Got the latest Dacmagic from richer sounds today for my pc music out. Not had time to play with it yet but expect loads of questions coming from me !
ha!
ha!
new toys...dacmagic !!!
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i'll try to anticipate some of them
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
sorry, couldn't resist
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
sorry, couldn't resist
Alec
Well-known member
Craig M.:
i'll try to anticipate some of them
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
I'll put a different view, Linear filter is best, SPDIF is better than USB, but I prefer Coax over optical, bit perfect is definately worth the effort of trying to get it. Finally, my lossless music rips are sounding better than a CDP (no jitter) and I wouldn't spend a fortune, but I think a decent dgital cable is worth the expense.
As soon as funds allow, spend between £150-£200 and get some Burson opamps and a few better capacitors installed and you'll turn a good DAC into something really special, not forgetting the Maplin L54BR 12v 3a PSU.
i'll try to anticipate some of them
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
I'll put a different view, Linear filter is best, SPDIF is better than USB, but I prefer Coax over optical, bit perfect is definately worth the effort of trying to get it. Finally, my lossless music rips are sounding better than a CDP (no jitter) and I wouldn't spend a fortune, but I think a decent dgital cable is worth the expense.
As soon as funds allow, spend between £150-£200 and get some Burson opamps and a few better capacitors installed and you'll turn a good DAC into something really special, not forgetting the Maplin L54BR 12v 3a PSU.
Thanks for replys. I have the black nintendo wii aswell of that counts as a (what-hi) new toy....
And virgin media mans coming next fridat to fit me a Hd V+ box...
Gotta decorate today so dacmagics still chillin next to my consoles!!!
(consoles!!!! = im reliving my youth )
And virgin media mans coming next fridat to fit me a Hd V+ box...
Gotta decorate today so dacmagics still chillin next to my consoles!!!
(consoles!!!! = im reliving my youth )
Alec
Well-known member
pete321:Craig M.:
i'll try to anticipate some of them
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
I'll put a different view, Linear filter is best, SPDIF is better than USB, but I prefer Coax over optical, bit perfect is definately worth the effort of trying to get it. Finally, my lossless music rips are sounding better than a CDP (no jitter) and I wouldn't spend a fortune, but I think a decent dgital cable is worth the expense.
As soon as funds allow, spend between £150-£200 and get some Burson opamps and a few better capacitors installed and you'll turn a good DAC into something really special, not forgetting the Maplin L54BR 12v 3a PSU.
maybe your system isn't revealing the graininess in the treble with the linear filter. the min filter also has a fuller bass, which should suit the op's standmounts better.
you may prefer coax, but not many pc's have a coax output.
your lossless rips through a dacmagic sound better then a cdp? which cdp? maybe you should try some better ones.
i'll try to anticipate some of them
min filter is best, optical is better then usb, unless your amp reverses phase leave it as normal, read pjpros post on getting "bit perfect" output from your p.c., don't be suprised if it isn't quite as good as your cdp, you won't hear a difference between optical cables.
I'll put a different view, Linear filter is best, SPDIF is better than USB, but I prefer Coax over optical, bit perfect is definately worth the effort of trying to get it. Finally, my lossless music rips are sounding better than a CDP (no jitter) and I wouldn't spend a fortune, but I think a decent dgital cable is worth the expense.
As soon as funds allow, spend between £150-£200 and get some Burson opamps and a few better capacitors installed and you'll turn a good DAC into something really special, not forgetting the Maplin L54BR 12v 3a PSU.
maybe your system isn't revealing the graininess in the treble with the linear filter. the min filter also has a fuller bass, which should suit the op's standmounts better.
you may prefer coax, but not many pc's have a coax output.
your lossless rips through a dacmagic sound better then a cdp? which cdp? maybe you should try some better ones.
Craig M.:maybe your system isn't revealing the graininess in the treble with the linear filter. the min filter also has a fuller bass, which should suit the op's standmounts better.
you may prefer coax, but not many pc's have a coax output.
your lossless rips through a dacmagic sound better then a cdp? which cdp? maybe you should try some better ones.
Oh well that told me, I'm sure you're right.
you may prefer coax, but not many pc's have a coax output.
your lossless rips through a dacmagic sound better then a cdp? which cdp? maybe you should try some better ones.
