Hi Steve, In the UK, Cambridge Audio is part of our staple diet of audio brands, and the original Dac Magic was one of those pioneering products that brought DAC affordability to the masses. What I don't quite get is how a Fully balanced internal design like the 200 does not have a fully balanced headphone output. It seems to me that with the trend nowadays of people leaning towards balanced headphone drive, this omission could be a costly decision.
Got the 560s headphones on your recommendation...couldn’t agree more of its balance, clarity, deep bass! Best of all, your great stories tied to the music, expression of the entire, artful experience. And now must rethink my Dac choice 🤔
Steve, great review - yet most importantly, keep the music recommendations coming! I'm finding so much more great music thanks to you. Loving every video now.
You are so delightful. Your honesty, earnestness, experience, enjoyment and insight come together to bring forth wonderful content for all our benefit and learning. Thanks so much.
Thanks again for this channel. Most of this stuff im never gonna afford, even if i could... but its fun to dream. Ive spent years in the surround sound realm, and have recently rediscovered good stereo. Hearing cds and records ive had forever in a new light, and i love it. Channels like this helped me choose components that are in my budget, and sound fantastic. You saved me money, and entertain and educate me. Cheers
@@rumporridge1 I'm impressed. It sounds better than the old Sound Blaster ZxR for sure. But I can also now turn my Klipsch R15PM speakers all the way up and they don't distort anymore. Same with my Sennheiser GSP600 gaming headset. I can turn the volume up much louder without it sounding like they are being overdriven. The Dacmagic 200m must be putting out a cleaner signal or something.
Thanks Mr.Mestre for your feedback, my involvement with Mr. Michaelson's productos began when I bought, thirty something years ago, the fabled Michaelson & Austin tube amplifier, reason why I always supposed he was an engineer.
Steve, you are the number one HIFI specialist and reference in the world. Many thanks for your very interesting and passionate daily shows. I don’t miss anyone.
I've got a dacmagic 100 with modified caps and huge linear power supply that sounds so nice, but as soon as I heard about the 200m I have to admit I'm ready to buy...
Steve, the 'Theater of Nature' is SURELY a real pipeorgan in a real space. You can actually hear the wind system in the opening measures of the title track! Other electronic voices and ambience were mixed in 'post', or visa versa...AND, the very last seconds of the track you hear what sounds like the organ blower being turned off as the high pitched pipes run out of wind! (from: your resident pipe organ tech)
@@davidcoons89 Thanks for the reply to my comment, I saw it come up on screen, and then I see it is almost a year later! Any more questions about pipe organs, I would be happy to answer (O: Thanks again.
From Anna von H. at Bandcamp, “Sacro Bosco (“Sacred Grove”) is the starting point for Anna von Hausswolff’s new album All Thoughts Fly, incoming on Southern Lord on 25th September. Here in solo instrumental mode, the entire record consists of just one instrument, the pipe organ, and represents absolute liberation of the imagination.” 🙂
Hey Steve thanks for this review because I have Cambridge great and one piece is a dac magic 100. Wanting balanced outs when I saw this 200m item was Nirvana! Being that I trust your reviews I’m all in on switching. Thanks and keep listening 🔊
He's absolutely right on that one. Never assume you have a balanced component just because it has xlr jacks and is labeled balanced. You have to read the fine print. It will say something like, "The xlr jacks allows you to use balanced cables." Its a true statement, but its very misleading. In a situation like that, what they don't tell you, is while you can use balanced cables, only 2 of the 3 pins/conductors are used. Its the same exact thing as using a pair of rca cables.
Great review, Steve. Your review primarily dealt with this unit as a DAC for headphone listening, which, unfortunately, doesn't really interest me. Would you consider giving us your thoughts on how this unit sounds with CDs and outboard computer speakers? If it sounds as good with those formats as it does with headphones then it would seem to represent extraordinary value at $499 USD. Too many of these admittedly great-sounding DACs like Denafrips, for example, are completely out of most people's price range. Hoping to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
@10:25 Steve, your description of David Walters music made think of another great acoustic "afro chamber" album by Vincent Segal and Ballake Sissoko called Musique de Nuit. The opening track was recorded amongst real goats and is a great high-resolution test of your system. Sure enough, Segal and Sissoko are on the David Walters album. I saw Segal and Sissoko play live (sigh) at Wolf Trap Barns years ago and you could hear a pin drop. It was pure magic. While you are in the "afro chamber" groove, check out the Trio AKA - Joy album with the great guitarist Antonio Forcione.
Liking the vocal rooster in Wait''s album reminds me of the Piedmont master picker Etta Baker's album "RAILROAD BILL". A bird flew into her living room and perched atop her front door and serenaded a wonderful duet with her during her recording session.
I bought the DAC Magic 200M to take the coax output of my Sony UBP x800M2 (using it for music CDs as well as DVD) to my NAD 325BEE analog integrated amp. KEF LS50 speakers.
Hi Steve, the most recent Jotunheim reviews I’ve seen have compared the DAC option with the Bifrost. The general consensus seems to be that you’re between off with one of Schiit’s external multibit DACs. I’d love to know if you agree
Fantastic review dear Steve👍 Your style and method of evaluation should be exemplary for some of the so-called “Headphone reviewers” that I follow here on TH-cam who mislead thousands of their followers based on their fetishism with frequency response measurements and Harman Target curves etc.
