Question DACMagic 200M |How much of a difference can I expect?

[bofh]

I've got a Myryad MI120 playing through original Epos ES14 speakers. Currently it's fed by a £50 DAC connected over Bluetooth and Chord C-line RCA cables. So, basically a respectable mid-range combination fed by a relatively inexpensive DAC. I'm just wondering if anybody here has made a similar upgrade and what a difference it made? My music collection is nearly all FLAC ripped from CD.

 

[Revolutions]

The only way you'll really know is by listening, unfortunately. Do you have a shop nearby that stocks the DACMagic so you can take your current DAC along & compare? A home test would be preferable as the shop's equipment is likely to be pretty different from your setup, so worth exploring that option if possible.

 

[Stuart83]

DAC's can make a difference mostly when going from cheap to a better one but Bluetooth will always be a weak link, I have Bluetooth in my system via an Ifi-Zen with LDAC but still mothballed it in the end noticing it's limits and to me with my system a massive improvement using a Hegal dac straight from CD.

I'd imagine your upgrade is closer than you think and it's to do away with Bluetooth and get your music direct from "source" via a physical connection if your looking to improve sound quality over convenience, otherwise your quest for improvement will always be limited by your connections limitations,

 

[bofh]

DAC's can make a difference mostly when going from cheap to a better one but Bluetooth will always be a weak link, I have Bluetooth in my system via an Ifi-Zen with LDAC but still mothballed it in the end noticing it's limits and to me with my system a massive improvement using a Hegal dac straight from CD.

I'd imagine your upgrade is closer than you think and it's to do away with Bluetooth and get your music direct from "source" via a physical connection if your looking to improve sound quality over convenience, otherwise your quest for improvement will always be limited by your connections limitations,

Thanks for your advice, I'll give the 200M a miss for the moment then. My current DAC seems to have issues with the USB connection, whichever laptop I plug it into. My newest laptop dates back to 2013 but it never had an issue with the previous DAC. I'll look for something else used on the bay.

 

[nopiano]

If you have problems, then I’d certainly avoid Bluetooth. Are all your FLAC copies on a computer?
It depends on what you want to improve, but with your follow up it suggests that getting a dependable connection is the first step, rather than pondering over the audio qualities.

In the nicest way, I can’t imagine a 12 year old laptop is an ideal source for music. You could get a complete streamer with DAC for less than the RRP of a DAC Magic 200 and have access to millions of tracks for a tenner a month.

 

[bofh]

If you have problems, then I’d certainly avoid Bluetooth. Are all your FLAC copies on a computer?
It depends on what you want to improve, but with your follow up it suggests that getting a dependable connection is the first step, rather than pondering over the audio qualities.

In the nicest way, I can’t imagine a 12 year old laptop is an ideal source for music. You could get a complete streamer with DAC for less than the RRP of a DAC Magic 200 and have access to millions of tracks for a tenner a month.

I'd don't like streaming as either a business model or as a technology. The laptop isn't an issue - dual processors running at GHz have way more than enough capacity for processing audio signals. I'll stick with what I've got for the moment and look around on eBay for a secondhand DAC.

 

[Dave_]

In the nicest way, I can’t imagine a 12 year old laptop is an ideal source for music. You could get a complete streamer with DAC for less than the RRP of a DAC Magic 200 and have access to millions of tracks for a tenner a month.

Music streaming/playback is trivial.

A 12 year old laptop is a more than adequate source. Even a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero is a more than capable source.

I'd agree that Bluetooth is the weak link here....

Though sceptical you'd reliably be able to hear a difference under blind conditions.

 

[record_spot]

Get hold of one from the Cambridge Ebay store. They've been going for about £249 for the refurbished or Open Box models. There's also a coupon discount that brings the price down further and Cambridge give you a 30 day return period. That'd be my pick.

Personally, I think it's a great unit with excellent sound and ample connectivity.

Link to item below:-

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