[Johnnyhi]

Not a good DAC Compared to My DAC-IT, The Dac is good for improving the overall sound of lower-end speakers, if i need to compare this dac to other low-end dacs i owned i would compare it to the Nuforce Icon, the Dacmagic 100 isn't amazing but you could hear the difference all tho that isn't something to brag about. 
 
Songs used on with this DAC:
 
Brian Eno - An Ending
 
Olafur Arnalds - 3055
 
Phutureprimitive - Xotica
 
John Tavener - Funeral Canticle
 
Kings Of Leon - Closer
 
and some OST tracks from Various Projects and films...
 
 
the lows on this dac are really good in fact i think they are very boomy but that wasn't something i was looking for
the mids are good as well but the highs not so much. this Dac puts out a well balanced audio that doesn't sound flat, compared to others...
 
but if you are searching For that "WOW" effect, this isn't the DAC for you but if you are looking to improve the performance of your system this might do the trick.
 
however i still want to test the Benchmark Dac's but so far the Peachtree audio DAC-IT is the one that really has the audio i was looking for, but i'm curious to see how the benchmarks sounds... it could be interesting...
 
 
 
 

 

[Paul Graham]

Ive just ordered one today from Richer Sounds in Plymouth to use in my desktop setup.
 
I'm already impressed by the sound produced by the twin Wolfson DAC's in my Cambridge Audio Azur 540C CD player & 
the Quad Wolfson DAC's in my Pioneer BDP51-FD Bluray player. 
 
Those are definitely my favourite sources in my collection so far,
But unfortunately they're in storage as living at my parents again and really stuck for space.
 
So Ive been looking for a DAC amongst other components with a relatively small footprint as up 
until now I haven't had a standalone DAC.
 
Anyway, I was going to get the Matrix mini-i but Ive decided to get this instead as its perfect for my desktop 
setup which Im still building.
 
Once I get it here my setup will currently be - 
 
Source - iMac 2007 c2d - Audirvana Plus - Cambridge Audio DACMagic 100.
Amplification - Denon PMA-250 & Pro-Ject headbox II.
Cables - Arrow Speaker cable with Neutrik banana plugs, QED & Cambridge Audio cables.
Speakers - Gale 3010s's & Cambridge Audio S20's. ( two sets as I want to try both out for now )
Headphones - Sennheiser HD25 1 II's & Sennheiser HD598's
 
I'm hopefull I will have a nice soundstage considering the amount of space I have lol!
 
I'll keep you all posted...

 

[BeyerFan]

Has anybody compared the DACMagic 100 to competition such as the Centrance DACPort LX or other similarly priced units? The reviewer of Whathifi thought the DACMagic 100 lacks sparkle and dynamics sounding a little bland.
 
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100: Sound quality

Fed a 16-bit/44.1kHz rip of Dusty Springfield’s Son Of A Preacher Man, the DacMagic 100 serves up an open, spacious sound. Vocals are given space to breathe and, even with a mix of instruments thrown in, everything knits together well.
Move on to Emeli Sandé’s Heaven and the Cambridge paints a tonally even picture with well-mannered treble and weighty, precise low frequencies.
Detail levels are good for the money, although the track doesn’t quite have the same impact or dynamic reach as when it’s played through rivals such as the Arcam rDAC.
REM’s Losing My Religion in 24-bit/192kHz form sounds pleasant, but lacks sparkle and emotion.
For the money, the DacMagic 100 is an attractive and competent system booster, but it isn’t quite the best in its class. For this kind of money, and provided we didn't need the input flexibility offered by the Cambridge Audio, we'd go for the HRT Music Streamer II, a simple USB-only model, or – for a bit more chocice whent it comes to inputs – the Arcam rDAC.
 
http://www.whathifi.com/review/cambridge-audio-dacmagic-100

 

[Paul Graham]

Well, I went in and got this today, Its My first DAC ever so please understand I have no real experience or anything to compare to as such.
 
However I do have a Cambridge Audio Azur 540 C cd player & The Pioneer BDP51-FD bluray player, Which both 
sport dual Wolfsen & Quad Wolfsen DAC's onboard respectively.
 
I haven't connected anything via Optical or Coax yet but must say its taken all of my FLAC/Wav/Lossless files to a whole new level of detail.
 
Im hearing stuff that was hardly noticeable before, The sound is warmer, Yet far more transparent. 
Its very unforgiving toward poorer quality files and iTunes as a native player to me isn't all that great.Yet 
I open Audirvana and load some FLAC files and the system just comes to life!
 
