I'll skip the Stereophile-style pre-review ramble and get straight into the thick of things. Review split into sections for clarity.
Build Quality: Solidly constructed, in a pleasing matte black finish; gold plating is used on inputs/outputs where applicable. There isn't really much to take umbrage at.
Features: A plethora of inputs and outputs - 2 sets of digital inputs, both accepting the signal via either coax or optical. There is also a USB input - this accepts 16/44 data or below, whilst the other inputs can manage 24/96. Balanced and unbalanced outputs are offered and to top it all the DACMagic offers a variety of different digital filters (3) and the ability to reverse the phase. For a product of this price, it is rather fully featured.
A word about the power supply: All newer models ship with a Cambridge Audio branded "wallwart", resolving the previous overheating/safety issues.
Sound: I'm not going to ramble here. The measured performance by Stereophile was exemplary, especially for the price. If you were forced to draw from me a comment on the sound, I would say that the output bears a startling resemblance to the material being played back. It delivers the audio with vanishingly low levels of anything conceivably objectionable and at a reasonable price.
So, to conclude, plenty of features and very accurate sound reproduction.
Build Quality: Solidly constructed, in a pleasing matte black finish; gold plating is used on inputs/outputs where applicable. There isn't really much to take umbrage at.
Features: A plethora of inputs and outputs - 2 sets of digital inputs, both accepting the signal via either coax or optical. There is also a USB input - this accepts 16/44 data or below, whilst the other inputs can manage 24/96. Balanced and unbalanced outputs are offered and to top it all the DACMagic offers a variety of different digital filters (3) and the ability to reverse the phase. For a product of this price, it is rather fully featured.
A word about the power supply: All newer models ship with a Cambridge Audio branded "wallwart", resolving the previous overheating/safety issues.
Sound: I'm not going to ramble here. The measured performance by Stereophile was exemplary, especially for the price. If you were forced to draw from me a comment on the sound, I would say that the output bears a startling resemblance to the material being played back. It delivers the audio with vanishingly low levels of anything conceivably objectionable and at a reasonable price.
So, to conclude, plenty of features and very accurate sound reproduction.