Recently sent back a Node 2i because the internal DAC sounded much worse than my Dacmagic 100 (no energy to the sound in comparison, it was just flat and lifeless), so I’m guessing this will be a huge upgrade on that...
Checked out Anna von Hausswolff based on your description of that song. That album is wild! Definitely a great example for dynamics and testing out equipment!
hi. do you ever test these dacs, output to speakers? i'm not a big headphone guy. my t2s are quite sufficient for my headphone/iem needs. the dm200m sounds intriguing, but i would primarily be using it for living room listening.
I own a DacMagic 200M. It has an upgraded lineair power supply and is hooked up to an Audiolab 6000N network streamer and at the other end an Accuphase poweramp into JBL XPL 160's (which are very strong -a bit harsh- in the higher midrange. In this setting the delayed filter setting works the best and DSD 256 (on USB) is the best playback mode, for my ears that is. MQA is no advantage to PCM 24/192 to me. The DacMagic performs allright in CD - PCM but it gets so good in DSD. Downside to DSD is price and availability of titles. Proper recording makes a joy to listen, the 200M does the job well.
Can you say two sentences about the quality as a pure Dac? How was the 200M with the Adams? Same „coloration“ as the headphone output? Thanks for your reviews!
My 200M was delivered today and I can’t wait to run it with my Crown XLS 2502 and Watt Puppie 5’s!!! BTW - Amazon just started their HD service for no additional cost if you are already a unlimited subscriber.
Hi Steve You were talking of the new Sennheiser HD560S how does this one stand up compare to the Old HD414 you've got hanging there would that one still stand the of time ??
morning Steve. great video as always. is this type of compare two things together format gonna be sticking around? i like it. i want to see you compare amplifiers that aren't always in the same price range. or two amps, one from the bottom of the stack like a n nad 316 bee vs an nad master amplifier
I think Steve's comments about all the manipulation and what exactly MQA is trying to accomplish is pretty interesting and exactly why there appears ( to me) to be too much bs in the digital streaming agenda. Stating he wouldn't use as reference listening is pretty telling. I am by no means against streaming music however the sales tactics don't fly with me.
MQA is technically interesting. It saves drive space (people do find this important to be able to listen "untethered" high res with as little hassle as possible) and could easily replace the redbook standard. The "uncool" part is commoditizing proprietary technologies when free is just as good (or better).
Amazing what quality audio one can get these days for not a ton of money (not just referencing the DACmagic 200M, those Sennheiser 560s headphones are only a couple hundred dollars). Nice tip on Anna von Hausswolf, I'm really getting into her stuff, thanks! (interestingly enough, she signed to the label of my favorite drone metal band, Sunn O))), in 2019). Also, David Walters, that's a really nice sounding recording (and music)
I appreciate the info and presentation. I’m listening to the music suggestions now. I love Tom Waits. I just bought that Schiit product for my office set up with headphones with XLR connection and a Mc MC275 with Tekton speakers. The Multi DAC sounds great. I think better than the Mytek Bridge that it replaced. I’m using the Bridge at home. I love that machine although it is pricy for my frugality. The Schiit DAC is also modular and replaceable. The unit has a really nice feel and look and doesn’t include a lot that I don’t need. Bluetooth? I thought that was dead. Ha. Anyway, I’ll keep thinking about this DAC Magic choice. I am still in the return period for the Schiit unit.
What happened to the Sundara? I am looking for a better amp for my pair and was hoping for some insight. I am currently using the Ray Samuels Predator DAC/Amp and it cannot drive them at higher volumes, I need some balls to control the bass.
How can we evaluate a review when by adding a different component into the chain can change which one was the better? And, why only evaluate with headphones? Well.. thanks for the headphone amps review. Not trying to be trouble, Just wanted to know how they sounded driving speakers into a room.
Well, because pairing / synergy is paramount. If you have headphone A, amp x is best for that particular combination. If you have headphone B, maybe amp y fits better.
Steve, I found that Schitt's DACs and Amps are WAY better when used as a stack instead of integrated. The Jotunheim 2 is a fabulous amp and when paired with the Bifrost 2 (Multibit DAC), the sound is exceptional. The cost is obviously much greater though and due to the comparative nature of this video, that would defeat the strategy of maintaining a level playing field. So I suppose I'd label this comment as more of an aside. I find that Schitt's all-in-one boxes tend to sound mushy and poorly defined. They are allegedly working on creating a delta-sigma DAC from the ground up.
The Cambridge appears to be a quality product. I have to agree with another comment about power. My Fiio Q3 has roughly the same output @ 32 ohms. I am liking the music references.
Thanks for the review Steve. Do you happen to know if it accepts and processes MQA on the coaxial inputs (e.g. from a Node 2i)? Or is it via USB only? I can't find any information on this. Keep up the good work. Cheers.
I put this specific question in to Cambridge tech support soon after the product release notice. Really surprised to get a very quick response to a Joe public question - they said the 200m will accept MQA over coax and optical as well as USB so I am considering it for my nose 2i - and also because I got very good interaction from their tech support
The jot 2 I have coming is just the amp, no dac, I will be using my modius dac with it. Will a different dac pair make a difference, I have heard that dac after certain point don't make to much of difference. Is there a different dac that would open up jot 2, or add more punch or anything?
