Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 - Digital to Analogue Converter with Toslink, S/PDIF, and USB Inputs Featuring 24-bit Wolfson DAC - Silver

Product Information

Big shoutout to Audio Advice for the loaner unit as well as they’re continued non-monetary support of the blog and channel over the years! I bought a second DAC 100 from Crutchfield to convert my stereo system digital music files to my analog Yamaha amplifier I bought from Crutchfield. USB installation worked fine the first time I used the DacMagic 100 - but after installing the USB 2.

You'll hear a stunning improvement in low-level ambient detail along with a wider, deeper soundstage. A pair of gold-plated RCA outputs lets you connect the DacMagic 100 to your home audio system's receiver or integrated amp. not as warm as the e10's WM8741 DAC, so for me, D100 is really worth of try - I know I will not regret. Connect up to four devices – Control panel on the front lets you switch between devices, so you won’t need to keep playing with cables. Build quality is fine, using the same metals as the larger DAC and available in the same choice of silver or black.The DacMagic has a rhythmic and poppy sound, but a little hard on the edges compared to the smooth Alchemist. Jitter is especially prevalent on music sent via network devices or hard drives and can give the sound a harsh and unnatural quality. The stage has grown in each of the three dimensions, but the most interesting changes have occurred on the width, where the music with incredible freedom began to go beyond the space between the speakers. The DAC is a specific device and its load changes are small, and if they occur they are certainly fast, maybe too fast for the LM350?

With factory set capacitors, I always felt as if the music was being given in constant stress and under close supervision, according to established rules. It’s really worth thinking about the issue of replacing the RCA sockets, especially when using wires for three digital (or more) sums. The whole thing is a bit grotesque, because many of us have become accustomed to spending lots of money on wires with gold-plated plugs, and hardly anyone is aware that he puts these plugs in maybe the worst slots, but certainly ones, that do not allow to use fully the possibilities of golden plugs. The other thing I noticed is that the DM100 brings me closer to the singer and instruments, compared to the ESS dac in my Yamaha R-N803 receiver which is like listening to the performers from a further seating position (and the vocals and instruments sound different accordingly). Generally the digital to analogue converter found in typical digital devices is pretty poor and won’t extract the truest quality of audio from your sources.Unfortunately, my knowledge about the quality of relays is small, so I based the information provided by the manufacturer, and from them it resulted, that the relay is of decent quality (gold-plated contacts). To tell the truth, to describe fully and reliably the process of creating and testing this power supply, I would have to create a separate article. My question is could I use this DAC to get Hi-Res music out of my Apple TV using Apple Music as the source? Its latest-generation Wolfson DAC provides superb resolution that really brings out the fine details in your tunes, for a truly breathtaking listening experience.

Unfortunately, the factory set socket has a serious disadvantage, which is the very small contact surface of the signal line. Perhaps my favorite feature, the DacMagic 100 includes a display or LED indicator that shows the incoming sample rate of the audio signal. Its asynchronous USB input is completely 24-bit/192kHz-capable, Cambridge supplying a USB Audio Class 2. Personally, I’d rather stay at factory Fujicones, than exchange them for capacitors with a specific polarization, no matter how high quality they would be.

However, during the first auditions, everything went to the background because the most interesting were the energy and dynamics introduced by MUSES8820. In retrospect, the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 has indeed been a notable player in the world of DACs, offering versatile connectivity and respectable performance. When I compare the changes introduced by replacing the RCA sockets in the DAC with the changes that my current interconnect (WireWorld Solstice 7) introduced to my system, those 7 USD were a very good investment. Richer Sounds Ltd (Registered company address: Richer House, Gallery Court, Hankey Place, London, SE1 4BB.

The Musical Fidelity M1 DAC was judged to be a little sharper-concentrated, and also the Cambridge did not deliver the fruity, however the DacMagic 100 sounded clean and well balanced at both frequency extremes.

Treated myself to a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 and wanted to see what other users have experienced. Of course, such shorting of the relay is associated with a some risk and you should proceed with caution.