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So it's been a slow upgrade process for me lately; since I last upgraded from a Pass Labs X150 to an X250.5 amp more than a year ago. No regrets there!
However, I'm behind the times without much dough to splurge on Hifi (and yet, an insatiable desire to do so). What do I do? I decided to purchase the much lauded Cambridge Audio DacMagic as an upgrade to my Denon 2910 universal player. I don't really need a video upgrade since I still value my Sony tube tv. I'm a 2-channel guy at heart; this was about the music for me.
It was also about convenience and usability. The Ipod functionality in my car has proven invaluable. It's sweet not having to change discs to get to the next artist/track. I've been needing an upgrade path to get me in the direction of pc audio.
Of course, jitter rejection is a must, St3reophile's review indicated the DacMagic does that much. The caveat, however, is that on pc with the USB input, the DacMagic must run from the laptop battery supply to maintain excellent jitter characteristics. It measured poorly when run straight from a wall supply through a pc.
I haven't purchased a laptop yet. So I've been comparing it's sound to my Denon player to see if there is an actual appreciation in SQ or not.
PHASE:
Well, at first, I wasn't convinced. Actually I was put off by the damn thing and almost returned it! :x At first, it was simply louder than the Denon, but less refined sounding. Classical tunes sounded awful; the Denon clearly won with this genre of music. The soundstage seemed huge, yet confused. I couldn't place players on the stage. Things were off. Bass slam was excellent however, and an upgrade at that.
My sensible side said, "Wait, allow more time; maybe you're the one with the problem." I took a break for a couple days and came back to it later.
Well my patience paid off. It gave my brain a chance to consider if something was amiss. My guess is that the coaxial out on my Denon inverts phase. The DacMagic fortunately includes a phase inverter. My brief recess stimulated my memory that this feature was included on the dac and . . . problem solved! Cool! 8)
The soundstage snapped into focus, now I could actually compare the equipment. The DacMagic sounds noticeably louder than the Denon player. Not ridiculously so, but plainly. It has much better bass slam. It's a little easier to sense texture of instruments like cellos/violins. It mainly seems like a closer seat to the performers. The Denon still sounded good, but further back.
The Denon seems to have blacker backgrounds, probably due to a superior power supply (versus the DacMagic wall-wart; beefy though it is). This subjectively still makes it seem relatively, more refined. Overall, for different reasons, I would consider this a lateral move with different perspectives. Not a hands down winner on either side.
The fun of the DacMagic for me is it will allow me an affordable entry into PC audio. When I can finally upgrade my preamp (hoping to get either Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE or Pass Labs XP10), I'll be able to use the true balanced outs on the DAC. I wonder if that may be a game-changer. That's an impressive feature on such an inexpensive gadget.
In conclusion, I like my DacMagic. It's definitely more fun on action movies, metal, r&b/hip-hop and certain classical tunes with it's prodigious bass capabilities. I don't find myself switching back to the Denon's dac for sound (even on classical). I pretty much stick with the DacMagic, so it's added benefits must outweigh the slightly blacker background/more distant perspective of the Denon.
Someday, I may get the itch for a "higher-end" dac, but this is a good-quality little box. I could easily recommend it to others. My only wish would be for Cambridge Audio to offer an upgraded power supply. The Dac itself seems to deserve it.
-JBreezy-
I'd be interested to hear others experiences with the balanced outs. My next stop should be an affordable laptop. I'm open to suggestions. :T
However, I'm behind the times without much dough to splurge on Hifi (and yet, an insatiable desire to do so). What do I do? I decided to purchase the much lauded Cambridge Audio DacMagic as an upgrade to my Denon 2910 universal player. I don't really need a video upgrade since I still value my Sony tube tv. I'm a 2-channel guy at heart; this was about the music for me.
It was also about convenience and usability. The Ipod functionality in my car has proven invaluable. It's sweet not having to change discs to get to the next artist/track. I've been needing an upgrade path to get me in the direction of pc audio.
Of course, jitter rejection is a must, St3reophile's review indicated the DacMagic does that much. The caveat, however, is that on pc with the USB input, the DacMagic must run from the laptop battery supply to maintain excellent jitter characteristics. It measured poorly when run straight from a wall supply through a pc.
I haven't purchased a laptop yet. So I've been comparing it's sound to my Denon player to see if there is an actual appreciation in SQ or not.
PHASE:
Well, at first, I wasn't convinced. Actually I was put off by the damn thing and almost returned it! :x At first, it was simply louder than the Denon, but less refined sounding. Classical tunes sounded awful; the Denon clearly won with this genre of music. The soundstage seemed huge, yet confused. I couldn't place players on the stage. Things were off. Bass slam was excellent however, and an upgrade at that.
My sensible side said, "Wait, allow more time; maybe you're the one with the problem." I took a break for a couple days and came back to it later.
Well my patience paid off. It gave my brain a chance to consider if something was amiss. My guess is that the coaxial out on my Denon inverts phase. The DacMagic fortunately includes a phase inverter. My brief recess stimulated my memory that this feature was included on the dac and . . . problem solved! Cool! 8)
The soundstage snapped into focus, now I could actually compare the equipment. The DacMagic sounds noticeably louder than the Denon player. Not ridiculously so, but plainly. It has much better bass slam. It's a little easier to sense texture of instruments like cellos/violins. It mainly seems like a closer seat to the performers. The Denon still sounded good, but further back.
The Denon seems to have blacker backgrounds, probably due to a superior power supply (versus the DacMagic wall-wart; beefy though it is). This subjectively still makes it seem relatively, more refined. Overall, for different reasons, I would consider this a lateral move with different perspectives. Not a hands down winner on either side.
The fun of the DacMagic for me is it will allow me an affordable entry into PC audio. When I can finally upgrade my preamp (hoping to get either Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE or Pass Labs XP10), I'll be able to use the true balanced outs on the DAC. I wonder if that may be a game-changer. That's an impressive feature on such an inexpensive gadget.
In conclusion, I like my DacMagic. It's definitely more fun on action movies, metal, r&b/hip-hop and certain classical tunes with it's prodigious bass capabilities. I don't find myself switching back to the Denon's dac for sound (even on classical). I pretty much stick with the DacMagic, so it's added benefits must outweigh the slightly blacker background/more distant perspective of the Denon.
Someday, I may get the itch for a "higher-end" dac, but this is a good-quality little box. I could easily recommend it to others. My only wish would be for Cambridge Audio to offer an upgraded power supply. The Dac itself seems to deserve it.
-JBreezy-
I'd be interested to hear others experiences with the balanced outs. My next stop should be an affordable laptop. I'm open to suggestions. :T
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