Oh well that told me, I'm sure you're right.
it wasn't about "telling you", unless you've missed something from your kit list you're using a relatively smooth sounding av amp, it's been a while since i heard an audiolab amp but i wouldn't call them smooth. you're also using floorstanders with much more bass then the op's speakers. might be the reason you prefer linear.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
Craig M.:
it wasn't about "telling you", unless you've missed something from your kit list you're using a relatively smooth sounding av amp, it's been a while since i heard an audiolab amp but i wouldn't call them smooth. you're also using floorstanders with much more bass then the op's speakers. might be the reason you prefer linear.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
it wasn't about "telling you", unless you've missed something from your kit list you're using a relatively smooth sounding av amp, it's been a while since i heard an audiolab amp but i wouldn't call them smooth. you're also using floorstanders with much more bass then the op's speakers. might be the reason you prefer linear.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
FrankTheTank:Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
It's a few years since I had the delights of quite a few different Cyrus boxes on my hifi rack. I would fully expect the CD8x to do a better job with decoding CD's and for that matter most CD players of that price range. The last decent CDP I had was a Linn Genki and I'm pretty sure that would have done a better job than the DacMagic. Having said that, you can get a DacMagic for £230 and get it upgraded internally for anything between £150 - £400 and end up with a DAC that would probably do a far better job than either of the 2 CD players mentioned. To me that's the benefit of DAC, you can upgrade as funds allow and it's likely to be something you'll keep longer than other items of kit. Plus you can use it with more than one source. Personally, I gave up the getting up and down every 5 minutes to change the CD for a remote control and Windows Media Centre. If you plan to use a DacMagic with something like the Cyrus CD8x, I'd agree, you'll be wasting your time unless you plan to upgrade it. If you buy a DacMagic to use with more than one source and take the upgrade path when your wallet allows, you'll have a excellent addition to your hifi.
I would also echo your concerns on how good the PS3 would be as transport, probably fine for music files as the op wants, but I wouldn't be so sure with discs. I've got my Oppo blu-ray player connected to my DacMagic, if I play the same disc that I've ripped to a lossless audio file, the disc playback sounds flat by comparison to the lossless rip played back using Foobar2000 with WASAPI plugin for bit perfect PC sound.
It's a few years since I had the delights of quite a few different Cyrus boxes on my hifi rack. I would fully expect the CD8x to do a better job with decoding CD's and for that matter most CD players of that price range. The last decent CDP I had was a Linn Genki and I'm pretty sure that would have done a better job than the DacMagic. Having said that, you can get a DacMagic for £230 and get it upgraded internally for anything between £150 - £400 and end up with a DAC that would probably do a far better job than either of the 2 CD players mentioned. To me that's the benefit of DAC, you can upgrade as funds allow and it's likely to be something you'll keep longer than other items of kit. Plus you can use it with more than one source. Personally, I gave up the getting up and down every 5 minutes to change the CD for a remote control and Windows Media Centre. If you plan to use a DacMagic with something like the Cyrus CD8x, I'd agree, you'll be wasting your time unless you plan to upgrade it. If you buy a DacMagic to use with more than one source and take the upgrade path when your wallet allows, you'll have a excellent addition to your hifi.
I would also echo your concerns on how good the PS3 would be as transport, probably fine for music files as the op wants, but I wouldn't be so sure with discs. I've got my Oppo blu-ray player connected to my DacMagic, if I play the same disc that I've ripped to a lossless audio file, the disc playback sounds flat by comparison to the lossless rip played back using Foobar2000 with WASAPI plugin for bit perfect PC sound.
pete321:
FrankTheTank:Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
It's a few years since I had the delights of quite a few different Cyrus boxes on my hifi rack. I would fully expect the CD8x to do a better job with decoding CD's and for that matter most CD players of that price range. The last decent CDP I had was a Linn Genki and I'm pretty sure that would have done a better job than the DacMagic. Having said that, you can get a DacMagic for £230 and get it upgraded internally for anything between £150 - £400 and end up with a DAC that would probably do a far better job than either of the 2 CD players mentioned. To me that's the benefit of DAC, you can upgrade as funds allow and it's likely to be something you'll keep longer than other items of kit. Plus you can use it with more than one source. Personally, I gave up the getting up and down every 5 minutes to change the CD for a remote control and Windows Media Centre. If you plan to use a DacMagic with something like the Cyrus CD8x, I'd agree, you'll be wasting your time unless you plan to upgrade it. If you buy a DacMagic to use with more than one source and take the upgrade path when your wallet allows, you'll have a excellent addition to your hifi.
I would also echo your concerns on how good the PS3 would be as transport, probably fine for music files as the op wants, but I wouldn't be so sure with discs. I've got my Oppo blu-ray player connected to my DacMagic, if I play the same disc that I've ripped to a lossless audio file, the disc playback sounds flat by comparison to the lossless rip played back using Foobar2000 with WASAPI plugin for bit perfect PC sound.
