[KettyKrueger]

Hi all,

I have a quick question about the Cambridge Audio DacMagic. I’d like to connect my Macbook Pro and also Blur-Ray player/PS3 through it. Would I then be able to pass the audio from the DacMagic to my AV Receiver (currently the Sony STR-DG910)? If so, will I still get all the HD codecs (Dolby True HD, DTS MA) from a Blu-Ray dics?

Further, will adding the DacMagic to my rig significantly improve the quality of the audio? I consider my myself a fan of audio but by no means an Audiophile!

Thanks.

 

[.Sup]

yes on all accounts

 

[KettyKrueger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Sup /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes on all accounts

Cheers for that. Good to know.

Reviews seem favourable for the DacMagic, are there any solid alternatives?

Off topic question; why do some pre-amps have XLR outputs and inputs (such as the Little Dot tube pres)? I thought XLR outputs were for microphones and older-style headphones? Please educate this fool

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KettyKrueger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cheers for that. Good to know. Reviews seem favourable for the DacMagic, are there any solid alternatives? Off topic question; why do some pre-amps have XLR outputs and inputs (such as the Little Dot tube pres)? I thought XLR outputs were for microphones and older-style headphones? Please educate this fool

XLR offers the option of using a Balanced Out system. Balanced out from them, to a balanced amp, then to balanced equipment (Cans or speaker system), and you get a bit better sound. (From what I've read, atleast. Better signal to noise, and volume, and something else? I forget.)

Further reading:
http://www.harmony-central.com/artic...vs_unbalanced/
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5885712_ba...io-cables.html

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KettyKrueger /img/forum/go_quote.gif Reviews seem favourable for the DacMagic, are there any solid alternatives?

I've been using the DacMagic for awhile. At its price, it's very tough to beat. To really get an improvement, you'll need to spend at least a few hundred more on a PS Audio DL-III, which does not have digital pass through. That said, to actually improve the sound quality of your setup, you need to use the DacMagic's internal DACs and analog output stage, not just pass the signal along to the receiver to be decoded/converted. When used for digital to digital, the DacMagic is just acting as a switch board. It does not alter the signal, and will not change the sound quality at all.

 

[KettyKrueger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been using the DacMagic for awhile. At its price, it's very tough to beat. To really get an improvement, you'll need to spend at least a few hundred more on a PS Audio DL-III, which does not have digital pass through. That said, to actually improve the sound quality of your setup, you need to use the DacMagic's internal DACs and analog output stage, not just pass the signal along to the receiver to be decoded/converted. When used for digital to digital, the DacMagic is just acting as a switch board. It does not alter the signal, and will not change the sound quality at all.

Thanks for that, I hadn't thought of that.

So I could go from the DacMagic to my receiver using RCA jacks? Surely, RCA jacks can't carry the HD codecs? I' confused!

 

[.Sup]

they do but in stereo