Great review Steve. I think the Mule variations is wel recorded. Now there's a remastered version by Tom&Kathleen? Read some mixed reviews on the reissue. Did you happen to listen to this one by any chance?
Hi guys I have the Hifiman Ananda and Dac SMSL VMV D1SE with the SP200 which the XLR inputs are defective but looking at a different amp looking at this Singxer-SA1 or Jotunheim 2. What would you think be a good match i would like more bass out of my Anandas and not as harsh highs?
What about using jotunheim 2 with a external dac streamer. I think to some degree what your hearing is the optional multibit dac in the jotunheim. Hmmmm. I have the orchard audio dac steamer with balanced outputs and looking for a amp, so I'm considering the jotunheim 2. Will be using sundara headphones.
Wow, didn't know about the 200M. I had the MagicDAC 2, which I liked but no MQA. And the unit I had, must have been flawed, heard some distortion and had to send it back. Ended up with the SMSL M500 which I do enjoy BUT it's not the MagicDAC. There was a texture difference in the two. I'm going to investigate this one.
Here is the video I shot. th-cam.com/video/uxfzSxRmq7Q/w-d-xo.html And the most ridiculously thing is Cambridge replied back to me saying the delay is normal WTF? Look at their reply I just received. ibb.co/Tmcj7zn Hello Cedric, Please see the following reply from our engineers. "DM200M can decode MQA from all inputs excluding BT only. A delay up to 1-2 seconds can be normal, and it’s due to the fact the MQA decoder requires a certain amount of audio samples to actually detect the MQA watermark. You’ll notice that if you scroll a song, or press pause then play, MQA light will take a bit to come back on." One of our engineers also suggested connecting a computer or laptop directly to the DacMagic 200M to see if experience the same delay.Thank you and we hope this helps.
Hi Steve! I've been waiting for this product for a while and it's due to be released beginning of March in the UK and I'm really happy you have done a review of this, can I ask how does it sound? Warm? Neutral? Bright? Thanks for the cool videos by the way 👍👍👍
@@delvalle9256 yes in uk. I used the Tidal app on my iPhone, via the Apple camera dongle and AQ Carbon USB cable. MQA led glows Magenta, meaning the DAC is carrying out the final unfold. Have to say I prefer the sound of Amazon HD though.
Steve Guttenberg, may I suggest that you post your Dac Magic “ balanced design” correction as a text in your video instead of the less visible comments section ? I was surprised to even hear you say that the DacMagic was not a balanced design even though it has balanced outputs . I respectfully ask you: What would be the point in that ?
I know DSD has to go thru a USB cable from my device to the 200M dac, but how would I stream Spotify and Tidal/MQA to this DAC wirelessly ? What is a good quality inexpensive Wifi receiver to use with the 200M. This is where the Bluesound has it over the 200M I believe !
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I guess it says as much about the gullible buyers willing to lap it up and still buy it believing it does something. I would have outright refused to even review such a thing that offers such a feature. Yeeah as long as it sells and people buy it we will keep producing, sickening quite frankly.
@@afborro "Punishing" a product for offering you a feature you don't need is silly. So what if a DAC can do 384 and 768 sample rates? As long as its 44.1k & 96k sound quality is impressive, it's all that matters for many and looks like it should for you
i don't think he is punishing anything, rather pointing out sales b-lls--t. Why do we constantly try to sell attributes that dont exist in the real world ?...If fhere really isn't any source material, it's pretty much useless.
@@FelixtheMetalcat what do you mean by attributes that don't exist? A DAC supporting say 768 khz sample rates means just that : that if you feed it a 768 khz file, it will play it at that sample rate. That's a very real capability, even if it's a very niche one.
Hi Steve! I may have missed it somewhere along but did you use the power source that came with the Cambridge DAC or another more expensive source? The former DACmagic seemed to perform better on hi-audio power source but that would up the price with at least 280 euro.
I did try an iFi iPower X with my 200m but found the bass seemed to be weaker, with not much else changing, so switched back to the standard wall wart and was happier with that. Incidentally the same iFi power supply makes a significant improvement to my Dacmagic 100, with better clarity, reduced harshness and improved dynamics.
I have a question. I mostly listen to digital Berlin Phil as a member. For that, my audio setting is: Ipad ->(ADI FS2 DAC) -> Cambridge Audio Edge W Power Amp -> KEF LS 50 Meta Speaker. Could you recommend me a better combination? Specifically about DAC Source, i.e., Ipad. Is it better to use a kind of network audio such as Aurender? I do not know if it supports Digital Berlin Phil.
MQA supposedly means that mastering engineer authenticate the sound. That certainly does not mean better recording... if the recording is bad, master engineer can only work with a stuff that he got. Many bands do not care, know or can afford the good recording...
@@MosoKaiser That isn't DRM scheme because it works perfectly as any other flac or a cd. If you want an mqa version, you must have a mqa dac to unfold the file. Everyone can stream mqa as any other digital format - mostly flac - through TIDAL but only those who have a gear that can unfold the full mqa file - they will have it. It says in at the website of CA that light is blue when studio master is unfolding, otherwise it is green.
