TheMagus

Call me a cynic if you will, be surely the mystical process of ''burn in'' during which inert electronics manufactured to extremely tight specifications, miraculously improve in performance, could all be a makers ploy. After all it seems incredibly convenient that the belief in ''burn in'' could cause purchasers to stick with equipment they would otherwise return in the vain hope that given time (i.e. at the expiry of the sale or return date ) it will, as a result of an inexplicable process, sound better. If there is any science behind this process perhaps somebody would be kind enough to direct me to it.

I find there is no elixir more potent than the Beatles timeless song crafting genius. Abbey Road is my all time favourite, against all the odds they created a brilliant very poignant masterpiece.

Thanks again for taking the time to offer such good advice. Will keep you posted on my outcomes from the tweakers asylum.

Thanks so much for your advice very much appreciated. Had explored battery option but was concerned the motorcycle battery I sourced which was rated at 12volt was in fact outputting 12.76 volt DC when fully charged and there was a risk it would fry the Dac. Will look into sourcing the Belleson super regulator.

The more I have researched the clearer it has become that a lot of the expensive aftermarket ''audiophile'' alternatives that are proffered are in fact fairly straightforward regulated linear supplies. I am wondering whether a good quality laboratory grade, single 12voltDC, PSU might represent a really good upgrade option at a fraction of the price of the expensively branded options. Anyone know any reasons that this will not be so? Thanks.

Really enjoying my new DacMagic Plus, hearing much more with it in my set up than I did with my old regular DacMagic its an order of magnitude improvement. One interesting quirk I have discovered is that the sound changes quite perceptively depending whether I have the MacBook Pro attached to its power lead or not. Given the bad rap given to Switch Mode Power Supplies I had assumed the sound would be improved running on pure battery power but no to my ears it has more punch and presence with the power cord connected. Do any of you technically savvy people out there know why this might be the case and should this curb my current enthusiasm for finding a cost effective replacement for the cheap looking SMPS wall wart of the DacMagic Plus? Playing iTunes via Airport Express via high grade optical cable to DacMagic Plus.

In my experience burn in only produces subtle improvements in sound quality even then there are plenty who argue that as there is no science to explain why a units sound should improve with extended use any perception of improvement is bogus.

Forgive me if you have already checked this but it might be worth confirming that your unit is set to USB2 protocol mine was set to USB1 by default changing the default setting is relatively easy.

Like you eager to see whether sonic benefits in replacing the modest wallwart with a more substantial power supply. However not one that costs the same as the DacMagic plus itself, as some of the more esoteric ones for the original non Plus Dac did. New unit is now 12 volt DC not AC. So potentially the PSU does more than it did previously to impact sound quality e.g. voltage reduction and rectification. Need to proceed with extreme caution given the admonishment to only use the supplied PSU.

Upgraded from DacMagic two days ago so still burning new unit in and evaluating sonic improvements however initial impressions are very positive with improvements in detail retreival, warmer sound balance and impressive sound stage. Running a Mac Book Pro via airport express and optical connection to the Dacmagic thence into Naim Pre and Power Amps. On my system I prefer the optical connection to the USB, it still gives better clarity and tonal balance. The power supply on the DacMagic Plus is now DC, sadly still from a rather modest looking WallWart possibly this has also rendered surplus the provision of any further internal power rectification which might explain why the new Dac is both smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Will update impressions as listening progresses, its always fun to rediscover ones' music collection after a significant equipment upgrade.