Would you upgrade if you were me?

[admin_exported]

Hi everybody. Upgrade fever has well and truly hit me. I'm looking into setting up a computer based system when I get back home (living in France at the moment), so far I have B&W 685s, Cambridge Audio 540C V2 & Cambridge Audio 540A V2. I'm thinking of getting either a DacMagic or Beresford 7520 which will be fed from a squeezebox, which will be playing my lossless files from external hard drive.

My question is, is it worth me upgrading my amp to the Roksan Kandy MKIII (which I can get for £330, is that a good price?) from my Cambridge Audio 540A V2?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi well what do you think of the 685's? if you are impressed with them, then yes I would definitely buy the Roksan. It will give you much more power and improve every aspect of your existing amplifier. However I feel it would be misleading to recommend the Beresford T520 over the Dac Magic having not heard heard the latter, but what I can tell you is this, The Dac Magic upsamples to 24 bit, lossless is 16 bit. Therefore some people love the effect that the Dac Magic has, some people don't, either though, both seem to be very well liked.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

GradoCanMan:
Hi everybody. Upgrade fever has well and truly hit me. I'm looking into setting up a computer based system when I get back home (living in France at the moment), so far I have B&W 685s, Cambridge Audio 540C V2 & Cambridge Audio 540A V2. I'm thinking of getting either a DacMagic or Beresford 7520 which will be fed from a squeezebox, which will be playing my lossless files from external hard drive.

My question is, is it worth me upgrading my amp to the Roksan Kandy MKIII (which I can get for £330, is that a good price?) from my Cambridge Audio 540A V2?

Thanks for any replies.

I would for sure. Lossless files to the DacMagic or Beresford and the Kandy will make you look at your speakers again! It should sound very nice.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Defo. Just take a look at my sig to see what level of kit the Beresford can mix it with! The Kandy will give a lot more "oomph" to the sound and should also reveal a lot more detail.

 

[Craig M.]

agree with the comments posted. i had ca 640 amp and upgraded to kandy L.lll the roksan murders the 640, so it will probably kill your 540, bring it back to life, then kill it again!! at that price it is a no brainer for me. if you can afford it, i would get both the dacmagic and a beresford and send back the one you don't like as there is quite a difference between the two. i wouldn't say one was better then the other, but they do sound quite different from each other and so will come down to system matching/preference.

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely DACMagic or Beresford depending on taste. You may be so impressed that you sell your CDP to recoup the costs of the DAC!

 

[Anonymous]

Honestly, thanks for the replies guys. You've made me decide on buying the Roksan!

I don't think i'll have enough money for both the Dacmagic and Beresford, so does anyone know which one would be better for metal music? I do listen to all sorts of music, but mainly metal. I'm looking for a punchy, fast, detailed system. Which one would fit the bill?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't heard the Beresford but can definitely vouch for the DACMagic for rock music. I listen to rock/metal/alternative 80% of the time. The DACMagic would fit the bill perfectly IMO.

 

[Craig M.]

the dacmagic is more full bodied then the beresford. i also found the dacmagic dynamically a bit flat. my own opinion is that the beresford would suit metal more. however, the beresford has a 30 day money back trial period and richer sounds will take the dacmagic back if everything is mint, so you could get one, listen and return, and then try the other one.

something else to consider, if you listen or plan to listen through headphones, the headphone output on the kandy L.lll is poor. the beresford has a half decent headphone amp in it.

 

[Anonymous]

Headphone use is a big thing for me, thanks for that point. I had heard that the beresford is a good headphone amp. I'm most likely going to buy a seperate headphone amp in time though, so maybe not too much of an issue. Thanks for your points.

 

[JoelSim]

Get the Kandy. And a CDP.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

🙂 Thanks for the reply Joel. I've seen around the forum that you aren't too keen on computer based systems. Each to his own.

I will be keeping my Cambridge Audio 540C V2 because it's always nice to get a CD out and play it, but convenience and good reviews of a computer + DAC are an advantage for me.

Also, my wallet can't take a hit on anymore purchases,

so I can't upgrade to an equally good CD player. Hopefully the DAC will do a nice job!

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

 

[JoelSim]

Andrew Everard:I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

I think you're (scarily) with me on most things Andrew ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

Please clarify Andrew :- with Joel as in OP should get Kandy and a CDP? Or with Joel as in not keen on computer-based music? And why?

 

[JoelSim]

AKL:
Andrew Everard:I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

Please clarify Andrew :- with Joel as in OP should get Kandy and a CDP?ÿ Or with Joel as in not keen on computer-based music?ÿ And why?

It doesn't matter really. Just about what sounds best.

ÿ

 

[PJPro]

JoelSim:AKL:
Andrew Everard:I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

Please clarify Andrew :- with Joel as in OP should get Kandy and a CDP?ÿ Or with Joel as in not keen on computer-based music?ÿ And why?

It doesn't matter really. Just about what sounds best.

ÿ

You mean forget the CDP?

 

[JoelSim]

PJPro:JoelSim:AKL:
Andrew Everard:I'm (scarily) with Joel on this one.

Please clarify Andrew :- with Joel as in OP should get Kandy and a CDP?ÿ Or with Joel as in not keen on computer-based music?ÿ And why?

It doesn't matter really. Just about what sounds best.

ÿ

You mean forget the CDP?

ÿ

ÿ