@@freekwo7772 Well, granted, DRM isn't quite the best fitting term for it, but it comes close in essence. You need MQA-compatible gear to use the files to their full capacity, and even at that it's still a lossy format. And a closed source one to boot (an issue if one cares about future proofness of their music library). With Meridian Audio cashing in on licensing fees from every step of the chain from file encoding to DAC manufacturers. And that's not say MQA can't sound great, it's just that there's never been any real arguments as to why that would be due to the _format itself._ Apart from magical handwaving, that is. And yeah, they can have superior sounding masters made for MQA exclusively, but that'd be kind of a dick move, if you ask me...
@@MosoKaiser well, you have now just described the whole music industry. Is it fair to sell vinyl thet is recorded digitally? Yes. If there is someone who will buy it. Can you play SACD over regular CD? No. Can you play 384/24 file without suitable DAC? No. So, in that regard - you can play mqa file the same as a layer of a cd on sacd disc. It is up to personal preference what will one to choose from. And mqa company is not tied up to meridian audio. Only Bob Stuart is the link between. After all Steve has Mytek which dac is one of the first that supported mqa.
@@MosoKaiser and mqa is not lossy in any musical sense, only in the ultrasound area which contains no musical information and only purpose is to satisfy techinical requirements of sampling. But vinyl is lossy since it has only 80dB of dynamic range and recahes only toc16kHz but that doesn't bother the majority at all in terms of "lossy"
Due to my finances (and as a proud owner of the original DACMagic!) I am listening to your words. But truth is, really I am riveted to the component on the stand behind your shoulder... Is that a Gato Audio integrated?
Correction: the DACmagic 200M is a fully balanced design, ! misspoke in the video when I said the 200M wasn't balanced, it is!
Hi Steve, In the UK, Cambridge Audio is part of our staple diet of audio brands, and the original Dac Magic was one of those pioneering products that brought DAC affordability to the masses. What I don't quite get is how a Fully balanced internal design like the 200 does not have a fully balanced headphone output. It seems to me that with the trend nowadays of people leaning towards balanced headphone drive, this omission could be a costly decision.
@GeneralCurtis3LeMay wtf?
Steve, got any measurements of these dacs.
@GeneralCurtis3LeMay
Spherical, queerical...
@GeneralCurtis3LeMay ehhh if you say so (while running as fast as I can in your opposite direction)
Got the 560s headphones on your recommendation...couldn’t agree more of its balance, clarity, deep bass! Best of all, your great stories tied to the music, expression of the entire, artful experience. And now must rethink my Dac choice 🤔
I'm really glad you enjoy them. They look terrific too.
Me too, great headphones!
Steve, great review - yet most importantly, keep the music recommendations coming! I'm finding so much more great music thanks to you. Loving every video now.
You are so delightful. Your honesty, earnestness, experience, enjoyment and insight come together to bring forth wonderful content for all our benefit and learning. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much!
Love the personal memories. I’ve enjoyed many albums, I didn’t know about until I heard you reference them in a gear review. Thanks!
This is great. Im pre Ordering the 200M soon.
Thanks again for this channel. Most of this stuff im never gonna afford, even if i could... but its fun to dream. Ive spent years in the surround sound realm, and have recently rediscovered good stereo. Hearing cds and records ive had forever in a new light, and i love it. Channels like this helped me choose components that are in my budget, and sound fantastic. You saved me money, and entertain and educate me. Cheers
Yes, more music! You are in the right path Steve!
I really like your very inspiring music discoveries and the mix with gear reviews. Thank you!
I just ordered a DacMagic 200m. It will be here Friday or Saturday coming from Denver. :-)
Hi, are you Happy with the 200M?
How are getting along with it.
@@rumporridge1 I'm impressed. It sounds better than the old Sound Blaster ZxR for sure. But I can also now turn my Klipsch R15PM speakers all the way up and they don't distort anymore. Same with my Sennheiser GSP600 gaming headset. I can turn the volume up much louder without it sounding like they are being overdriven. The Dacmagic 200m must be putting out a cleaner signal or something.
@@dustys5512 yup. Gonna get one now for sure.
Great Review. Thank you for sharing your musical selections. Please continue.
Thanks Mr.Mestre for your feedback, my involvement with Mr. Michaelson's productos began when I bought, thirty something years ago, the fabled Michaelson & Austin tube amplifier, reason why I always supposed he was an engineer.
Well, as a 600ohm DT-880 user, it looks like I’m sticking with my Schiit.
Good girl
The DACmagic 200M lacks major power compared to the Jotunheim. It can't even compete.
@@edwardbalboa5528 Come on, man.
I love my DT 880 Edition 600 ohm. I got a minty, used Asgard 1 on eBay and it makes them sing!
Thoroughly enjoyed that--appreciate the music picks especially.
Great analysis Steve ! well done again , many Thanks for your comments on the gear :)
Steve, nice to hear you mention a recording that features the 21 string West African harp-lute: Kora!
Thank you. Anna von Hausswolff's album is exactly what I needed.
Steve, you are the number one HIFI specialist and reference in the world. Many thanks for your very interesting and passionate daily shows. I don’t miss anyone.
I've got a dacmagic 100 with modified caps and huge linear power supply that sounds so nice, but as soon as I heard about the 200m I have to admit I'm ready to buy...
