[russelk]

Quote:

I believe what matters is do You like the DAC or not. If it sounds great and fits into your system, who the fcuk cares what hifi magazines write What comes to Dacmagic, my impression is that it is overmarketed and hyped (if those are real words..). It can be good, but it isn't the only dac in that price range. what comes to user reviews, it ain't the best either.

I believe the same. The problem is that auditioning these products is not possible, which is why I'm relying on magazine reviews. I do care what hi-fi magazines write. They are in a position to compare a lot more products than the average user, and their reviews are not clouded by ownership factors.

 

[jjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe the same.

As do I.

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem is that auditioning these products is not possible, which is why I'm relying on magazine reviews. I do care what hi-fi magazines write. They are in a position to compare a lot more products than the average user, and their reviews are not clouded by ownership factors.

The problem with that approach is that every review is still subjective. The preferences of the reviewer weigh a lot in the actual outcome, also system synergies can affect the outcome greatly.

You say there are test where v-dac isn't the best dac in the world. That's fine, there's also a test where v-dac beats dacmagic, which test is the reliable one? For me it doesn't really matter because I already have the v-dac and I'm pretty happy with it (and I have tested several dacs before this). For the price that I paid I'm really happy with it and if I at some point feel that v-dac would benefit from a better psu, the v-dac vs. dacmagic price difference will get me a really good psu and I still have some money left.

Still I ordered the v-dac without hearing it, so it was a gamble.

 

[russelk]

Quote:

The problem with that approach is that every review is still subjective. The preferences of the reviewer weigh a lot in the actual outcome, also system synergies can affect the outcome greatly.

Then what is the alternative? Buy it anyway and see? I'm not taking that risk. If I have to sell it on I lose money. I'm glad your gamble worked out for you. I've chosen to follow recommendations from a publication whose opinions I respect, and that has worked well for me in the past.

 

[jjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then what is the alternative?

If you can't audition the gear yourself then there is really no good alternatives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy it anyway and see? I'm not taking that risk. If I have to sell it on I lose money. I'm glad your gamble worked out for you.

That is one option, not a good one but still. If you deal with used gear you will not lose as much (if any) money.

Actually this v-dac wasn't even a gamble for me. Here in Finland it's sold for roughly twice the price I paid for it and I was kinda convinced that I could get my own back even if I wasn't satisfied. I have auditioned several dacs (450-1300 euros) and to me this was good value. Still I might audition the DacMagic in the future, it has better connections after all, but now I have something to compare it to

I'd even be willing to lose some (not that much though) money for the convenience of not having to pick one up at an inconveniently located dealer, auditioning it in a hurry and taking it back to the inconvenient location. No I have all the time I want, I even lent it out to a fellow head-fier for a quick audition already.

But I have to admit, the last pair of headphones I ordered was a bit a gamble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've chosen to follow recommendations from a publication whose opinions I respect, and that has worked well for me in the past.

Ok, that is a different deal. If you're not just following a random publications, but you have a reviewer whose taste you know and agree with. Taking recommendations from the people you trust is not that bad. Actually that's pretty much how my hi-fi dealer works (with the exception that he knows my taste of course).

Besides, if you feel you're better off with DacMagic, then by all means buy one. I have nothing to gain in convincing you to believe that v-dac really isn't that bad.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by russelk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well the Hi-Fi World review was not as positive as I'd hoped. Although they said the V-Dac was great for it's price, it was nevertheless an entry-level DAC that sounded like an entry-level DAC, and was only suitable as an upgrade for cheap CD and DVD players. I think my Musical Fidelity amp deserves something better.

Hi,

Which issue of Hi Fi World are you referring to? Is the review available online or for purchase as a download somewhere? We do get these mags here in Australia but we are a month behind usually. Last time I went to Borders who stock them (early last week), they were out them due to the post new-year break.

I'd be interested to read Hi Fi Choice and Hi Fi World reviews as I tend to trust their judgements about things too. My problem is that whereas I can audition a V-DAC I can't audition a DAC Magic. I have read the Hi Fi Choice review on the DACMagic which was extremely positive and just read the summary of the What Hi Fi V-DAC review which was mediocre.

I'll be auditioning the V-DAC regardless but am not too happy about being unable to compare it with what would seem to be one of it's nearest competitors - if not the nearest.

 

[Techbadger]

I am thinking either about a DACMAGIC or a V-DAC. Question: If I feed a 192k WAV file into a V-DAC, will it down sample the WAV to 96k then re-upsample it or will it just decode the WAV as a 192k with out modifying it?

Thanks!

 

[russelk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADD /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, Which issue of Hi Fi World are you referring to? Is the review available online or for purchase as a download somewhere? We do get these mags here in Australia but we are a month behind usually. Last time I went to Borders who stock them (early last week), they were out them due to the post new-year break. I'd be interested to read Hi Fi Choice and Hi Fi World reviews as I tend to trust their judgements about things too. My problem is that whereas I can audition a V-DAC I can't audition a DAC Magic. I have read the Hi Fi Choice review on the DACMagic which was extremely positive and just read the summary of the What Hi Fi V-DAC review which was mediocre. I'll be auditioning the V-DAC regardless but am not too happy about being unable to compare it with what would seem to be one of it's nearest competitors - if not the nearest.

