Question on DacMagic

[admin_exported]

Sorry if this has been done to death, but I'm thinking of buying a DacMagic to go between my (new!) MacBook Pro and my Lars & Ivan BK-21 system. I know the Macbook will connect to the Dac from it's optical out or it's USB, but I can't get to the bottom of whether the DacMagic will connect to the single 3.5mm input on the Lars & Ivan amp? I believe the DacMagic has twin RCA outputs but is it possible to buy a twin RCA to single 3.5mm jack lead? (and if so, what's a good quality one for me to buy to go with the DacMagic?)

Cheers

 

[nads]

yes you can get cables for that.

QED do a few for one maker.

 

[nads]

mmm just looked at what the BoBo is.

So say a 50 quid cable a £230 DAC into a £130 amp speaker combo.

i would just run a cable from the Mac to the amp.

 

[Anonymous]

You don't think the DacMagic would give me any improvement in performance over the Mac's soundcard?

 

[John Duncan]

It will give you an improvement in performance, but not as much as replacing the L&I with a proper stereo. One thing it will do is remove the audio output from a noisy mains supply, but it's quite an expensive way of doing it - you might be cheaper just getting an airport express and streaming instead.

If you had a budget amp like...a NAD...say, and a pair of Q Acoustic 2010s, then that would be a different matter.

 

[nads]

never having heard a BoBo i cant say, but what i can say is that i found it very hard to hear the difference the Dac Magic made when used with my CDP, but i can tell the difference with my Squeezebox which then goes into a few £k of amp and speakers.

I would look at a different route to better sound than spending more on a dac than your amp and speakers cost.

If the amp and speakers can not but changed then some form of mediaplayer/streamer would be a better step forward.

Dont rush in as it may not be the best bang for buck as if you want a dac a Berisford might be a better spend as it was a close second to the DM but cheaper.