I am currently using my Arcam r-blink's dac and would like upgrade the sound further by adding an extrernal dac. I am considering the musical fidelity v90 dac or Audliolab's Q dac which you can get for just over £200 which is pretty good as it retailed for £400. I won't be able to demo so any advice on what to go for would be welcome.
What Dac for £200?
- Thread starter jimm
- Start date
I would caution you not expect too much from a DAC upgrade.
What features do you need from your DAC?
What amplifier do you have?
What features do you need from your DAC?
What amplifier do you have?
I am using a Arcam r-blink with a cyrus 6xp amplifer, the r-blink is a bluetooth dac. Although it sound's great i think i can improve it further by adding one of the dac's i mentioned, i'm leaning towards the musical fidelity v-90 as it supposed to have a smooth sound that might pair nicely with my amp. Feature wise i'm not to fussed, just want to get the most from my system and then think about some better spekers.
By all accounts the Cambridge Audio DAC magic is pretty good, although its getting on quite a bit now. Might be able to pick up a 2nd hand Arcam IrDAC if youre lucky around £200
iMark
Well-known member
We bought our DACMagic in 2010. Still sounds great with all our digital sources. I can't imagine a newer DAC in the same price bracket will sound much better. The only thing that has gotten better is the asynchronous USB. But we don't use USB anyway so it's no bother to us.
However, if I were in the market for a new DAC I would save up for the Arcam irDAC. It has a plethora of connections (2x coax, 2x optical and USB). Better still, it has a remote control. That control would be really handy with our Logitech remote for switching sources. I have to get up now to switch inputs on the DACMagic. But hey, that's a First World problem to have, isn't it?
However, if I were in the market for a new DAC I would save up for the Arcam irDAC. It has a plethora of connections (2x coax, 2x optical and USB). Better still, it has a remote control. That control would be really handy with our Logitech remote for switching sources. I have to get up now to switch inputs on the DACMagic. But hey, that's a First World problem to have, isn't it?
I gambled on a Beresford Bushmaster II, and it was a big step up from my previous built-in DAC. I say it was a gamble because there are not many reviews about and the press is not always 100% positive. However, I cannot fault the advice and service, and after box-swapping with a mate with the irDAC then I can say that the price difference would be hard to justify, unless asynchronous inputs are critical to you. It has added a lot of bass authority and bite, along with a transparent top end that is really to my taste. I am not saying that it is the last word in DACs, but bang per buck is excellent.
I bought the Musical fidelity v90 dac and it is a clear upgrade over the dac inside the arcam r-blink. The synergy with my Cyrus 6xp is good, smooth with plenty of detail and slam. I'll add some better speakers at some point maybe a pair of dynaudio 2/6's, thanks for the advice guy's.
rainsoothe
Well-known member
jimm said:
Hey - I don't think you could've done better for the money, especially since the smooth V90 Dac should complement the bright Cyrus, so congrats. Also, I think the Dynaudios you mention will make quite a good partnership with what you have, so goodluck with your future speakers as well (and consider XTZ 93.23 MKII as well
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