quick question - does it do its own reclocking, or use an input buffer?

Thanks!

I have no idea but the Cambridge Audio website might have some info.

Thanks Mamboni!

 

[Permanent Waves]

So I've had this guy for 2 weeks now, and it keeps getting better...at least I think it does, I still don't know if "burn in" is a real phenomena or not, but being that I am skeptical and thus I'm not predispositioned to thinking I should hear change (via the psychological tricks our mind plays on us that distort reality, like placebo and expectation) yet thinking that I do, it could be a material reality.

Whatever the case is, the bass seems tighter and leaner now, and still very articulate, just about perfect. Love to listen to Geddy Lee's bass guitar on this thing! :yes:

The mids are good too, forward and full/rich but not overly so, and voices seem dead on, very accurate. They are also close to perfect to my ears and I've been listening to more singer/songwriter stuff since getting this DAC.

However, the treble is somewhat lacking. It's detailed enough, but somehow kind of flat or dry, even dark, like it doesn't have the ultimate sparkle, shine, and articulation. It is also still a little harsh, especially at high volumes. But the highs are not bad, just not quite right somehow. Anyone else feel this is accurate?

That's my take on the Magic, overall very good and I am satisfied and happy with it but I wish the highs were a little better. Maybe they will "burn in" with more time (I've heard it takes months for this thing to really settle) and become more extended and sophisticated.

Very good DAC overall. :thmbsp: And MUCH better than my Thingee DAC I discussed above.

 

[mamboni]

So I've had this guy for 2 weeks now, and it keeps getting better...at least I think it does, I still don't know if "burn in" is a real phenomena or not, but being that I am skeptical and thus I'm not predispositioned to thinking I should hear change (via the psychological tricks our mind plays on us that distort reality, like placebo and expectation) yet thinking that I do, it could be a material reality.

Whatever the case is, the bass seems tighter and leaner now, and still very articulate, just about perfect. Love to listen to Geddy Lee's bass guitar on this thing! :yes:

The mids are good too, forward and full/rich but not overly so, and voices seem dead on, very accurate. They are also close to perfect to my ears and I've been listening to more singer/songwriter stuff since getting this DAC.

However, the treble is somewhat lacking. It's detailed enough, but somehow kind of flat or dry, even dark, like it doesn't have the ultimate sparkle, shine, and articulation. It is also still a little harsh, especially at high volumes. But the highs are not bad, just not quite right somehow. Anyone else feel this is accurate?

That's my take on the Magic, overall very good and I am satisfied and happy with it but I wish the highs were a little better. Maybe they will "burn in" with more time (I've heard it takes months for this thing to really settle) and become more extended and sophisticated.

Very good DAC overall. :thmbsp: And MUCH better than my Thingee DAC I discussed above.

Caution is advised in making any hasty judgements of the DACMagic high frequencies. This DAC is so high in resolving power that it is exposing the limitations of many CD recordings which don't have good high treble - lots of phasey and grainy stuff going on. I came to an opinion about the DACMagic after listening to a wide ranges of recordings and genres. For me, the greatest shortcoming of the redbook standard has always been the top frequencies of the high strings partials, cymbals, bells which get truncated and mangled. The Reference Recordings CDs convinced me that the DACMagic has improved the high frequencies tremendously, adding shimmer and air to cymbals, strings and high winds and brass; it is a huge improvement over standard CD sound. Of course, one must factor in the quality of the tweeters one has in his loudspeakers. To my ears, the silk domes sound the best - don't care for metal domes.

 

[ferninando]

After reading this entire thread and the one in the General audio forum I decided I need to have one of these DACMagic critters, so ordered one from Audio advisor for $399/free shipping and of course it's back ordered. I never used a dac before so this will be a new experience, and it will be from a Pioneer 100 cd carosel to a SS analog integrated amp then thru either B&W DM602 or Infinity Primus 362 speakers, depending on which amp I decide to use(Kenwood or Sansui). Looking forward to hopefully new sound from my CDs.

 

[Duffinator]

I never used a dac before so this will be a new experience, and it will be from a Pioneer 100 cd carosel to a SS analog integrated amp then thru ....

Just to keep your expectations in line I wouldn't expect any improvement compared to the DAC in your Pioneer. Then you will most likely be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Permanent Waves]

Caution is advised in making any hasty judgements of the DACMagic high frequencies. This DAC is so high in resolving power that it is exposing the limitations of many CD recordings which don't have good high treble - lots of phasey and grainy stuff going on. I came to an opinion about the DACMagic after listening to a wide ranges of recordings and genres. For me, the greatest shortcoming of the redbook standard has always been the top frequencies of the high strings partials, cymbals, bells which get truncated and mangled. The Reference Recordings CDs convinced me that the DACMagic has improved the high frequencies tremendously, adding shimmer and air to cymbals, strings and high winds and brass; it is a huge improvement over standard CD sound. Of course, one must factor in the quality of the tweeters one has in his loudspeakers. To my ears, the silk domes sound the best - don't care for metal domes.

I'm not making a hasty judgment, I've been carefully listening to this DAC for over 2 weeks, not 2 hours!

You are into different source material than I am. I just take a "normal" cd and rip it to FLAC and then play it with a media player (media monkey, foobar, winamp) and enjoy.

My speakers are Usher S-520's which have silk dome tweeters. They are neutral to bright, and are being used in a room with hardwood floors.

BUT I have paired them with different amps and cdp or DACs and none have had this kind of "off" sound that the DAC Magic does. So is it that the DAC is more higher end than my other sources and thus reveals the limitations of my cds/FLAC files, or is it that it's treble is a little "repressed"? It sounds the same on good and poor recordings, a little flat or dark. My Senn HD 595's also pick up on this. I think it's the DAC that is lacking a bit here. My Thingee's highs, for instance, were too bright/silibant/shrill, but they were more airy and detailed. The Magic's aren't as fatiguing but they are also not as transparent. Same setup otherwise.

Anyway, this is my observation and only complaint about the Magic. It sounds damn good otherwise and I'm happy with it. And I'm also open to the idea that the highs may still "burn in" more or that changing something in my setup will help them bloom better. For instance, I still have the Magic hooked up via USB, I need to try a coaxial hookup and see if that sounds even better.

Thanks for your input! :thmbsp:

After reading this entire thread and the one in the General audio forum I decided I need to have one of these DACMagic critters, so ordered one from Audio advisor for $399/free shipping and of course it's back ordered. I never used a dac before so this will be a new experience, and it will be from a Pioneer 100 cd carosel to a SS analog integrated amp then thru either B&W DM602 or Infinity Primus 362 speakers, depending on which amp I decide to use(Kenwood or Sansui). Looking forward to hopefully new sound from my CDs.

This is my second external DAC and I can say that it has totally changed and improved by high magnitudes the SQ I get out of my computer (replacing it's crappy onboard sound "card"). What it will do for a normal cdp hookup I don't know, but I bet it will at least improve it. I can now highly enjoy my computer audio, something that was only decent/tolerable before that I didn't listen to much. Now I play music through my computer all the time! That's a sign that the SQ has greatly improved in and of itself! :yes: I think you'll be surprised how much a different DAC can alter the sound of your whole system. It has with mine, using the same other components. The sound went from an "C" to an "A" just by switching the DAC. They are important, maybe just as much as your amp and speakers. Enjoy! :thmbsp:

 

[ferninando]

What the hey! If it DOES improve CD playback then good. If NOT, then I can sell it to someone in need of one locally. The Ad hype indicates CDps do benefit. So I'm hoping. I'll see in a month or so.
Not that what I now hear is bad. Quite the opposite. But if improvemant is possible then I'm for it.