JonC1553552735 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Alright, so I've been looking for a new integrated amp, or a power/pre setup somewhat lately. I was going to use my existing amp as a tuner, to run USB devices from and to decode SPDIF from my PC. However, I've since found out it won't pass the decoded audio out through the recording jacks. So I wouldn't have a way to connect my computer. I don't think it will do the USB either. I then moved onto thinking I could replace the old amp altogether with a DAC that has a USB port and optical connection, and then connect that to either the integrated or power/pre. Or, if there's any other ideas. Stuff the radio, I can live without that. What would be the best route to go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie1553552694 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 The answer is in this months issue of Audioenz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monoclepop Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Somebody at one highfi store mentioned that the Cambridge while excellent on digital coax or optical it was less than stellar on the USB input. I can't confirm this, but it might pay to check that yourself. I picked up a Pro-ject a couple of weeks back and am very pleased with it. Very low noise floor, weighty dynamics, lovely bass extension and ridiculous value at $249. I watch DVD with 2 channel only - I now get better sound out of my computer than I do out of mid-range Sony DVD compenent player. No surprises there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaka Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 More reviews of the DacMagic : http://www.computeraudiophile.com/Cambridge-Audio-DacMagic-Review This one is quite a big download http://www.tonepublications.com/magazine/toneaudio-magazine-issue-20/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beat1553552716 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 As i type this, the Dacmagic is playing some wonderfull music in a very impressive manner using a USB connection. It definately performs very well with USB as well....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkr001 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 The Dacmagic seems to represent reasonable value in NZ. If you happen to be travelling then I think your options open up as you can listen to a wider range and haggle the price. No shipping costs either. When I bought my Stello in Singapore I declared it to customs who elected not to charge duty or GST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Our Carat Peridot from korea is very nice as a USB Dac, with 24bit/192kHz burr brown...plus outboard power supply only USB in and RCA and optical out though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antipodes1553552706 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Comments like 'less than stellar on the USB input' should be taken with some caution. Many audiophiles don't seem to understand that the computer has to be optimised and the USB cable has to be very good to realise the performance potential of a USB DAC. Some USB cables are utterly dreadful and barely work. A USB DAC is expecting streamed digital over the USB cable, and therefore timing/jitter is relevant in such an application and so the cable needs to be as good quality as any SPDIF or AES/EBU cable. Equally the PC often needs to be tweaked to avoid other services and the powering of fans, peripherals etc affecting the streaming of the digital signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triguy Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Antipodes;94977 wrote: Comments like 'less than stellar on the USB input' should be taken with some caution. Many audiophiles don't seem to understand that the computer has to be optimised and the USB cable has to be very good to realise the performance potential of a USB DAC. Some USB cables are utterly dreadful and barely work. A USB DAC is expecting streamed digital over the USB cable, and therefore timing/jitter is relevant in such an application and so the cable needs to be as good quality as any SPDIF or AES/EBU cable. Equally the PC often needs to be tweaked to avoid other services and the powering of fans, peripherals etc affecting the streaming of the digital signal. Spot on the money. Also another thing I have found is that the front vs rear different USB jacks on the same computer can produce very different results. I am playing with the Beresford TC7520 http://www.beresfrod.me Hoping to compare it to a DacMagic in the next day or two. Will let you know what I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon76 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 triguy;95003 wrote: Also another thing I have found is that the front vs rear different USB jacks on the same computer can produce very different results. As posted previously: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/USB-Port-Not-USB-Port Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 USB; This is a great resource too for both Mac and PC - http://extra.benchmarkmedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundMark Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Depending how big your budget is, I've read that Wadia Digital are very close to releasing a new USB DAC. Similar looking to their itransport dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triguy Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I have had a good play with the Beresford over the last few days and I can see why it receives such good praise in the UK. I would definitely recommend it. I tried it running using USB input from an HP Laptop running XP and found that once all the computer settings had been sorted it sounded great. Good detail and nice imaging. Really important to get the computer settings right. Also listened using Coax input running from a Wadia dock. The difference between the Wadia running analog and running through the Beresford was huge. More detail, more body and realism. Vocals sounded natural and accurate. For anyone running one of the Wadia docks this is a must listen. Headphone output running into Grado SR80s was a really enjoyable listen. Drove them very nicely indeed. Also tried the variable output into a power amp. The gain was not great enough to reach loud levels but fine for normal listening levels. I was surprised how good this sounded. Compared to the Dac Magic I found the Beresford to have more detail and better resolution. Great timing. The Dac Magic was a little smoother and a bit richer. Compared them on both USB and Coax. Didn't try the XLR output of Cambridge. All in all I enjoyed them both but the Beresford got my vote. And because its quite a bit cheaper I can take the $150 I saved and put that towards a descent USB cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikecrumpets Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Is anyone importing this Triguy? It sounds interesting, certainly it has had some good write ups overseas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triguy Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Not sure who is bringing it in sorry. I got mine from the Listening Post in Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon76 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 triguy;95259 wrote: And because its quite a bit cheaper I can take the $150 I saved and put that towards a descent USB cable. One from here should be within budget: http://www.cryo-parts.com/usb_cable.html Or you can save for one of these puppies: http://www.locus-design.com/interconnect.html Kaka, you've got one of these haven't you? If so what model? How is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie1553552694 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Oh that stuff will really get the haters and non-believers in a tizz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarond1553552714 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 nixon76;95269 wrote: One from here should be within budget: http://www.cryo-parts.com/usb_cable.html Or you can save for one of these puppies: http://www.locus-design.com/interconnect.html Kaka, you've got one of these haven't you? If so what model? How is it? Ha ha, $US 1149 for a USB cable, fantastic stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon76 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 No different to people spending that much on ICs, power etc etc. It'll be a shock for many as they think USB is just that ratty little cable that goes from their mouse to the keyboard etc. They're hand made as well, which will count for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikecrumpets Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hmm, colour me sceptical on that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixon76 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Apologies OP, I seem to have turned this into a cable thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Wireworld make a nice USB cable. An aside, many folk state you don't need to 'upgrade' HDMI cables coz it's all 0's and 1's. I recently bought a base model Wireworld HDMI and replaced it with the cable that came with the Freeview unit. For the sake of $50.00, what a difference. No more image break-ups (the picture used to occasionaly go pixelated/mosaic). The image now has better colour depth, is not as 'peaky' and looks smoother. No matter what the signal, cables matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSEGRUB Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Back to Dacs guys...what else is there around that is worth considering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triguy Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 ssegrub;95287 wrote: Back to Dacs guys...what else is there around that is worth considering? What level are you interested in? There are more companies making them available all the time. Also depends on what inputs you would like. A lot are starting to come out with USB input only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electra Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 www.computeraudiophile.com for those who have not yet found it.. has lots of stuff to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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