Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic Plus Digital to Analogue Convert, Black

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Price: $599.00 Too low to display   

Product Feature

• Twin Wolfson WM8740 24bit DACs used in dual differential configuration. New Anagram Technologies ATF2TM 24-bit/384kHz audio up-sampling / jitter reduction.
• Optional Digital Preamp mode allowing connection directly to power amp or active speakers. 24-bit/96kHz driverless USB Audio 1.0.
• 24-bit/192kHz USB Audio 2.0 with ASIO or kernel streaming modes. 24-bit/192kHz USB Audio 2.0 with ASIO or kernel streaming modes. Asynchronous USB transfer for very low jitter.
• Selectable digital filters - linear phase, minimum phase and steep. Balanced XLR audio output and RCA phono output. Two 24 bit digital inputs (with optical or coaxial for each).
• External input for optional BT100 Bluetooth receiver - allows audio to be streamed and up-sampled from any paired Bluetooth device. Supports high quality apt-X Bluetooth CODEC as well as standard SBC Bluetooth CODEC.

Product Description

Exactly how important are quality D-to-A converters? The answer's simple. Next to your studio monitors, converters are the most important part of your monitoring chain. In fact, budget converters can kill the sound of even the best studio monitors. That's what's so cool about the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus - it gives you world-class digital-to-analog conversion, without the inflated price tag. Here's another cool thing about the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus: it's built to work with any kind of rig. It's got both coaxial and optical digital inputs, so you can take the digital output of your interface, or you can hook it right up to your computer via USB and take the feed straight from your DAW.

Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic Plus Digital to Analogue Convert, Black Review

I have a massive collection of WAV files on my HTPC and I've been feeding them to my Denon AVR via HDMI for the past three years. I recently decided to build a "decent" sound system in my "man-cave" with a pair of KEF Q300 and an integrated amp - Marantz PM800. I was looking for a decent CD player with a USB input or networkable. I tried out various devices like the Marantz CD6004 with the USB input, but I felt it was lacking and didn't bring out the best of my speakers. I returned the CD6004 and decided different alternatives like SONOS.

I came across the DacMagic Plus on accident while looking at Musical Fidelity M1DAC A. I felt the DacMagic Plus offered more features for less cash. It seemed like a better alternative than the regular DacMagic although both shared the same Wolfson DACs with balance and unbalance out. The Plus offers a few other options that you may or may not need/want.

Plus vs Regular:

Plus cost roughly $150 USD more. For this you get the following.

Plus upconverts to 384KHz compared to 192KHz (Different digital filter chip). Not sure if you will notice any difference with mediocre gears.

Plus can act as a digital pre-amp stage that can drive headphones or be plug directly into an amp or powered speakers.

Plus is capable to stream from bluetooth device with the optional BT100 adaptor. I have not tried this yet as the BT module is not yet available. I am looking forward to this feature!!! I want to be able to stream from bluetooth capable devices like my laptop and smartphone.

Overall, this outboard DAC showed significantly wider soundstage, bass response, and imaging than the DAC in my Blu-ray player and Denon AVR - it's the real deal. It's also warmer and smoother and *gasp* it almost like my vinyls and closer to SACDs. I have a feeling my turntable will collect more dust except for the occasional listening session with recordings I don't have in digital format.

Ease of use: I got the device up and running in less than 30 minutes. About 2 hour after I got it from the UPS guy - as I gave the unit time to warm up to room temp.

Switching between USB2.0 and USB1.1 was a snap. If you are only listening to CD lossless recordings (CDs rip @ 44.1KHz) you could probably stick to USB1.1 and skip all the configurations needed for ASIO2.0.

Switching between pre-amp and fixed line level feed was very easy also. So it's a snap if you want to change from amp to headphones.

The one thing I dislike about this unit is that it doesn't have a power-on trigger.

Durabilty: Not sure yet. First Cambridge product and I hope it will last. The buttons on the unit seem somewhat flimsy and weak. Unit is pretty light so it's somewhat portable. It can fit my laptop bag. I can definetly see myself transporting the unit between work (Quincy Jones Q701 + Smartphone) and home (amp+computer).

So far I will give it my highest recommendation.

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