Arcam rDac vs. DagMagic

[The_Lhc]

Gerrardasnails:Golden Ears:
Hi!

Have you considered the Behringer SRC2496? It is in my opinion a superior DAC in every sense! It has DA - AD conversion, Balanced in and out and the sound quality is to die for! I bought the DAC Magic 2 weeks ago and regret the purchase. If you get a SRC2496 be sure to buy some balanced plus to single end if you amp is not balanced!

Good luck!

P.S. you can get the SRC2496 from £145!!! crazy it might not look hi fi but the sound is HI END!

Do you work for them? I've just checked this DAC out and it's got to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I would have to be able to hide it out of sight.

It's not a consumer DAC, it's for (semi)pro audio, ie rack mounted for studio use.

That's a proper 80s look though, never mind the rDAC!

 

[Peter Larsen]

Well my Focus 110's are pretty heavy in the bass section, so if you guys and WH state that the rDAC is bass heavy, maybe thats not the best match for me. I still want that bass to be controlled like an iron grip

What to try then? The Firestone Spitfire?

 

[daveh75]

Gerrardasnails:Golden Ears:
Hi!

Have you considered the Behringer SRC2496? It is in my opinion a superior DAC in every sense! It has DA - AD conversion, Balanced in and out and the sound quality is to die for! I bought the DAC Magic 2 weeks ago and regret the purchase. If you get a SRC2496 be sure to buy some balanced plus to single end if you amp is not balanced!

Good luck!

P.S. you can get the SRC2496 from £145!!! crazy it might not look hi fi but the sound is HI END!

Do you work for them? I've just checked this DAC out and it's got to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I would have to be able to hide it out of sight.Whats that got to do with how it sounds?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

daveh75:Gerrardasnails:Golden Ears:
Hi!

Have you considered the Behringer SRC2496? It is in my opinion a superior DAC in every sense! It has DA - AD conversion, Balanced in and out and the sound quality is to die for! I bought the DAC Magic 2 weeks ago and regret the purchase. If you get a SRC2496 be sure to buy some balanced plus to single end if you amp is not balanced!

Good luck!

P.S. you can get the SRC2496 from £145!!! crazy it might not look hi fi but the sound is HI END!

Do you work for them? I've just checked this DAC out and it's got to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I would have to be able to hide it out of sight.Whats that got to do with how it sounds?

Nothing whatsoever. You might be sound over everything but I'm not.

 

[shafesk]

Haha....it is probably the ugliest thing Ive seen as well....shouldnt hifi be something you can display proudly? How about the Beresford Caiman? If you want to go higher how about the Stello DA100 Signature or the Chord Electronics Toucan? With the Toucan you will be getting a heaphone amplifier as well both will offer more bass than the dacmagic Im assuming by their various reviews

 

[Golden Ears]

The Behringer SRC 2496 is a great cost effective upgrade over the DAC MAgic. If you buy one be sure to get the balance to single ended plug as the unit only has a balanced analogue out! The sound is much more realistic than the DAC magic and the in builtt transformer with IEC connection give other option for cables! Can be bought online for around £145!!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

We get the message now!!!

 

[Golden Ears]

Looks ugly as it's a professional unit not domestic as general hi fi. That's the only down side. But hey the sound is what matters most isn't it? No I don't work for them I just was lucky enough to buy one 6 years ago and I havn't heard a DAC like it since. I bought the DAC Magic and took it out the system after a ferw minutes. I'll be running it in over the next for weeks as on but not listening to give the components a chance to burn in.

 

[chebby]

I am sure many teenaged wannabe sound-engineers would be thrilled at the looks of the Behringer but no-way is that ever going to grace a living room.

Its gigantic! Over 48 cms wide. I don't care if it only costs £50. It's a brute.

I don't understand how so many people - who promote all these compact space-saving active pro speakers - can then recommend gigantic lumps of gaudy equipment to go with them that are bigger and uglier than the 'seperates' they are supposed to replace.

 

[John Duncan]

And, being Behringer, was built to a price. That's all I'm saying.

 

[The_Lhc]

chebby:
I am sure many teenaged wannabe sound-engineers would be thrilled at the looks of the Behringer but no-way is that ever going to grace a living room.
Its gigantic! Over 48 cms wide.

Yes because it's been designed for a standard 19" rack mount system.

IT'S NOT HOME AUDIO EQUIPMENT!

 

[Golden Ears]

I've had mine in use for 6 years and have been more than happy! The looks arn't to everyones taste but once you hear it you'll know it's a small price to pay !On the plus side also is that it has an IEC socket so the cable tweakers will get the most from this. UInlike the DAC Magics darn ugly wallwart pouluting everything that's near it Also this unit employs TRUE balanced out unlike the suedo balanced DAC MAgic. The unit also support AD - DA conversion and multiple sample rates. You specify the Bit resolution and sample rates on the out along with dithering of the interpollated sample. Maybe a 5 pinter but the thing has a heavy weights knockout sound and plays all music it's not a one trick pony!

 

[Andrew Everard]

I say, what was the name of that product again?