Very happy with my purchase and for such a little box with such a small footprint , It really does deliver, IMO anyway
 
I have it paired to my Denon PMA250 / Roth Oli II's / Arrow Cable, 
 
Or My Pro-Ject Headbox II & Sennheiser HD25 1 II's
 
 
Interconnects are QED & Cambridge Audio's Pacific line of RCA to RCA.Just need
to get a decent USB cable now and Im good to go.

 

[Will762]

Quote:

Thanks Olegkin,
 
I figured it out after contacting the manufacturer, Cambridge Audio. Same here: Why anybody would even bother with USB1.1 is a bit of mystery to me, maybe for Windows driverless support...
 
Failure to RTFM... embarrassing... In my defence, it is one paragraph in the manual, which you have to download since it's not included in the box... It didn't even occur to me that there may be the need for switching in the first place, so I didn't look for it.
 
But after all this I now know all the ins and outs of USB audio on the Mac, and discovered the affordable BitPerfect app that takes cares of the annoying lack of auto-switching to the matching source sampling rate.
 
And to confirm the original question that sent me down that path: no, the DacMagic100 doesn't support 176.4 playback natively.
 
Personally, I couldn't care less, as matter of fact, the whole 192kHZ was more out of curiosity to see if I could get it to work at all, 96kHz is plenty (and cheaper on HDtracks too) and actually even 48kHz in the iPod Classic does the job just fine, esp. in light of this http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html, as discussed in this Head-Fi thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/599546/link-24-192-music-downloads-and-why-they-make-no-sense

The device isn't using "USB 1.1" it will be using whatever USB version corresponds to the plug in in your computer -- 1 or 2 or 3 -- in the same way as a printer, or any digital device will. What you are referring to is "USB Audio Class 2" which is a communication mode developed specifically for audio. USB Audio Class 2 can only be used over USB 2 or 3 (I think -- from memory).

 

[DMax99]

Hi guys,

Is this dac worth getting for about 200 bucks if I've already got an aune t1?

Thanks

 

[fomoz]

Hi guys, can you please confirm that the North American version of this DAC has a two-prong power brick (i.e. no ground)?

 

[olegkin]

Hi guys, can you please confirm that the North American version of this DAC has a two-prong power brick (i.e. no ground)?

Yes, it is two-prong power brick.

 

[jmttdr]

Anyone tried this with the Schiit Vali? I currently use:
 
Audioengine D1>HD 650. Tonight im putting in my Schiit Vali. I can sell my D1 and replace it with a dedicated amp. ie. Dacmagic 100?
 
Havent found anything on this setup... 

 

[jay628]

i would like to know more about this dac as well, high,mids, lows, etc. I am trying to get a DAC for my laptop at around $300 to pair with my DT 880

 

[62ohm]

Hi guys, I'm intrigued by the DM100, is it going to be an improvement over the Schiit Modi? Thanks

 

[62ohm]

  Hi guys, I'm intrigued by the DM100, is it going to be an improvement over the Schiit Modi? Thanks

 
Pulled the trigger on DM100, I must say I liked the Modi better. I don't have both in the same place so I can't do a direct comparison, but from memory the Modi sounds warmer and lusher, the DM100 sound sibilant in comparison.

 

[hk6230]

I have compared my DM100 with Aune T1 (w/ 6922EH tube) and I would have to say for the last few days, I still prefer my DM100 + ifi iTube sounding over T1. That being said, I enjoy the possibility of tube rolling on the T1. I have some tubes coming and I will do a comparison again soon. 

 

[62ohm]

Well, I have an update to post regarding my previous post,
 
Quote:

   
Pulled the trigger on DM100, I must say I liked the Modi better. I don't have both in the same place so I can't do a direct comparison, but from memory the Modi sounds warmer and lusher, the DM100 sound sibilant in comparison.

 
After tube-rolled the WA3, I now enjoyed the DM100 more than the Modi. I think somehow, with a remote coincidental chance, the stock WA3 tubes synergized well with Modi.

 

[JoeDoe]

Recently traded my GO1000 for a DM100 and so far I'm pretty impressed. The clarity and richness are balanced really really well in this diminutive device! Loving the multiple input options, not to mention every sample rate under the sun (almost).
 
Pairing it with the Dayton Audio DTA120 speaker amp for my HE500s atm. Impressions to come, but initial thinking is good!