What PS are you using with your DM100? Ive got one sitting here unused to play with. Thx
Really enjoyed this. The Cambridge looks really interesting.
Sounds like this may be the "static" replacement for my Chord Mojo as a DAC and HP amp that I have been looking for.
Thanks for the test and for the discovery of Anna von Hausswolf. Great "new style" of music for the old organ fan that I am ! ;)
Been waiting for the 200m review :) Out on Monday in the UK and im tempted...........
Steve, the 'Theater of Nature' is SURELY a real pipeorgan in a real space. You can actually hear the wind system in the opening measures of the title track! Other electronic voices and ambience were mixed in 'post', or visa versa...AND, the very last seconds of the track you hear what sounds like the organ blower being turned off as the high pitched pipes run out of wind! (from: your resident pipe organ tech)
Great insights, thanks for sharing!
@@davidcoons89 Thanks for the reply to my comment, I saw it come up on screen, and then I see it is almost a year later! Any more questions about pipe organs, I would be happy to answer (O: Thanks again.
From Anna von H. at Bandcamp, “Sacro Bosco (“Sacred Grove”) is the starting point for Anna von Hausswolff’s new album All Thoughts Fly, incoming on Southern Lord on 25th September. Here in solo instrumental mode, the entire record consists of just one instrument, the pipe organ, and represents absolute liberation of the imagination.” 🙂
Please keep giving music recommendations they help spotlight things i dont know about
Hey Steve thanks for this review because I have Cambridge great and one piece is a dac magic 100. Wanting balanced outs when I saw this 200m item was Nirvana! Being that I trust your reviews I’m all in on switching. Thanks and keep listening 🔊
Thanks David, here’s the thing, having balanced connectors doesn’t mean the circuitry inside is balanced. I don’t believe it is
He's absolutely right on that one. Never assume you have a balanced component just because it has xlr jacks and is labeled balanced. You have to read the fine print. It will say something like, "The xlr jacks allows you to use balanced cables." Its a true statement, but its very misleading. In a situation like that, what they don't tell you, is while you can use balanced cables, only 2 of the 3 pins/conductors are used. Its the same exact thing as using a pair of rca cables.
steve thank you for your never stoping insight plus your sence of humor and fun great shirt.
Great review, Steve. Your review primarily dealt with this unit as a DAC for headphone listening, which, unfortunately, doesn't really interest me. Would you consider giving us your thoughts on how this unit sounds with CDs and outboard computer speakers? If it sounds as good with those formats as it does with headphones then it would seem to represent extraordinary value at $499 USD. Too many of these admittedly great-sounding DACs like Denafrips, for example, are completely out of most people's price range.
Hoping to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
thanks for the music pointers! always welcome, good music is the reason why we have high end products!
Sounds like your rec would be the dacmagic dac w/ Jot amp? Conflating the two is just not very helpful for me.
@10:25 Steve, your description of David Walters music made think of another great acoustic "afro chamber" album by Vincent Segal and Ballake Sissoko called Musique de Nuit. The opening track was recorded amongst real goats and is a great high-resolution test of your system. Sure enough, Segal and Sissoko are on the David Walters album. I saw Segal and Sissoko play live (sigh) at Wolf Trap Barns years ago and you could hear a pin drop. It was pure magic.
While you are in the "afro chamber" groove, check out the Trio AKA - Joy album with the great guitarist Antonio Forcione.
Another great review. !!!
Thanks
Liking the vocal rooster in Wait''s album reminds me of the Piedmont master picker Etta Baker's album "RAILROAD BILL". A bird flew into her living room and perched atop her front door and serenaded a wonderful duet with her during her recording session.
I bought the DAC Magic 200M to take the coax output of my Sony UBP x800M2 (using it for music CDs as well as DVD) to my NAD 325BEE analog integrated amp. KEF LS50 speakers.
Hi Steve, the most recent Jotunheim reviews I’ve seen have compared the DAC option with the Bifrost. The general consensus seems to be that you’re between off with one of Schiit’s external multibit DACs. I’d love to know if you agree
Yeah, just get the internal DAC-module until you can afford an external one. Or better safe the money right away for a Bifrost 2.
Steven Wilson is my all time favorite artist
the Porcupine Tree guy? He’s brilliant
Thank You for Today came out in 2018 Steve! DCFC's latest album is The Georgia EP. They're all great though ;)
Fantastic review dear Steve👍 Your style and method of evaluation should be exemplary for some of the so-called “Headphone reviewers” that I follow here on TH-cam who mislead thousands of their followers based on their fetishism with frequency response measurements and Harman Target curves etc.
Steve, what are your thoughts on the DAC in the Bluesound Node 2i vs. the Cambridge? They are relatively similar in price? Thanks for the vids
Recently sent back a Node 2i because the internal DAC sounded much worse than my Dacmagic 100 (no energy to the sound in comparison, it was just flat and lifeless), so I’m guessing this will be a huge upgrade on that...
Checked out Anna von Hausswolff based on your description of that song. That album is wild! Definitely a great example for dynamics and testing out equipment!
Hi Steve, was wondering how would the Jotunheim 2 & Modius stack compared to the 200M?
hi. do you ever test these dacs, output to speakers? i'm not a big headphone guy. my t2s are quite sufficient for my headphone/iem needs.
the dm200m sounds intriguing, but i would primarily be using it for living room listening.
