[adamus]

no problem, but it will be subjective, and in a few days time to allow it to burn in, at the moment the cambridge is sounding a little congested.

Things i can review now:

Build quality looks top notch. The switches have a nice solid feel to them, the rear panel is solid with nice quality RCAs etc. IT gets reaonsably warm during operation. I have no ideas what electronics are in there (no doubt i will open it up soon) but it does get suprisingly hot for a dac (maybe class A output stage?).

It locks onto the signal instantly, and instantly recognises changes to the sampling rate.

The filtering switch (linear / min / steep) is interesting. On my speakers i cant tell the difference. with the headphones its more pronounced. The Steep filter definately rolls off the treble, its a softer sound, slightly more organic. The other two (linear and min) are more subtle. I'll give them more of a listen and get back on the differences.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif We compared it to the Apogee mini-DAC with sigma 11 PSU and Stello DA100.

Did you try the DacMagic with the sigma11?

 

[theeviljesus]

Thank you, no need to hurry

An objective review is IMO impossible, so that's no problem. Especially the "new-toy-effect" shall not be forgotten

 

[apatN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamus /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Sexy.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you try the DacMagic with the sigma11?

No, we didn't even think about it at the time, but the owner of the DACmagic (Bill) PM'd me that he will be building one. His SOHA sounded really good, and he knows what he's doing.

We also found the steep filter had a softer, slightly more organic sound - and the "Lin" gave better attack. We weren't sure about the middle "min" setting.

 

[Lil' Knight]

If the sigma11 can bring the DacMagic to a new level, I'd be interested in getting one

 

[Susilo]

Any updates on the comparisons of the DACMagic and other DAC's???

 

[adamus]

Not yet. I am wanting some more time with it.

Initally it was too polite, but had a fantastic soundstage (really wide). Slightly recessed mids. Its very organic, analogue sounding. Partnered with my bijou initialy it wasnt that inspiring.

However.... with 10 hours on itm its beginning to open up and i am getting more micro detail through.

I'll put 40 hours on it and then review.

 

[adamus]

Ok this has been burning in for a while now.

Some preliminary listening impressions....

It is definitely on the polite side, there isn’t a hint harshness or sibilance.

It produces a full rich sound, slightly smooth and round. Maybe, just maybe ever so slightly recessed mids, either this or my last dac had pronounced mid.

The soundstage is large and accurate, you can feel/see the location of the instruments and vocals.

The noise floor is very low, even with a noisy USB source.

Hmm, how to describe this.... its very analogue! Smooth, organic but retains enough of the detail. It’s not a detail monster (like a forward sounding chord). Creates a lovely relaxing presentation.

Comparing this to the beresford dac it replaced. The beresford (mk6/3) had slightly looser bass, which gave the impression of deeper bass. The beresford does seem to have more extended treble, but can be slightly sibilant with bright headphones like grados / alessandros.

Which is better? no clear winner yet on the sound front, the presentations are different. Chem brothers, block rocking beats, has more grunt and attack on the beresford. Norah jones (broken) just sounds like silk on the Cambridge audio, stunning really stunning.

The Cambridge audio has more useful connections for me (USB, optical, spdif, balanced outputs, se outputs and a digital pass through)

 

[NilsenNorway]

Thank you adamus. Sounds like it may be just what im looking for. At the price it sounds like a real bargain so I will pick one up as soon as it is in stock at my local shop

Worst case scenario it will still beat the crap out of the integrated soundcard in my HP notebook

 

[1031tensai]

Thanks for the review, adamus. It will be great if you can keep us informed if you notice any significant improvement(s) while the unit is further being burned-in.

Seems like a very nice unit. From adamus's description, it also looks like it's what I perfectly need.

I'm hoping for more positive input from other owners so I can completely convince myself that this is the DAC I will be buying

 

[apatN]

I'm wondering if it'd suit my needs. I could do with a bit more pronounced mids rather than recessed. Analogue and smooth and no detail monster sounds good though. Polite however, does not. That's the last thing the Beyers need.

Can you comment a little on the speed and decay?

 

[adamus]

ok, what i am going to do is try this with the Soha + jibos, which is inherently faster sounding than the bijou with current tubes.

Will report back later.

 

[wiatrob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif If the sigma11 can bring the DacMagic to a new level, I'd be interested in getting one

The Sigma 11? I have one on the bench, just not all the parts yet - probably be toward T-Giving before it's built...

 

[wiatrob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamus /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok, what i am going to do is try this with the Soha + jibos, which is inherently faster sounding than the bijou with current tubes. Will report back later.

I also have this setup - what tube are you using? I'll give it a try myself..