I agree, although i must echo that i only use the PS3 as a transport for lossless WAV's, and ATRAC's at 356k, not for any CD's. I only use the CD8x for discs. I think for the money the Dacmagic is superb and when i compare it to the Cyrus i wouldn't say there is nearly an £800 difference in quality (Which is the RRP difference of the 2 units).
FrankTheTank:Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
It's a few years since I had the delights of quite a few different Cyrus boxes on my hifi rack. I would fully expect the CD8x to do a better job with decoding CD's and for that matter most CD players of that price range. The last decent CDP I had was a Linn Genki and I'm pretty sure that would have done a better job than the DacMagic. Having said that, you can get a DacMagic for £230 and get it upgraded internally for anything between £150 - £400 and end up with a DAC that would probably do a far better job than either of the 2 CD players mentioned. To me that's the benefit of DAC, you can upgrade as funds allow and it's likely to be something you'll keep longer than other items of kit. Plus you can use it with more than one source. Personally, I gave up the getting up and down every 5 minutes to change the CD for a remote control and Windows Media Centre. If you plan to use a DacMagic with something like the Cyrus CD8x, I'd agree, you'll be wasting your time unless you plan to upgrade it. If you buy a DacMagic to use with more than one source and take the upgrade path when your wallet allows, you'll have a excellent addition to your hifi.
I would also echo your concerns on how good the PS3 would be as transport, probably fine for music files as the op wants, but I wouldn't be so sure with discs. I've got my Oppo blu-ray player connected to my DacMagic, if I play the same disc that I've ripped to a lossless audio file, the disc playback sounds flat by comparison to the lossless rip played back using Foobar2000 with WASAPI plugin for bit perfect PC sound.
I agree, although i must echo that i only use the PS3 as a transport for lossless WAV's, and ATRAC's at 356k, not for any CD's. I only use the CD8x for discs. I think for the money the Dacmagic is superb and when i compare it to the Cyrus i wouldn't say there is nearly an £800 difference in quality (Which is the RRP difference of the 2 units).
Frank, have you tried your cyrus as a transport compared to the hdd in the ps3, into the dacmagic? i tried the cyrus cdxtse into a dac xp compared to my mac with lossless, and the cyrus walked it. i wish i had tried the same into the dacmagic, as i suspect the dac xp didn't handle the higher jitter from the mac very well - would've been interesting to see if there was any discernible difference with the dm.
Gerrardasnails
Well-known member
Craig M.:Frank, have you tried your cyrus as a transport compared to the hdd in the ps3, into the dacmagic? i tried the cyrus cdxtse into a dac xp compared to my mac with lossless, and the cyrus walked it. i wish i had tried the same into the dacmagic, as i suspect the dac xp didn't handle the higher jitter from the mac very well - would've been interesting to see if there was any discernible difference with the dm.
Craig, this might be because your Mac Mini is doing some sort of processing to your lossless files. I may be wrong but I don't think you can get bit perfect playback through the MM.
Craig, this might be because your Mac Mini is doing some sort of processing to your lossless files. I may be wrong but I don't think you can get bit perfect playback through the MM.
the mac mini does bit perfect as standard. unlike a pc, it requires no messing about with media players or plug ins. the one thing it won't do is automatically change sample rate for high res files. i was going to do my own guide to using a mac mini as a music server, but there is no point, it's plug and play really. you just set the ripping method in itunes (uncompressed lossless in my case with error correction turned on), and make sure the audio midi setting is at 44.1 khz. due to house rules, i can't provide a link but it has been proven by a user on a computer audio forum. i don't think the mac is an issue at all, as the dac i have now batters every cdp i've ever heard.
Craig M.:Frank, have you tried your cyrus as a transport compared to the hdd in the ps3, into the dacmagic? i tried the cyrus cdxtse into a dac xp compared to my mac with lossless, and the cyrus walked it. i wish i had tried the same into the dacmagic, as i suspect the dac xp didn't handle the higher jitter from the mac very well - would've been interesting to see if there was any discernible difference with the dm.
Hi Craig
I haven't yet no but it might be worth a try to be honest. Like i say i only really use the CA Dacmagic for convenience and my CD player when i'm really in the mood for certain music etc.
Hi Craig
I haven't yet no but it might be worth a try to be honest. Like i say i only really use the CA Dacmagic for convenience and my CD player when i'm really in the mood for certain music etc.
Craig M.:the mac mini does bit perfect as standard. unlike a pc, it requires no messing about with media players or plug ins.......
Where's the fun in that?