Great video as per usual. Good to get a lift from your positivity at the minute. Heard of Blick Bassy album 1958? Very good in mho
Dear Steve, I got 880's last fall ( got them balanced mod and Zeos pad mod). Love my Jot. Best, D.
I own a DacMagic 200M. It has an upgraded lineair power supply and is hooked up to an Audiolab 6000N network streamer and at the other end an Accuphase poweramp into JBL XPL 160's (which are very strong -a bit harsh- in the higher midrange. In this setting the delayed filter setting works the best and DSD 256 (on USB) is the best playback mode, for my ears that is. MQA is no advantage to PCM 24/192 to me. The DacMagic performs allright in CD - PCM but it gets so good in DSD. Downside to DSD is price and availability of titles. Proper recording makes a joy to listen, the 200M does the job well.
Can you say two sentences about the quality as a pure Dac? How was the 200M with the Adams? Same „coloration“ as the headphone output? Thanks for your reviews!
Get a smsl m8a ... Best ever affordable dac
@@edwardbalboa5528 I need a DAC with balanced out and MQA.
Love Tom Waits! Steve your music selections are always interesting.
'... in no short order... or in short order...' that made me lol Another good vid, Sir! Thanks again.
I love that shirt. My fave of your recent sartorial choices (wonder if the Walter CD "sounds like" that shirt? Or maybe the Grado RS-1s do? Hmmm...)
I’m looking for a headphone amp and dac for my newly purchased LCD-2 Classic cans. Any recommendations?
My 200M was delivered today and I can’t wait to run it with my Crown XLS 2502 and Watt Puppie 5’s!!! BTW - Amazon just started their HD service for no additional cost if you are already a unlimited subscriber.
Hi Steve You were talking of the new Sennheiser HD560S how does this one stand up compare to the Old HD414 you've got hanging there would that one still stand the of time ??
Caution: midway this dac review suddenly turns into a headphone review lol
morning Steve. great video as always. is this type of compare two things together format gonna be sticking around? i like it. i want to see you compare amplifiers that aren't always in the same price range. or two amps, one from the bottom of the stack like a n nad 316 bee vs an nad master amplifier
So there. Steve said it. We don't need Hi Res. 16/44.1 is good enough. Perfect sound forever!
You said you listened with the Sundara. Which unit sounded the best with them ?
200m
I think Steve's comments about all the manipulation and what exactly MQA is trying to accomplish is pretty interesting and exactly why there appears ( to me) to be too much bs in the digital streaming agenda. Stating he wouldn't use as reference listening is pretty telling. I am by no means against streaming music however the sales tactics don't fly with me.
MQA is technically interesting. It saves drive space (people do find this important to be able to listen "untethered" high res with as little hassle as possible) and could easily replace the redbook standard. The "uncool" part is commoditizing proprietary technologies when free is just as good (or better).
MQA BS that made my day Steve :-)
Amazing what quality audio one can get these days for not a ton of money (not just referencing the DACmagic 200M, those Sennheiser 560s headphones are only a couple hundred dollars). Nice tip on Anna von Hausswolf, I'm really getting into her stuff, thanks! (interestingly enough, she signed to the label of my favorite drone metal band, Sunn O))), in 2019). Also, David Walters, that's a really nice sounding recording (and music)
Tom Waits' Nighthawks at the Diner always gets me.
Tom Waits! Thank you for that. He’s the best.
I appreciate the info and presentation. I’m listening to the music suggestions now. I love Tom Waits. I just bought that Schiit product for my office set up with headphones with XLR connection and a Mc MC275 with Tekton speakers. The Multi DAC sounds great. I think better than the Mytek Bridge that it replaced. I’m using the Bridge at home. I love that machine although it is pricy for my frugality. The Schiit DAC is also modular and replaceable. The unit has a really nice feel and look and doesn’t include a lot that I don’t need. Bluetooth? I thought that was dead. Ha. Anyway, I’ll keep thinking about this DAC Magic choice. I am still in the return period for the Schiit unit.
Thanks Steve, love the music recs. Would you recommend the 200m for the sundaras?
Perhaps a Chesky recording would be a good candidate for a headphone/DAC evaluation. Binaural recordings generally sound exceptional on headphones.
What happened to the Sundara? I am looking for a better amp for my pair and was hoping for some insight. I am currently using the Ray Samuels Predator DAC/Amp and it cannot drive them at higher volumes, I need some balls to control the bass.
How can we evaluate a review when by adding a different component into the chain can change which one was the better? And, why only evaluate with headphones? Well.. thanks for the headphone amps review. Not trying to be trouble, Just wanted to know how they sounded driving speakers into a room.
Well, because pairing / synergy is paramount. If you have headphone A, amp x is best for that particular combination. If you have headphone B, maybe amp y fits better.
Steve, I found that Schitt's DACs and Amps are WAY better when used as a stack instead of integrated. The Jotunheim 2 is a fabulous amp and when paired with the Bifrost 2 (Multibit DAC), the sound is exceptional. The cost is obviously much greater though and due to the comparative nature of this video, that would defeat the strategy of maintaining a level playing field. So I suppose I'd label this comment as more of an aside. I find that Schitt's all-in-one boxes tend to sound mushy and poorly defined. They are allegedly working on creating a delta-sigma DAC from the ground up.
