Beresford DAC versus Cambridge Audio Dacmagic anyone ?

[admin_exported]

OK, so in the market for a budget DAC, with a budget of £250.

This leaves the Beresford ones or the CA Dacmagic.

Primary use is to get better sound from a Squeezebox and an old minidisc deck.

So, given that I can afford both, any views on which is best or how the sound from each differs?

 

[chebby]

There is now the special edition Beresford TC-7520SE (Caiman) which is currently £189.99 + VAT (15%)

My maths tells me this is about £218

Hopefully this link works. (Just go to the Caiman link in the bottom left hand of the home page if not.)

Also there is the Musical Fidelity V-Dac which has been reviewed very positively this month by another UK hifi magazine in a group test. (Also a few of the WHF forum members have the MF V-Dac and think very highly of it.)

It can be purchased for as little as £129 right now. (RRP is more like £180)

 

[Anonymous]

Good question I am also wondering... well I have the DM and wondering if I should try the Beresford Caiman.

The fact of the matter is all three (DMagic, Beresford and V-Dac) have gotten rave reviews from same or different publications and individuals. Some swear by Beresfords while other worship the DM.

I am tempted by Caiman for its upgraded components and Class A headphone amp capability... But then there is nothing that I don't like about DacMagic (ok maybe the flimsy power supply, but that's more phsychological than anything).

 

[Anonymous]

Probably a good idea to email Stan to get a loan unit then chainrock

 

[Craig M.]

the beresford is a leaner, punchier sound with more transparent midrange and better instrument seperation then dacmagic. dacmagic has good tonal balance and heavier bass then the beresford, i also think soundstaging is better on the dacmagic and it might sound more "musical". i personally think the beresford is "better", but it depends on the sound you get from your other components as to wether it will suit you.

 

[Anonymous]

You are comparing the 7510 to the dacmagic though aren't you Craig? I haven't heard the 7520 or the Caiman but it's apparent that a lot of people consider these 2 to be big improvements on the 7510.

 

[Anonymous]

Craig M.: i personally think the beresford is "better", but it depends on the sound you get from your other components as to wether it will suit you.

And this comes from a DacMagic user!

My system is quite lean with good midrange already, so in this case I should stick to DacMagic. Or maybe Caiman sounds really good?!

Hifinewbie - I contacted mr Stan about a trial of Caiman but never got a response.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

chainrock:
Craig M.: i personally think the beresford is "better", but it depends on the sound you get from your other components as to wether it will suit you.

And this comes from a DacMagic user!

My system is quite lean with good midrange already, so in this case I should stick to DacMagic. Or maybe Caiman sounds really good?!

Hifinewbie - I contacted mr Stan about a trial of Caiman but never got a response.

Yes, Craig, explanation?? Why have you got the DM if you think that the Beresford is better and it's cheaper??

 

[chebby]

Gerrardasnails:

Yes, Craig, explanation?? Why have you got the DM if you think that the Beresford is better and it's cheaper??

 

[Anonymous]

chainrock:
Craig M.: i personally think the beresford is "better", but it depends on the sound you get from your other components as to wether it will suit you.

And this comes from a DacMagic user!

My system is quite lean with good midrange already, so in this case I should stick to DacMagic. Or maybe Caiman sounds really good?!

Hifinewbie - I contacted mr Stan about a trial of Caiman but never got a response.

Hmm that's strange sounds uncharacteristic of him, when did you email him?

 

[matthewpiano]

Don't dismiss the Musical Fidelity V-DAC. Its an absolute bargain piece of kit and has totally transformed both of the systems I've used it in. I've had a 740C CD player before (which has the same DAC as the DACMagic) but I personallly much prefer the sound of a good budget transport through the V-DAC.

 

[Craig M.]

Gerrardasnails:chainrock:
Craig M.: i personally think the beresford is "better", but it depends on the sound you get from your other components as to wether it will suit you.

And this comes from a DacMagic user!

My system is quite lean with good midrange already, so in this case I should stick to DacMagic. Or maybe Caiman sounds really good?!

Hifinewbie - I contacted mr Stan about a trial of Caiman but never got a response.

