At the time, there were almost no high-end CD players. Many audiophiles chose Philips/Magnavox models that had been modified by boutique…
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In 1989, Cambridge Audio, then run by Stan Curtis—who is still active in hi-fi— introduced their DAC 1. At about the same time, within a few weeks of each other, Arcam introduced their Delta Black Box and Musical Fidelity their Digilog. I forget who was first among the three. Arcam, I think. But the DAC race was on, led by the British. (There was even a DAC called the Dacula.) US companies got into the DAC race, too—at higher prices, of course.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, oversampling D/A processor with Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs and Texas Instruments TMS 320VC5501 digital filter. Digital inputs: S/PDIF coaxial or TosLink optical, USB. Digital input sampling frequencies supported 44.1kHz, 48kHz (32kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, S/PDIF only). Digital outputs: S/PDIF coaxial and TosLink optical. Analog outputs: balanced (XLR), single-ended (RCA). Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz ±0.1dB. THD (1kHz, 0dBFS, 24-bit data): <0.001%. S/N Ratio: 112dB. Total correlated jitter: <130ps. Channel separation: >100dB at…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Sam Tellig was so impressed by this $449 D/A processor that he sent me the review sample (which he subsequently bought), so I could examine its measured performance. I used the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as, for some tests, our Audio Precision System One.
The DacMagic's maximum output was 2.1V from its unbalanced RCA jacks, 0.43dB higher than the CD standard's 2V, which will be audible in direct comparisons. The balanced XLR output was exactly twice this voltage, as expected, and…
Manufacturer's Comments
Editor: Thanks for the very thorough set of metrics testing you gave the Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic.
Increasingly, today's audiophile demands performance, flexibility, and value. As Sam Tellig described and JA's measurements bore out, the affordable DacMagic is a highly precise yet versatile external D/A converter able to breathe new life into aging CD players and upgrade the audio performance of DVD players, all the while engaging newer entertainment devices such as Internet streamers, and even adding extra intensity to computer games.
At home…
The first time I ever heard stereo sound, it was in a shop on Manhattan's Radio Row. In addition to the Studer staggered-head tape deck, the system consisted of pairs of McIntosh C8 preamps, MC60 power amps, and monster Bozak B-310 speakers. I can still picture the room and almost hear the sound. I was then an impecunious high-schooler, and while I always strived to buy the best equipment I could afford, I unfortunately was never able to own any of these iconic products. However, when I saw McIntosh's new MC303 three-channel power amp glowing brightly on silent display at the 2008 CEDIA…
Heretofore, SACD's ironclad copy protection has prevented users from getting a digital DSD datastream out of the player and into a modern processor. Thus, users have had to get their DSD from SACD players' analog outputs, which has resulted in great competition among manufacturers to offer the best D/A conversion and analog outputs for the buck. It has also resulted in arguments and finger-pointing about direct conversion of DSD to analog vs conversion via intermediary transcoding to PCM. All that was quashed with the arrival of the universal players from Oppo and Pioneer, which output DSD…
Sidebar: Recordings In The Round
ÅM: SONaR: Music for Harp & Accompaniment
Vere Meininge, Dette Blanke No, Det Var Mjukt
Ellen Segersted Bødtker, electric & acoustic harps; Berit Norbakken Solset, soprano; Hildegunn Riise, speaker; Alexandra Opsahl, recorder; Grex Vocalis (Carl Høgset, cond.), Oslo Kammersolister
2L 2L51SABD (SACD/CD+Blu-ray)
Yet another wonderful release from 2L! This set of works by Norwegian composer Magnar Åm has duplicate programs on SACD (5.0-channel DSD) and Blu-ray (5.0 dts MA, 5.0 LPCM 24/96, 2.0 LPCM24/96), and includes both discs.…
As founder of California-based Vacuum Tube Logic of America, David Manley is at the forefront of the current renaissance in vacuum-tube audio equipment. In addition to manufacturing some highly regarded audiophile components, VTL has introduced a line of tubed professional equipment that is finding its way into recording studios. David has a lifetime of experience in tube electronics, recording studio design, disc cutting, music recording, and most recently, analog/digital and digital/analog converter design.
David is highly opinionated, outspoken, and controversial. He expresses his…
We were talking earlier about analog and digital. I played some tapes at an AES meeting several years ago and they couldn't wait to say "Listen to all that hiss and horrible analog garbage. It's outclassed necrophiliac stuff here. It's not relevant anymore." And as you well know better than anybody in the magazine industry, the bulk of the stuff today is being mixed to 30ips half-inch analog. It's the medium of choice, even when budget constraints aren't an issue. So what does that tell you?
I think the AES does an outstanding job. I really believe that. I just think they're a bit over…
Audiophiles constantly seek ways to improve the experience of hearing reproduced music. Preamps are upgraded, digital processors are compared, turntables are tweaked, loudspeaker cables are auditioned, dealers are visited, and, yes, magazines are read—all in the quest to get just a little closer to the music.
These pursuits have one thing in common: they are all attempts by physical means to enjoy music more. But there's another way of achieving that goal that is far more effective than any tweak, better than any component upgrade, and more fulfilling even than having carte blanche in…