I was wondering if the DAC board was responsible for the Jot2 comparing so poorly here too.
I haven't compared that directly, but many, many people have commented on the superiority of the separate DACS versus the integrated ones.
The Cambridge appears to be a quality product. I have to agree with another comment about power. My Fiio Q3 has roughly the same output @ 32 ohms. I am liking the music references.
Heard Neil Young pulled all his stuff from Tidal due to MQA... that actually pissed me off a bit towards Neil but I get what he's trying to do.
Now I don't need to consider Tidal if I go back to streaming.
Thanks for the review Steve. Do you happen to know if it accepts and processes MQA on the coaxial inputs (e.g. from a Node 2i)? Or is it via USB only? I can't find any information on this.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers.
I put this specific question in to Cambridge tech support soon after the product release notice. Really surprised to get a very quick response to a Joe public question - they said the 200m will accept MQA over coax and optical as well as USB so I am considering it for my nose 2i - and also because I got very good interaction from their tech support
@@peterlawton259 Thank you.
That's good news.
Surprised it'll accept over optical though.
@@aeroscouse7025 yes I was also surprised they said optical as well but that's what they told me on Jan 29 response to initial query.
The jot 2 I have coming is just the amp, no dac, I will be using my modius dac with it. Will a different dac pair make a difference, I have heard that dac after certain point don't make to much of difference.
Is there a different dac that would open up jot 2, or add more punch or anything?
Does it come with a remote? Doesn't look it does. Looking to get new DAC for my speaker set up. Wish you'd elaborate more on this use case.
No remote
You shouldn't need a remote. You need a remote for whatever you're using as a transport, and your preamp takes care of the volume.
Le philosophe de l’audio
Hey Steve. What are you using for recording video/audio with for your channel? Thanks!
Great review Steve. I think the Mule variations is wel recorded. Now there's a remastered version by Tom&Kathleen? Read some mixed reviews on the reissue. Did you happen to listen to this one by any chance?
I too have been loving the track recommendations too I have really been into tok tok tok o my lord are they fantastic
Hi guys I have the Hifiman Ananda and Dac SMSL VMV D1SE with the SP200 which the XLR inputs are defective but looking at a different amp looking at this Singxer-SA1 or Jotunheim 2. What would you think be a good match i would like more bass out of my Anandas and not as harsh highs?
What about using jotunheim 2 with a external dac streamer. I think to some degree what your hearing is the optional multibit dac in the jotunheim. Hmmmm. I have the orchard audio dac steamer with balanced outputs and looking for a amp, so I'm considering the jotunheim 2. Will be using sundara headphones.
Wow, didn't know about the 200M. I had the MagicDAC 2, which I liked but no MQA. And the unit I had, must have been flawed, heard some distortion and had to send it back. Ended up with the SMSL M500 which I do enjoy BUT it's not the MagicDAC. There was a texture difference in the two. I'm going to investigate this one.
Hello my friend!
Do you know how this dac compare to the RME-ADI-2 Fs Dac, and matrix mini i pro 3 ? Soundwise which is better,?
Cheers!
Hey my headphones are near 500 ohms, so thanks for the academic comparison.
Here is the video I shot.
th-cam.com/video/uxfzSxRmq7Q/w-d-xo.html
And the most ridiculously thing is Cambridge replied back to me saying the delay is normal WTF?
Look at their reply I just received.
ibb.co/Tmcj7zn
Hello Cedric,
Please see the following reply from our engineers.
"DM200M can decode MQA from all inputs excluding BT only.
A delay up to 1-2 seconds can be normal, and it’s due to the fact the MQA decoder requires a certain amount of audio samples to actually detect the MQA watermark.
You’ll notice that if you scroll a song, or press pause then play, MQA light will take a bit to come back on."
One of our engineers also suggested connecting a computer or laptop directly to the DacMagic 200M to see if experience the same delay.Thank you and we hope this helps.
Hi Steve! I've been waiting for this product for a while and it's due to be released beginning of March in the UK and I'm really happy you have done a review of this, can I ask how does it sound? Warm? Neutral? Bright? Thanks for the cool videos by the way 👍👍👍
Got mine today and so far I’d say it’s very neutral. Hoping it will break in a bit further before I pass judgment though.
@@richd9362 That's great! Please keep up informed of your progress, it will be interesting to know how it stands say after a few weeks of listening...
@@richd9362 Are you in the UK? And what did you use to stream MQA files. Thanks
@@delvalle9256 yes in uk. I used the Tidal app on my iPhone, via the Apple camera dongle and AQ Carbon USB cable. MQA led glows Magenta, meaning the DAC is carrying out the final unfold. Have to say I prefer the sound of Amazon HD though.
@@richd9362 thanks for sharing.
Steve Guttenberg, may I suggest that you post your Dac Magic “ balanced design” correction as a text in your video instead of the less visible comments section ? I was surprised to even hear you say that the DacMagic was not a balanced design even though it has balanced outputs . I respectfully ask you: What would be the point in that ?
Balmy 16c here in London today - unbelievable !
Celcius? Please say yes!
