DAC Magic+ with USB or HiFace2 coax?

[AT0MAC]

I have the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic+

 

 

Am currently running it off USB A-B cable of a decent quality, directly to the DAC in async 24bit/192KHz mode from my Mac (wich is equipped with SSD and enough RAM so jitter should not be too bad).

 

I really really like the DM+, but sometimes it's a little too bright and wish it had more of the warmth I was used to when I replaced my Arcam rDAC with it (I needed the headphone out in the DM+).

 

 

 

I have a VDH DigiCoupler 75Ohm COAX digital cable laying around and wondering if I should buy the newly released HiFace2 from M2Tech to bridge from USB to coax and then from coax to DAC.

 

 

 

 

Anyone here have anything to say about that combination, what should I expect and does it actually make any difference?

[souptin]

Hi Atomac

 

I have the previous generation DACMagic (which does not have asynchronous USB). I share your experience in that I sometimes find it a bit too bright compared to other sources. I didn't find that changing the interface from USB to spdif made much difference to the brightness (or cable swapping for that matter). However the hiface option is still on my to-do list so I'm very interested to hear from anyone who has tried it.

 

On the other hand, I did have some success with an upgraded power supply, which seemed to add a bit of body to the sound and smoothed out some of the brightness. I don't know if there are PSU upgrades available for the DM+, but I'd say it was worth a look.

[AT0MAC]

On the other hand, I did have some success with an upgraded power supply, which seemed to add a bit of body to the sound and smoothed out some of the brightness. I don't know if there are PSU upgrades available for the DM+, but I'd say it was worth a look.

 

Some time back I looked into that and found some guy explaining that the PSU design in the DM+ would not change the sound if you changed to another adapter, don't remember what the difference is but the original had a different type of PSU that could really do wonders if switched to a better. Don't seem to find the thread now, but it's out there....

[brunk]

If you find it a little too bright and harsh, a separate converter will not solve these problems. A converter will only bring cleaner/less jittery music into the DAC. A new DAC will solve this problem, don't justify it's shortcomings by vainly "improving" things. It's ok to admit it, for your own audiophile health Most of us have been down this road before.

[Edgaronline]

I am currently directly comparing my DAC through asynchronous USB vs S/PDIF through a USB/Hiface connection. I find the audible differences very small, it seems that the USB connection shows little more details in the music. This may be because my DAC has a very nice USB implementation... Based on my experiences I think your plan may not bring you what you hope.

 

-edgar

[Joe Topor]

ATOMAC,

 

Did you ever test out the M2tech reclocker versus your DM+ USB Async input?

 

I was in the process of calling into Mapleshade to ask about their USB cable for my DM+ and they steered me toward their modded HiFace unit and cable. They said it was a big improvement over the original Dac Magic. So I am now looking to see if anyone can comment on the difference in SQ between the two. I am not sure they knew my DM was the newer version.