Rega DAC

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drummerman

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There seems to be such an abundance of exciting new products, especially in the DAC/Streaming variety that I could imagine some manufacturers have been caught on the back foot with regards to specification that some perhaps have withdrawn an almost 'ready' product to further refine/upgrade specifications to stay competitive, whatever that means. An unsubstantiated thought but one I'd take if I was in that position.
 

SteveR750

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chainrock:

There was a Rega open day on Nov 11 at Lintone Audio, but haven't seen anything since. Anyone seen any more info on the dac & release date?

OK apologies for the hijack - you're kit is very similar to mine, which leads me back on topic - I realiise that good though the DACmagic is, its not the last thing in audiophile hardware, and already givcen thhe huge leap forward in SQ I have made, I am thinking of making some changes. I am going to look at installing a NAS and eitther a squeezebox, or sopme other UPNP device and run thhe whole thing off my home network. At the same time I want top upgrade the DAC, and I like Rega products, despite not having owned any, they have impressed me in all the demos / times I have heard them starting from the first TTs (that I heard) in the 80s. How much of an improvement would you expect to see, or would I need to budget around £1k to get a worthwhile improvement over the DACmagic?
 
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Anonymous

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Steve, this is something I am wondering about too, so i was planning to demo some new dacs including the rDac and the new Rega to see if an upgrade would be worthwhile.

There are mods available for the DacMagic too, so that's always an option to try as well.
 

SonofSun

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I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.
 

chebby

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SonofSun:I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.
I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

Well it's easy enough. Just wait until the Rega DAC is in the shops. Get a demo. Take your DacMagic with you and compare for yourself. (Strong likelehood the same shops will have the Arcam rDac as well.)

Much better than just accepting what 'some geezer' on the internet says. (Lots of 'agendas' out there - especially regarding DACs - but very few of them devoted to whats best for you and your system and your tastes.)
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
chainrock:
Steve, this is something I am wondering about too, so i was planning to demo some new dacs including the rDac and the new Rega to see if an upgrade would be worthwhile.

There are mods available for the DacMagic too, so that's always an option to try as well.

OK lets keep each other posted. I might have some time on my hands soon, so will take a ride into Cardiff with the magic under may arm and a wish list in my pocket. I'll let you know about what hardware the little audio pixies let me listen to.
 

SonofSun

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chebby:SonofSun:I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.
I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

Well it's easy enough. Just wait until the Rega DAC is in the shops. Get a demo. Take your DacMagic with you and compare for yourself. (Strong likelehood the same shops will have the Arcam rDac as well.)

Much better than just accepting what 'some geezer' on the internet says. (Lots of 'agendas' out there - especially regarding DACs - but very few of them devoted to whats best for you and your system and your tastes.)

I take your point, however... I would only buy on a home demo, and I am still not convinced that there is that great difference in sound between Dacs. The question is, would it be better to spend the money on a speaker/amp upgrade, what is going to give you the most bang for your buck?
 
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Anonymous

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SonofSun:

I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

I'm affraid that geezer is talking C***

I demoed the arcam rdac and musical fidelity m1 dac against my apollo and there was a huge difference

3rd was the arcam rdac, for a budget dac its ok but nowhere near as good as the apollo or mf m1

2nd was the MF M1 dac, this actually sounded very good, so good we had to do a blind test and my dealer connected the dac and cd player into the amp and refused to let on which connection he had put it in, after an hour of flicking from one input to another we both came to the same conclusion...

Winner Rega Apollo but it was very very very close, the apollo just pipped it on the instruments.
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
THESTIG08:SonofSun:
I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

I'm affraid that geezer is talking C***

I demoed the arcam rdac and musical fidelity m1 dac against my apollo and there was a huge difference

3rd was the arcam rdac, for a budget dac its ok but nowhere near as good as the apollo or mf m1

2nd was the MF M1 dac, this actually sounded very good, so good we had to do a blind test and my dealer connected the dac and cd player into the amp and refused to let on which connection he had put it in, after an hour of flicking from one input to another we both came to the same conclusion...

Winner Rega Apollo but it was very very very close, the apollo just pipped it on the instruments.

Presumably you were using transport from the Apollo? In other words, comparing Apollo integrated, vs Apollo digital out into a separate DAC?
 
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Anonymous

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yes, rca/phonos from apollo to integrated and apollo optical to dac then integrated both on seperate inputs on the amp to inable us to flick from one to another.

all connections were using mid range chord cobra leads
 
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Anonymous

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good spot
emotion-21.gif


mid december launch
 

chebby

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It is traditional at this point (before a product is launched) for someone to ask something like.. "how does it compare with this list of 16 other DACs none of which I have ever listened to?"
 

