How good is the cambridge audio dac magic? im useing an arcam cd72 at the moment, would adding the dac give big improvements to my player? ive never used a dac so any info would be fab, im also interested in the musiacal fidelity v-dac.
its a kind of dac magic..
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John Duncan
Well-known member
The DACMagic is great......but (I would argue) primarily for lossless streaming. If you have a CD player with a good quality DAC (which the Arcam has), I would not expect to hear much, if any, difference.
To me, the benefits of DACs are to unleash the potential of hard-drive stored music (which I think has technical benefits over a spinning disc), and not to make CD players sound better (unless it's a really cheap one).
GMMV (gerrardasnails' mileage may vary....)
To me, the benefits of DACs are to unleash the potential of hard-drive stored music (which I think has technical benefits over a spinning disc), and not to make CD players sound better (unless it's a really cheap one).
GMMV (gerrardasnails' mileage may vary....)
Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
JohnDuncan:The DACMagic is great......but (I would argue) primarily for lossless streaming. If you have a CD player with a good quality DAC (which the Arcam has), I would not expect to hear much, if any, difference.
To me, the benefits of DACs are to unleash the potential of hard-drive stored music (which I think has technical benefits over a spinning disc), and not to make CD players sound better (unless it's a really cheap one).
GMMV (gerrardasnails' mileage may vary....)
No, I agree mostly. A dvd player or in my case a Bluray player with the DacMagic and you've got yourself a £300-500 cd player. As JD says, your Arcam has a decent DAC. The only problem and it's most cd players like it under £1k, it doesn't have a digital in. Therefore, you can't listen to the DAC without the CD.
To me, the benefits of DACs are to unleash the potential of hard-drive stored music (which I think has technical benefits over a spinning disc), and not to make CD players sound better (unless it's a really cheap one).
GMMV (gerrardasnails' mileage may vary....)
No, I agree mostly. A dvd player or in my case a Bluray player with the DacMagic and you've got yourself a £300-500 cd player. As JD says, your Arcam has a decent DAC. The only problem and it's most cd players like it under £1k, it doesn't have a digital in. Therefore, you can't listen to the DAC without the CD.
jimm:How good is the cambridge audio dac magic? im useing an arcam cd72 at the moment, would adding the dac give big improvements to my player? ive never used a dac so any info would be fab, im also interested in the musiacal fidelity v-dac.
Put the money you were gonna spend on a DAC towards turning your 72 into a 192 instead.
Put the money you were gonna spend on a DAC towards turning your 72 into a 192 instead.
I've recently gone down the route John describes - ie lossless streaming rather than using a CD player.
By way of comparison I did connect the DAC to my CD192 but did not hear any improvment (not that I expected any).
In your question you ask if you will get "big improvements" by using a DAC - I doubt you would.
By way of comparison I did connect the DAC to my CD192 but did not hear any improvment (not that I expected any).
In your question you ask if you will get "big improvements" by using a DAC - I doubt you would.
Lost Angeles
Well-known member
Put the money you were gonna spend on a DAC towards turning your 72 into a 192 instead.
You are happy with the 192 then Chris.
You are happy with the 192 then Chris.
nice idea chris, i used to own a 192 but had to sell it due to circumstances, are arcam still able to convert the player???
Apart from the CA DAC, the Beresford 7520, the MF DAC, there's a bit of a gap up to the Stello SA100 DAC at £650. What is there in the middle to fill that gap (home audio manufacturers only incidentally, not Pro from M-Audio or Apogee, etc) or is it just the £150-£200 mark and then a big step up to the Stello at £650?
Very happy with my 'new' 192. Much more live sounding, more of a natural feel to the sound than with my old 72. Not that I was displeased with my 72s performance, but after 7 years I wanted to upgrade.
I don't know if Arcam have stopped doing 192 upgrades. I guess binning the DIVA range could mean that they can't do it any more. Drop 'em a line & see what they say, I guess.
I don't know if Arcam have stopped doing 192 upgrades. I guess binning the DIVA range could mean that they can't do it any more. Drop 'em a line & see what they say, I guess.
Ive spoken to arcam and they still have the cd192 upgrade kits available for 500 pounds! i paid 400 for my 192, crikey you would of thought it would of been a wee bit cheaper as the diva two channel range is no more, ebay here i come!
jimm:Ive spoken to arcam and they still have the cd192 upgrade kits available for 500 pounds! i paid 400 for my 192, crikey you would of thought it would of been a wee bit cheaper as the diva two channel range is no more, ebay here i come!
Yeah. Mine was £300 on Gumtree.
Yeah. Mine was £300 on Gumtree.
I agree with Big Chris spend your money on a better CDP. I tried the DACmagic last weekend on my system and it made no difference whatsoever even using the digital output which the DV135 has. If you could find one you could go for an Arcam DV135 - I use mine almost exclusively as a CD/SACD player and it is a belter and I picked mine up new for £300 !
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