Yes, Craig, explanation?? Why have you got the DM if you think that the Beresford is better and it's cheaper??

i was talking about the 7520 (i had both, just sold the 7510). i do think that the beresford has more going for it, in it's areas of strength i think it's astonishing for the money, but i had better system synergy with my old focus 110's. with the atc's i found the bass to be a touch lean for my taste, they also revealed the beresfords treble to be a little unrefined (can't think of a better way to describe, there's just something about it that's not right). the dacmagic doesn't sound as accurate or revealing as the beresford, but it does seem more musical and a bit more fun, and also covers up a bad recording a little bit. having said that it's a temporary measure, and i will be checking out the naim dac and cyrus dac x, if neither appeal i might take a punt on a chord dac64 or see if i can get a benchmark on home dem.

edit to add, i'm using the min filter setting most of the time. i only use linear if the music has a lot of bass and is well recorded, otherwise min is more musical and fun for me.

 

[Anonymous]

My apologies Craig, so how does the 7510 compare to the 7520?

 

[Craig M.]

the 7520 is much better. the 7510 has a sort of glare to the sound. it's a similar type of sound, punchy and good on vocals but that glare to the upper frequencies meant i tried the 7520 quite soon after. i actually only got the 7510 because i left my g/f in charge of ordering it!

 

[chebby]

Pop a tenner's worth of LM4562NA opamps in the TC-7520 to improve the treble.

5 minute job & no soldering.

 

[Don Guess]

I've got a Caiman with 200 hours on it. I left a cd player feeding it on continuous when I was on holiday.

There's a big improvement over my 7520 with 4562NA caps. The bass is much better - significantly more powerful and tuneful. There is no hint of the "one note" bass that I could sometimes hear on the 7520. Treble is beautiful. It sounds much more refined. SWMBO said it sounded "more expensive".

I'm really pleased with mine. Highly recommended.

 

[Anonymous]

Hawkmoon:
OK, so in the market for a budget DAC, with a budget of £250.

This leaves the Beresford ones or the CA Dacmagic.

Primary use is to get better sound from a Squeezebox and an old minidisc deck.

So, given that I can afford both, any views on which is best or how the sound from each differs?

This has been discussed before. Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[Anonymous]

debt_collector: This has been discussed before. Why reinvent the wheel?

Because there is a new guy in town (Caiman that is).

 

[Anonymous]

Don Guess:I've got a Caiman with 200 hours on it. I left a cd player feeding it on continuous when I was on holiday.There's a big improvement over my 7520 with 4562NA caps. The bass is much better - significantly more powerful and tuneful. There is no hint of the "one note" bass that I could sometimes hear on the 7520. Treble is beautiful. It sounds much more refined. SWMBO said it sounded "more expensive".I'm really pleased with mine. Highly recommended.

Wow first Caiman owner!

I was just starting to settle with the idea of sticking with DacMagic and you just it made it more difficult for me. 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

Hey chainrock I am about to message Stan on another forum, so if you give me the first part of your email I will mention that you emailed but had no response if you like?

 

[Clare Newsome]

the test team tell me we got confirmation from Stan today that we'll have a Caiman DAC for review later this month - that means we should be able to (just!) test it before our Awards.

 

[Anonymous]

hi fi newbie:Hey chainrock I am about to message Stan on another forum, so if you give me the first part of your email I will mention that you emailed but had no response if you like?

Thanks mate, I emailed him on 04/08/2009 for trial of Caiman. No biggie though, I am on holidays for next 10 days so can try him again when I get back.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, in the end I plumped for a Dacmagic as it seemed to fit the bill more than a Caiman or 7520 - I am after a musicality and not the clinical kind of sound that Beresford's have a reputation for.

Have to say - WOW - what a difference to the onboard DAC of my Squeezebox 3 classic - I can honestly say that now the Squeezebox sounds every bit as good as my Arcam CD73T - and that will do me - great soundstage now, crisp but refined treble, deep but controlled bass, lots of detail that I couldn't hear before - what more could you ask for ? I'm not knocking the Beresford's, but the Dacmagic has done me proud.

 

[matthewpiano]

It amazes me that this always seems to be a two horse race when the Musical Fidelity V-DAC is so superb and such excellent value for money.

 

[pete321]

Both are extremely good DAC's for the money, I went with the DacMagic purely because I needed it to stand-up vertically. If that wasn't an issue, I'd go with the cheaper Beresford. Both can be turned into £1K+ equivalent DAC's for relatively little extra outlay with some modding when future budget allows.

I'm finding that my modded DacMagic outperforms the stereo digital/analogue conversion in my Arcam AVR600.