SonofSun

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THESTIG08:SonofSun:
I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

I'm affraid that geezer is talking C***

I demoed the arcam rdac and musical fidelity m1 dac against my apollo and there was a huge difference

3rd was the arcam rdac, for a budget dac its ok but nowhere near as good as the apollo or mf m1

2nd was the MF M1 dac, this actually sounded very good, so good we had to do a blind test and my dealer connected the dac and cd player into the amp and refused to let on which connection he had put it in, after an hour of flicking from one input to another we both came to the same conclusion...

Winner Rega Apollo but it was very very very close, the apollo just pipped it on the instruments.

Firstly, don't be afraid, perception is everything my good fellow. I have owned the said player, and it was good but I didn't think it was the dac destroyer you describe.

Certainly interested to compare the Rdac to my Dacmagic.
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
chebby:It is traditional at this point (before a product is launched) for someone to ask something like.. "how does it compare with this list of 16 other DACs none of which I have ever listened to?"

well come on..the punchline is....?
 
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Anonymous

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SonofSun:THESTIG08:SonofSun:

I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

I'm affraid that geezer is talking C***

I demoed the arcam rdac and musical fidelity m1 dac against my apollo and there was a huge difference

3rd was the arcam rdac, for a budget dac its ok but nowhere near as good as the apollo or mf m1

2nd was the MF M1 dac, this actually sounded very good, so good we had to do a blind test and my dealer connected the dac and cd player into the amp and refused to let on which connection he had put it in, after an hour of flicking from one input to another we both came to the same conclusion...

Winner Rega Apollo but it was very very very close, the apollo just pipped it on the instruments.

Firstly, don't be afraid, perception is everything my good fellow. I have owned the said player, and it was good but I didn't think it was the dac destroyer you describe.

Certainly interested to compare the Rdac to my Dacmagic.

I can't for the life of me remember saying the appollo was a dac destroyer, although the apollo did completly outclass the arcam rdac.

By saying the MF M1 dac was very very close to the apollo surely can't be misconstrued as being a destroyer? if anything it shows how good the MF M1 dac actually is for its £399 price tag compared to the £475 price tag on the apollo.
 

Gerrardasnails

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Sep 6, 2007
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THESTIG08:SonofSun:THESTIG08:SonofSun:

I was reading on another forum about some geezer who had tried loads of Dacs at different price points. His opinion was they all sounded pretty similar, and that paying a lot really did not give you VFM.

I have a Dacmagic, and wondering whether it is worth spending more on a new Dac.

I'm affraid that geezer is talking C***

I demoed the arcam rdac and musical fidelity m1 dac against my apollo and there was a huge difference

3rd was the arcam rdac, for a budget dac its ok but nowhere near as good as the apollo or mf m1

2nd was the MF M1 dac, this actually sounded very good, so good we had to do a blind test and my dealer connected the dac and cd player into the amp and refused to let on which connection he had put it in, after an hour of flicking from one input to another we both came to the same conclusion...

Winner Rega Apollo but it was very very very close, the apollo just pipped it on the instruments.

Firstly, don't be afraid, perception is everything my good fellow. I have owned the said player, and it was good but I didn't think it was the dac destroyer you describe.

Certainly interested to compare the Rdac to my Dacmagic.

I can't for the life of me remember saying the appollo was a dac destroyer, although the apollo did completly outclass the arcam rdac.

By saying the MF M1 dac was very very close to the apollo surely can't be misconstrued as being a destroyer? if anything it shows how good the MF M1 dac actually is for its £399 price tag compared to the £475 price tag on the apollo.

And just when you thought it was safe to order the Rega....

A prettier rival pops along....

http://www.audiodestination.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2556
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
That's a bold claim they make..."Accepting an input signal from 44.1 to 192kHz with a bit-depth range from 16 to 24-bits, jitter is a virtual non-issue thanks to the asynchronous operaion of this DAC.."
 

El Hefe

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Jun 21, 2008
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There has been a burst of DAC products this year. All of sudden, a number of companies are into DAC. I remember at one time 1997 to 2000, there was only a few DACs that were catching into the market. But of course, MP3s at that time was CDP greatest enemy.

have a look at this DAC:

http://www.antelopeaudio.com/en/products_integrity.html
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I was invited to a demo of the new rega dac but unfortunatly could not make it due to work comitments, has anyone had a demo or bought the new dac yet?

I would love to know how it compares to the saturn cd player?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
With PC based music the way forward, do you not feel that Rega have missed a trick here by not supporting hi-res files in 24/96 via USB? seems an oversight to me, espc as other cheaper models (Arcam RDAC for instance) do!

Not all pc's have s/pdif support anyhow
emotion-6.gif
 

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