Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 initial thoughts...

Treated myself to a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 and wanted to see what other users have experienced.

In my living room, I play movies and AIFF/WAV rips via a 3rd generation Apple TV puck (ethernet hard line from my Mac) to my Denon AVR-2800, by way of optical audio out from the ATV to the receiver. It's great for movies/tv, but I've always thought the digital processing of the Denon left music of any style flat and dull.

Early last year, I became a custom modded iPod 5.5 convert. Listening to music with my Status Audio CB-1s and the iPod is like sitting in a hot tub while enjoying the greatest herb. It really ruined me for my Denon receiver and I found playing music in the living room through the Polk speakers not as enjoyable.

But I don't want to go deaf and need to give my ears a break from intense headphone use. Prior to this purchase, I had been toying with the idea of shelling half a grand or more for a restored Marantz analog receiver to resolve the sound issues in the living room. I'm so glad I went with the new DAC instead. I went with the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 based on (1) the Wolfson chip and (2) the near-universal great reviews.

So far, I am completely happy with my purchase. The warmth I remember hearing from playing CDs on my old analog stereo has come back. Previously, I had to jack up the bass on the receiver just to recreate the neutral tone I could hear in the CB-1s. But the DM100 brings the same full sound Wolfson chips are known for.

Anyone else have a great experience with their CA DM100 unit? What about a terrible one, or something to watch out for?

 

I've had a DacMagic Azur for 12 years.
I think they are similar.
Sounds great and never missed a beat.
I feed it FLAC from a notebook and SSHD.
Here is an old review, it has the same Wolfson chips as yours.
Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic D/A converter

have you found test data for yours?
Curious how similar. I keep thinking upgrade but every time I look I think why?

One advantage yours may have is asynchronous USB transfer

 

I purchased one for use with a Sonos Connect, changing the Connect into a transport. It made a huge difference.

 

I have one in my office system. It works, and sounds really good with everything else in the chain. Zero complaints.

 

I have it, and I like it.

 

I have had one for years.It was my first dedicated DAC. I’ve had several others and they are mostly gone, because my Peachtree integrateds and GSi75 all have amazing DACs onboard as they are all basically DACs with a power amp added. But I keep the little Cambridge around as a spare or for when I use my little Cayin amp. It just does a great job and I think it is very hard to beat at it’s price.

 

I bought a DacMagic 100 to replace my Alchemist TS-1D with a loose optical input (I’ve had it fxed once, but now it’s loose again). The DacMagic has a rhythmic and poppy sound, but a little hard on the edges compared to the smooth Alchemist.

 

They are great, all the DAC anyone really needs.

 

I've never heard of Peachtree or Cayin, but you sound like you're pretty happy with them. I'll have to check them out!

Follow-up question for everyone: what was the piece of music you listened to that convinced you of the Cambridge's charms? I'm not a big Zeppelin fan, but I couldn't help but notice how much more articulate the bottom end sounded without sacrificing any of the whomp. "Dancing Days" and then "D'yer Maker" both sounded groovier in my room.

 

Heard the same as what you described, from a brand new DacMagic 100 which I only started to use since 2 days ago, and liking it so far...
It seems to add weight and heft which is helpful for tracks that are lacking, and changes them fundamentally.
On many tracks I could hear the bass notes more clearly than before, bass guitars become more noticeable with all the tiny details (buzz, gurgle, grunt sounds) and electric guitar tremolo sounds were also more noticeable and defined.
It also seems to want to highlight other details that were intentionally given less priority (usually small percussion instruments) which makes analytical listening possible while at the same time the music is packaged quite tightly together.
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).
So I found the listening experience with DM100 to be more intimate and in your face, as opposed to being a little bit distant and airy with the Yamaha's dac. This is more apparent with "live" style of recordings such as this:

 

I used a Dacmagic 100 for 2 years and recently swapped for a Denafrips Ares II.
I agree about the Wolfson chip sound - to me the Dacmagic is full bodied and slightly warm for a Delta Sigma.
I don't think it has the level of high frequency detail that some chips feature and is very pleasing to my ears.
I have no complaints about it.

 

Here's a decent review:
[Review] Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus [English]

 

I keep trying to like the Ares II more, but it isn't happening.

 

Here it is many months later. I have a newly purchased and installed DM100, as of tonight. Initial impression is positive. Listened to a few tracks from iTunes (ALAC) on my MBP, with output set at its max of 96 kHz. It's promising when you hear new details in the Doors initial album. I'd previously been acquainted with the Wolfson WM8740, which I liked; the DM100's 8742 is along the same sound lines, I think. For a little while, I'd been using a Sony MDS-E10 Minidisc deck as a DAC. Its AK4524 chip is nice enough, but I think the WM8742 is superior. More time will tell the tale. I simply want to get the most out of my Kanto TUK powered speakers, which seem to be very happy using their RCA inputs via the DM100. I wobbled about for weeks (and started a thread here) about what DAC to buy. A legit seller's price on Amazon, plus some Amazon points, made the DM100 the deal for me.

 

Can anyone speak to how superior the DM100 would be to using a DAW (I’m using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4), if at all, when connecting to my 70s stereo receiver?

The 2i4 sounds better than my iMac’s DAC or using an Esinkin Bluetooth audio adaptor. However, it’s not as clear as listening to CDs or as warm as vinyl.

That being said, I’m hoping to find a good solution that would make listening to Apple streaming an enjoyable experience. I have an opportunity to buy a DM100 for $200CDN.