DAC recommendations
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Well, the obvious contenders are the Cambridge Audio DACMagic and the options from Beresford. DACs seem to clock in at either the sub £250 mark or £500 plus. I'm not aware of anything at £350, and I think it unlikely that the DACMagic can be significantly bettered sub £500. The choice between this and the Beresford seems to come down to taste and requirements for input options.
the musical vdac rates highly as well in fact has bettered the dacmagic in some reviews
seems to deppend whether you like something with lots of prat or a bit more laid back
seems to deppend whether you like something with lots of prat or a bit more laid back
Dave_
Well-known member
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
You can also get a free trial,details Here, So there's no risk,if you dont like it you just return it.
You can also get a free trial,details Here, So there's no risk,if you dont like it you just return it.
idc
Well-known member
daveh75:
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
DACs and headphone amps go hand in hand, there are very few which are DACs alone. Two examples are the Firestone Fubar and Spitfire, which are available from Russ Andrews with a returns policy, Amazon and their returns policy and the manufacturer direct.
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
DACs and headphone amps go hand in hand, there are very few which are DACs alone. Two examples are the Firestone Fubar and Spitfire, which are available from Russ Andrews with a returns policy, Amazon and their returns policy and the manufacturer direct.
Yes, widen the net a little and trawl further afield from the established and usual suspects, if only to discount Chordette and the rest from your shortlist having heard them for yourself. This isn't a dig at the Beresford or Cambridge products, far from it, but we are selling ourselves short not looking around a little more and seeing what else lies beyond the oft-quoted award or test winning brand names, good though they may be.
idc
Well-known member
I agree Record Spot. I think that What Hifi making DACs seprarte from CDPs in the buyers guide and more reviews would help. We are in a V-DAC, Beresford, DacMagic rut. There is the odd Fubar, Pro-ject, Benchmark owner, but not much else.
idc:I agree Record Spot. I think that What Hifi making DACs seprarte from CDPs in the buyers guide and more reviews would help. We are in a V-DAC, Beresford, DacMagic rut. There is the odd Fubar, Pro-ject, Benchmark owner, but not much else.
Is that such a bad thing? They're all competent products by all accounts. I find it interesting though that while we have a lot of people on the forum with mid-range CD players (say £700-£1000 ish) there a relatively few of us who've splashed out on an equivalently priced DAC, something like the Benchmark for example. Then again, I guess it is still relatively early days in the DAC resurgence.
Is that such a bad thing? They're all competent products by all accounts. I find it interesting though that while we have a lot of people on the forum with mid-range CD players (say £700-£1000 ish) there a relatively few of us who've splashed out on an equivalently priced DAC, something like the Benchmark for example. Then again, I guess it is still relatively early days in the DAC resurgence.
That's arguably because all people read about for the most part might be one or two well publicised DACs.
you could say the same about speakers too
how often do you see ma br1 or rs8 or bw385 recommended
how often do you see ma br1 or rs8 or bw385 recommended
i think the main issue is it's still not that easy to walk into a shop and demo a dac.
and even if shops stocked a range of dacs, what would you feed it with? could be a bit of a pain for those who use their home pc as a source to take that along.
having said that, given the interest in them, the mag could/should review more, even the ones that are primarily only available online or in a few shops. stello, lavry and benchmark to name a few.
and even if shops stocked a range of dacs, what would you feed it with? could be a bit of a pain for those who use their home pc as a source to take that along.
having said that, given the interest in them, the mag could/should review more, even the ones that are primarily only available online or in a few shops. stello, lavry and benchmark to name a few.
Dave_
Well-known member
idc:daveh75:
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
Now you see personally i feel too much is made of "this dac has this chip " etc. The rest of the circuitry and the quality of the component's used and how it's implemented all play a part in the dacs performance, so for me what chip any particular dac has isn't a major factor and you should let your ears decide like any other piece of kit.
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
Now you see personally i feel too much is made of "this dac has this chip " etc. The rest of the circuitry and the quality of the component's used and how it's implemented all play a part in the dacs performance, so for me what chip any particular dac has isn't a major factor and you should let your ears decide like any other piece of kit.
IMHO the most important part of the dac is its output stage. No matter how good its digital processing is, (and it has to be said that most dacs process digital very well indeed) if it outputs a rubbish analogue waveform then all is lost.
Just my 1p's worth.......
Just my 1p's worth.......
idc
Well-known member
daveh75:idc:daveh75:
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
Now you see personally i feel too much is made of "this dac has this chip " etc. The rest of the cicuitry and the quality of the component's used and how it's implemented all play a part in the dacs performance, so for me what chip any particular dac has isn't a major factor and you should let your ears decide like any other piece of kit.
I agree, but the chip is a major selling point, I have yet to find a DAC that did not say at least which brand (not that there are many) is used. My real point was since pre-amp/headphone amp/DACs are often combined and this thread is specifically about DAC recommendations, that it is worth noting.
Well there's MGL Audio's Symphony Mini DACPre availabe for ?399(about £359 at current rates) available direct Here.
I've not heard it, but for your money you are getting a DAC/headphone amp/pre amp. The specifications say a Wolfson DAC, but not which one. The DACMagic also uses a Wolfson, the WM8740. In the same way the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P uses the same DAC as the V-DAC, but it is not rated as a DAC, it would be worth checking out which DAC the MGL has. Or else you are spending money on stuff you dont need, thinking you are getting a better DAC.
Now you see personally i feel too much is made of "this dac has this chip " etc. The rest of the cicuitry and the quality of the component's used and how it's implemented all play a part in the dacs performance, so for me what chip any particular dac has isn't a major factor and you should let your ears decide like any other piece of kit.
I agree, but the chip is a major selling point, I have yet to find a DAC that did not say at least which brand (not that there are many) is used. My real point was since pre-amp/headphone amp/DACs are often combined and this thread is specifically about DAC recommendations, that it is worth noting.
I would suggest to spend a bit of a money on a good quality Tube DAC. In my auditioning results a well implemented DAC was on Wolfson WM8741 chips in dual mono mode made by Malbru - MB™ DAC -WM1 Tube DAC. I absolutely pleased with the sound. In reality all components in your audio chain are important as well as interconnects. So no shortcut for a good involving and engaging sound - but it is surely worth it.
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