This issue of Hi-Fi World just hit the stores on Friday (in the UK), so you might have to wait a few weeks. You can buy the electronic edition at HI-FI WORLD MAGAZINE - THE UK'S EXPERT AUDIO MAGAZINE. I should warn you that it's a mini-review (what they call a soundbite) of just half a page, so it might not be worth you buying the whole mag if it's just that one review you want.

Personally I'm a Hi-Fi Choice follower, but they haven't reviewed the V-Dac yet. As you've seen, their recent grouptest of DACs gave a pretty convincing argument for the DacMagic.

 

[MatsudaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADD /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, Which issue of Hi Fi World are you referring to? Is the review available online or for purchase as a download somewhere? We do get these mags here in Australia but we are a month behind usually. Last time I went to Borders who stock them (early last week), they were out them due to the post new-year break. I'd be interested to read Hi Fi Choice and Hi Fi World reviews as I tend to trust their judgements about things too. My problem is that whereas I can audition a V-DAC I can't audition a DAC Magic. I have read the Hi Fi Choice review on the DACMagic which was extremely positive and just read the summary of the What Hi Fi V-DAC review which was mediocre. I'll be auditioning the V-DAC regardless but am not too happy about being unable to compare it with what would seem to be one of it's nearest competitors - if not the nearest.

If you can find a shop that caries both the VDAC and Cambridge audio cd players (740c or 840c), you can get a pretty good idea of the DacMagic sound - very similar to 740 or 840c cd players.

 

[8140david]

Before buying the V-Dac, I found on the web some information about a German review: they liked the sound quality from the V-Dac more than from the DacMagic.
The review (in German) is available on the web (I can't find quickly where it is, just do a google search). It is quite short.
Personally, I am very satisfied by the V-Dac (but I have no other Dac for comparison).

 

[jjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8140david /img/forum/go_quote.gif Before buying the V-Dac, I found on the web some information about a German review: they liked the sound quality from the V-Dac more than from the DacMagic. The review (in German) is available on the web (I can't find quickly where it is, just do a google search). It is quite short.

I think the article in question is linked somewhere in this thread in pdf format.

 

[oqvist]

Do you agree with this reviewer?
Quote:

* For Rich, detailed midrange, impressively sophisticated sound * Against Not for fans of pumping beat This little DAC from Musical Fidelity might look a tad ‘functional’, but it’s fairly well built and has a decent range of connections. There are inputs for coaxial and optical digital sources, and a square Type B USB input – so make sure you have the correct cable. snip If anything, this richness could get a bit much at times – especially as it means a degree of compromise when it comes to rhythmic precision. Fans of pumping beats and propulsive basslines will find something better for the money elsewhere. snip It only loses a fifth star because there are better all-rounders in its price class. "

I am a foot stomper I have a very hard time relaxing when listening to music so it sounds like this can be to laid back for me?

 

[knireis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the article in question is linked somewhere in this thread in pdf format.

Here is the link to the German V-DAC article:
http://www.hifisound.de/oxid/out/oxb...US-2204240.pdf

 

[deadie]

Just got mine today from Music Direct, and am just loving it. Here's my audio chain:

Foobar / Lossless FLAC / USB / V-DAC / Audio Art Cables / Unbalanced inputs Headroom Desktop Balanced Amp / Balanced out AKG 701

And you know, while I'm a wordsmith by profession, nothing really comes to mind whle listening to this baby. And for me that's a very good thing...

Too often, whether I'm drinking coffee, test driving a new car, looking at a new TV, or listening to new audio gear, I just get too damn caught up in what's not there, what doesn't sound right, that something's just bugging me.

With this... it just sounds... right. And I know that's not particularly satisfying as a review, but, that's what I hear.

Being a geek in any hobby can be so frustrating, b/c we're always looking for the next best thing. It just feels nice right now to be satisfied... you know?

 

[elemant of surprise]

I am a happy owner of the V-DAC, too.
I tend to agree more with the AUDIO mag review than the one on what.hifi - This is another case where they just miss the point with their too short and not really in depth tests. I have no idea what exactly they mean with 'not suited for rhythmic music' I listen to a lot of electronic Dance Music be it Deep House from Theo Parrish or bangin' Techno from The Advent and Techno sounds spectacular over the V-DAC as well.

I could imagine they mean DJ Gear or Pro Audio gear like the Presonus FireWire or M-Audio USB 2 external soundcards that might be a better solution for DJ use...They usually give all the gear I like only 4 stars - and on every other test those items got a 5 star rating .. they seem to have their handful of favorites - these people are not professionals anyway . Don't forget that !

 

[elemant of surprise]

BTW - The real gem in the V-Series is the phonostage ! This deserves 6 stars