DacMagic 100 thoughts?

[admin_exported]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts or reports on the new DacMagic 100. I had been gearing up to get the original DacMagic but when I went to buy it I discovered it had been replaced by the 100.

Im particularly curious how it compared to the original, obviously it has less inputs but some improved mechanics (at least in terms of specs and the newer Wolfson chip) but gone are the twin dacs, gone is the unsampling, gone is the filters. So im left wondering is the device better or worse at playing music, have they deliberately gutted the original to make the dM Plus seem more of a step up?

I had been trying to decide between the rDac and the DacMagic for my system, getting a hold of either for testing where I am in awkward (I live in Germany but was just briefly over in the UK). My intended usage is to connect my Apple TV 2 to my Arcam Alpha 8 system for lossless audio.

 

[Anonymous]

The DacMagic 100 isn’t intended to be a direct replacement for the original DacMagic, it’s just one of the new models from our new DAC line-up.

The DacMagic 100 has three digital inputs (one Toslink and two S/PDIF) whereas the original DacMagic had two digital inputs (optical or coaxial for each), so the DacMagic 100 actually has more inputs, not less, than the original.

In the new DacMagic 100 we use the latest Wolfson DAC (the WM8742) but with no upsampling. In the DacMagic and DacMagic Plus we use the older Wolfson WM8740 but with our ATF upsampling – this is because we actually prefer the sound of the upsampling when coupled with the older DAC, but we prefer the sound of the newer DAC if there is no upsampling in operation.

USB connectivity is also far better in the DacMagic 100 (and DacMagic Plus) compared to the original DacMagic – the two new models both feature an asynchronous USB audio input which will accept up to 24/192 files from a PC. The original was adaptive and limited to 16/48 files.

So, in terms of connectivity the DacMagic 100 and DacMagic Plus are both significant upgrades over the original. In terms of sound performance, we certainly feel that this is an upgrade too, but ultimately we’d recommend an audition of the unit so that you can hear for yourself.

 

[WX]

[my first one here... :type: :wave: ]

So, this new little DACmagic 100 is looking good. It has all I want/need in a DAC, now with the Async24/96 USB input!

But I have 2 questions...

Is this USB-receiverchip also a XMOS type? (the DMplus does have one)

Which kind of filter is in use? Possibly a Minimum phase digital filter?

That would be nice because that's what I'm using now on my DacMagic.

I am also looking at the Lindemann usb-dac (XMOS), that has what I like to hear soundwise, but is a little pricier.

 

[SteveR750]

FWIW I find the USB input on the Magic Plus is noticeably better than the optical input on the original Magic with my system.

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi, are there any plans for a review of the Dacmagic 100 by this site? Is anyone out there using it with coaxial or optical fed from a cd player?