@@jimgardner5129 yeah celcius. Felt like 16farenheit last weekend though with the wind chill, was defo one to stay home and put some records on
I know DSD has to go thru a USB cable from my device to the 200M dac, but how would I stream Spotify and Tidal/MQA to this DAC wirelessly ? What is a good quality inexpensive Wifi receiver to use with the 200M. This is where the Bluesound has it over the 200M I believe !
Would the 200M be a good choice to connect Elac Navis to for a nearfield setup?
3 Years and I haven't been able to find a single 32bit 384 khz song.
No 768 kHz either I suppose!!
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I guess it says as much about the gullible buyers willing to lap it up and still buy it believing it does something. I would have outright refused to even review such a thing that offers such a feature. Yeeah as long as it sells and people buy it we will keep producing, sickening quite frankly.
@@afborro "Punishing" a product for offering you a feature you don't need is silly. So what if a DAC can do 384 and 768 sample rates?
As long as its 44.1k & 96k sound quality is impressive, it's all that matters for many and looks like it should for you
i don't think he is punishing anything, rather pointing out sales b-lls--t. Why do we constantly try to sell attributes that dont exist in the real world ?...If fhere really isn't any source material, it's pretty much useless.
@@FelixtheMetalcat what do you mean by attributes that don't exist? A DAC supporting say 768 khz sample rates means just that : that if you feed it a 768 khz file, it will play it at that sample rate. That's a very real capability, even if it's a very niche one.
Hi Steve! I may have missed it somewhere along but did you use the power source that came with the Cambridge DAC or another more expensive source? The former DACmagic seemed to perform better on hi-audio power source but that would up the price with at least 280 euro.
Greetings from Belgium! 😎
Thanks for watching, no I just used the wall wart that came with the unit
OK! Thanks! Listening to my CXN V2 with Tom Waits and David Walker coming up. I’m really curious...
I did try an iFi iPower X with my 200m but found the bass seemed to be weaker, with not much else changing, so switched back to the standard wall wart and was happier with that. Incidentally the same iFi power supply makes a significant improvement to my Dacmagic 100, with better clarity, reduced harshness and improved dynamics.
better with ifi IPOWER ELITE LPS?
can you make a list from the albums you mentioned
So how did the Sundara pair with it?
It was a great match, love that headphone
Good to know. I'm currently shopping for an upgrade from my Heresy/Modi3 stack.
we talking dacs, headphones, or albums?
I have a question.
I mostly listen to digital Berlin Phil as a member. For that, my audio setting is:
Ipad ->(ADI FS2 DAC) -> Cambridge Audio Edge W Power Amp -> KEF LS 50 Meta Speaker.
Could you recommend me a better combination? Specifically about DAC Source, i.e., Ipad. Is it better to use a kind of network audio such as Aurender? I do not know if it supports Digital Berlin Phil.
Dt1990 paired with Jotunheim 2 true multibit dac is a go or no?
I have a DT880 Pro and whatever material they use on the ear pads deserves to be made in to pillows.
MQA supposedly means that mastering engineer authenticate the sound. That certainly does not mean better recording... if the recording is bad, master engineer can only work with a stuff that he got. Many bands do not care, know or can afford the good recording...
In practice, a fancy DRM scheme and a solution in search of a problem.
@@MosoKaiser That isn't DRM scheme because it works perfectly as any other flac or a cd. If you want an mqa version, you must have a mqa dac to unfold the file. Everyone can stream mqa as any other digital format - mostly flac - through TIDAL but only those who have a gear that can unfold the full mqa file - they will have it. It says in at the website of CA that light is blue when studio master is unfolding, otherwise it is green.
@@freekwo7772 Well, granted, DRM isn't quite the best fitting term for it, but it comes close in essence.
You need MQA-compatible gear to use the files to their full capacity, and even at that it's still a lossy format. And a closed source one to boot (an issue if one cares about future proofness of their music library). With Meridian Audio cashing in on licensing fees from every step of the chain from file encoding to DAC manufacturers.
And that's not say MQA can't sound great, it's just that there's never been any real arguments as to why that would be due to the _format itself._ Apart from magical handwaving, that is.
And yeah, they can have superior sounding masters made for MQA exclusively, but that'd be kind of a dick move, if you ask me...
@@MosoKaiser well, you have now just described the whole music industry. Is it fair to sell vinyl thet is recorded digitally? Yes. If there is someone who will buy it. Can you play SACD over regular CD? No. Can you play 384/24 file without suitable DAC? No. So, in that regard - you can play mqa file the same as a layer of a cd on sacd disc. It is up to personal preference what will one to choose from. And mqa company is not tied up to meridian audio. Only Bob Stuart is the link between. After all Steve has Mytek which dac is one of the first that supported mqa.
@@MosoKaiser and mqa is not lossy in any musical sense, only in the ultrasound area which contains no musical information and only purpose is to satisfy techinical requirements of sampling. But vinyl is lossy since it has only 80dB of dynamic range and recahes only toc16kHz but that doesn't bother the majority at all in terms of "lossy"
Due to my finances (and as a proud owner of the original DACMagic!) I am listening to your words. But truth is, really I am riveted to the component on the stand behind your shoulder... Is that a Gato Audio integrated?
That was a really great headphone review video.