 

[brendonw]

Do you need golden ears to hear it as you've written it please ?

Thanks

 

[Golden Ears]

lol! The measurements inclde the mounting eyelets The width without these is no wider than my Acram 82T it's been sat on the CD player with Isotek feet under it for years. I relocated it recently to sit on my Music Angel pre amp. It's not deep nor high! But judging by your reaction you'd have to be high to by one lol! I've seen my teenage years decades ago and the thing still passed my front door hehe Your comments reminded me of my wifes first impressions!

 

[Golden Ears]

I audtioned many system s over the last 12 years ranging from a truly awesome beast costing over £120k to modest systems costing a couple of grand. I earnt the knick name after complaining to a valve addict saying his valves were producing mid range distortion only to be told it had to be my solid state ears! But a couple of months later he changed the valves before I visited. I sat there not knowing he ploy and commented that the sound was much better than before... Well he smiled and saidf "You must have golden ears!" I changed the valves last week and wanted to see if you'd notice or if it was in your head! The names stuck now!

 

[Golden Ears]

Behringer SRC 2496 -

 

[Golden Ears]

I only have one question for you then.....

Do you listen with your wallet or your ears?

Blind teasting is the only TRUE decider in a fair playing field and I really have not seen any honest reviews of the DAC Magic yet! If it was the great bargain in the sky why are so many exploring new avenues after buying it? I got suckered into it by over hyped reviews thinking that the Behringer had to be a cheaper imitation how wrong I was....

Price might point at something but not always quality...

 

[John Duncan]

Golden Ears:I really have not seen any honest reviews of the DAC Magic yet

So I lied in mine then?

 

[Golden Ears]

"One of the best DACs we've tested"

These statements are the main things that attract buyers. When you read further into the review some of the remarks made do in fairness point to some flaws however giving the product 5 stars and such high praise in the TAG line really does lead the public blindly go their nearest Richer Sounds! My experience with the DAC was as follows :

The DAC managed to find much of the recording and place many instruments in their correct place however the timing and resolution was of a poor standard. I noticed the the air and decay of both vocal ond instruments were muted giving an overall closed in presentation. The treble really was too harsh it never really glimmered. Bass was there however I found it lacking attack and warmth, I do not like wooly bass but the vocals that were produced through this DAC lacked any immotion that would of been aided by better mid to bass integration. I also am not the biggest fan of the wallwart that it came with! I might suggest you give the ugly beast a try it really is a gem in disguise

 

[Clare Newsome]

Our review is honest, your review (I trust) is honest - difference of opinion is allowed, and auditioning of products pre-purchase (which you failed to do) always encouraged here.

 

[Peter Larsen]

Wow, lots of strong opinions on DACs. I must agree with our troll here that the DacMagic does tend to sound wooly. Thats perhaps the reason I'm trying to find another DAC that will present me with a much tighter bottom, a more detailed top and a less harsh top with compressed music.

I just don't know whether the rDac or the Spitfire will give me that little bit of extra punch.

 

[Golden Ears]

I tried to get a demo! I live in Norway! My local dealer if Hi Fi Klubben. I moved hear 4 years ago! I agree testing a product can help however I feel that it is often not easy to judge a product in a completely different system. There is no substitute for real world listing in my opinion. And of course we all have our own ears, opinions and wallets I am surprised however to see so many people here looking else where for a new DAC. Do you not think that in view of all this public feeling (all be it forum cha)t on this product a review of the number of stars is due? I think that maybe if you spent £100 on a CD player a purchaser would be more than happy! However where the DAC costs a quarter of the price of a decent CD player it's the mid purchase point of CD owner's craving an improvement and I feel these guys in the most part will not find it here

P.S.

Love the forum, chat and feedback it's really good to experience people in the media's views and interaction!

 

[shafesk]

Wallwart hater eh? Do you perhaps feel that between 2-3:15 p.m your DAC sounds its best and gives you the greatest timing? Did your new mains cable make your system sound like its better than systems costing 10 times as much?

 

[Golden Ears]

lol, My mains are unaffected by grid demand but nice try I invested in a CVT from advance electronics for the front end and aAdvance electronics mains conditioner supporting 1.5kw. As for cables I make my own and have used them in systems where moon travel seemed an option and switched blindly between home made and Transparent Audio cables costing over 2k only for the owner to say to my father inlaw (his friend) it's best that I don't demo my cables around there again! Good quality cables and a little science offer great rewards and as for systems sounding better the other costing 10 times more I have demostrated many times to the Audio wallet busters that they have used way too much money! I'm happy enough with my system up to just over moderate listening levels as my room really won't let met hear it's loudest potential!

Funny though cables, power grid and isolators really do have a good affect on electronis that are built well. Cheap poorly put together things will just add back the distortion intenrally or add more to interference to the recording as they really are built to function and not reject noise etc. So Poeple who say the hear no difference often need to look at the equiptment! Not always though as there are a good deal of cables out there that are not any better than the ones you use every day, these often have a pretty jacket and some amazing claims! I'd buy cables of high purity metals and use silver where possible as it adds the least noise at point of contact ( see Missing link) they really know their stuff