Sonos ZP90/Arcam DV88/Cambridge Audio DACMagic

[admin_exported]

I'm currently looking at getting a ZP90 to handle streaming of lossless audio from a NAS. I'm not really interested in the multiroom features at this point, but may be in future. For the past decade my system has been more or less unchanged:

Acoustic Energy AE109s Bi-amped to an Arcam 8R/P75 Poweramp combo. Primary source has been a Arcam DV88. Van Den Hul D102 III interconnects and QED silver spiral cables.

If I get the Sonos, I was also thinking of getting a DACMagic and, given it has multiple inputs, was wondering if I'd hear significant improvement by routing the DV88 through it also.

 

[Andy H]

I can't coment on your DV88, but the DacMagic improves the sound of the Z90 massively.

 

[mitch65]

Andy H:I can't coment on your DV88, but the DacMagic improves the sound of the Z90 massively.

Agree with Andy, I have been trying my Sonos through the DacMagic as a trial and it does improve it by a fair margin, I cannot comment on the Arcam though.

 

[scene]

I can comment on the DV88, as I have used this as a CD player for many years and I think it's fantastic. The Wolfson DACs that Arcam are so fond of produce a detailed, coherent soundstage through my A85, full of dynamism and attack. Love it. I've used the DV88 with my AVR250, both via analogue and optical out (so using the DACs in the AVR250). Unfortunately, as the AVR250 uses the same Wolfson DACs as the DV88, it sounds pretty much the same either way.

The DV88, in my opinion, is a wonderful audiophile CD player. And if you upgraded it do a DV88-PLUS (I didn't

), a really good DVD player (as long as you have a good upscaling amp / display).

I can't comment directly on the DacMagic, but I do have a Sonos connected to my system and it can't compare to the DV88 (or the DV79) on analogue. When plumbed into my AVR250 on optical (so using the Arcam's DAC's) it is not as good as either of the Arcam DVD players on analogue. I therefore suspect that the DacMagic will definitely improve the Sonos, but that the combo still won't be as good as the DV88 - you'll need a better DAC for that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks all for those thoughts, I guess I'll just experiment a bit regarding the DV88 and see what sounds best. Reckon the DACmagic will be a definite purchase after the Sonos...

 

[Andy H]

Have you thought about the Arcam rdac, had a good review in the mag, I'm intrested in one myself, but haven't heard one yet.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it's probably out of my price range, but we all know how money tends to find itself in these situations.