Where's the fun in that?
Alec
Well-known member
Alec
Well-known member
Craig M.:i was going to do my own guide to using a mac mini as a music server...
I might be asking for a remedial class some time.
I might be asking for a remedial class some time.
Gerrardasnails:Craig M.:Frank, have you tried your cyrus as a transport compared to the hdd in the ps3, into the dacmagic? i tried the cyrus cdxtse into a dac xp compared to my mac with lossless, and the cyrus walked it. i wish i had tried the same into the dacmagic, as i suspect the dac xp didn't handle the higher jitter from the mac very well - would've been interesting to see if there was any discernible difference with the dm.
Craig, this might be because your Mac Mini is doing some sort of processing to your lossless files. I may be wrong but I don't think you can get bit perfect playback through the MM.
just thought i would post a follow up on this, in case anyone is interested. today, out of interest, i compared one of the new cyrus cdxtse+ transports to my mac mini into my dac. the reason was me wondering what was the cause of the (massive) difference i heard between them into a cyrus dac-xp. i think i can safely say it was down to the way the dac-xp handled jitter. into my chord i'm not really sure i can hear a difference, at first i wondered if the cdxtse+ was a touch smoother, but the more i listen the more i think they sound the same. if there is a difference, it's so small it's not worth bothering with. based on cost and convenience, i'd say it's 1 - nil to the computer.
Craig, this might be because your Mac Mini is doing some sort of processing to your lossless files. I may be wrong but I don't think you can get bit perfect playback through the MM.
just thought i would post a follow up on this, in case anyone is interested. today, out of interest, i compared one of the new cyrus cdxtse+ transports to my mac mini into my dac. the reason was me wondering what was the cause of the (massive) difference i heard between them into a cyrus dac-xp. i think i can safely say it was down to the way the dac-xp handled jitter. into my chord i'm not really sure i can hear a difference, at first i wondered if the cdxtse+ was a touch smoother, but the more i listen the more i think they sound the same. if there is a difference, it's so small it's not worth bothering with. based on cost and convenience, i'd say it's 1 - nil to the computer.
FrankTheTank:Craig M.:
it wasn't about "telling you", unless you've missed something from your kit list you're using a relatively smooth sounding av amp, it's been a while since i heard an audiolab amp but i wouldn't call them smooth. you're also using floorstanders with much more bass then the op's speakers. might be the reason you prefer linear.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
Well just a quick update, i have tried all the filters listening to all my different music tastes, Pearl Jam, Eva Cassidy, Foo's etc and definitely prefer the "min" filter. Better bass and less bright for me, but without losing any significant detail or clarity. All i can say now is that the Dacmagic is sounding even better than before. I did swap the boggo standard interconnect for my VDH d 102 before this testing but it's just impressing me even more. What a great piece of kit, got to be one of the true bargains of Hi-Fi for me!
it wasn't about "telling you", unless you've missed something from your kit list you're using a relatively smooth sounding av amp, it's been a while since i heard an audiolab amp but i wouldn't call them smooth. you're also using floorstanders with much more bass then the op's speakers. might be the reason you prefer linear.
a pc is much more likely to have an optical out then a coax.
i owned a dacmagic and compared it to a lot of cdp's, you'll never see me complaining about the sound per pound of one, but it isn't better then every cdp available - even if you do have to spend a lot to better it. the op has a pretty fancy cdp which might be better then his dm. you mention lossless rips and jitter, i took that to mean that's why you thought it was better then a cdp, according to benchmark media - a company not prone to flights of fancy, any competent cdp can give a bit perfect output, and there is no way your pc, or anyone else's, as a source or the dm are zero jitter.
my original post was meant to be tongue in cheek, and it's probably all irrelevant anyway as no doubt dave will come on and say he prefers the steep setting, through usb.
Just to add my findings on the issue. I have not had time to mess about with the different filters yet, and i'm not sure how good the PS3 is as a transport to the Dacmagic but i find my Cyrus CD8x to be better than the Dacmagic so far. Better, more defined bass, better timing and greater detail. I'm still very happy with the Dacmagic and think it's brilliant for the money and use it a lot for convenience.
Well just a quick update, i have tried all the filters listening to all my different music tastes, Pearl Jam, Eva Cassidy, Foo's etc and definitely prefer the "min" filter. Better bass and less bright for me, but without losing any significant detail or clarity. All i can say now is that the Dacmagic is sounding even better than before. I did swap the boggo standard interconnect for my VDH d 102 before this testing but it's just impressing me even more. What a great piece of kit, got to be one of the true bargains of Hi-Fi for me!
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