WORLD EXCLUSIVE! Cambridge Audio unveils £199.95 DacMagic 100
Here it is folks! Cambridge Audio's DacMagic 100, the replacement for the original DacMagic launched in 2008, will make its world debut at CES 2012 in Las Vegas next week.
We've been given exclusive advanced information prior to the launch in Vegas next week. Available from late February, the DacMagic 100 costs £30 less than the old model – £199.95.
The DacMagic 100 is equipped with Cambridge Audio's latest USB audio input which allows studio master, uncompressed 24-bit/192kHz files to be played back from any Windows or Apple computer.
With an additional three digital connections, the DacMagic 100 is also designed to improve the audio performance of a wide range of products including TVs, media streamers, DVD and Blu-ray players.
It's been engineered to partner digital iPad and iPhone docks such as the Cambridge Audio iD100 (right).
Developed at Cambridge Audio's London R&D centre, the unit is said to deliver a "vibrant, detailed sound that's remarkably free from jitter – a problem which normally degrades music stored on hard drives or sent across networks".
The full technical spec is as follows:
• New Wolfson WM8742 24-bit DAC
• New 24-bit/96kHz driverless USB audio input – or up to 24-bit/192kHz using the free Cambridge Audio driver available from the company's website
• Three digital inputs: one optical, two coaxial
• RCA analogue phono outputs
• Incoming sampling rate indicator for 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/192kHz
• Full metal chassis and wraparound casework with aluminium front panel
The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 will be available in black or silver from Richer Sounds stores next month.
We have an exclusive First Test of the 100's bigger brother, the DacMagic Plus (£350), in our February 2012 issue, on sale January 12th.
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Comments
We've tested the next model up, the DacMagic Plus, and I believe the new, entry-level DacMagic should be with us soon.
Have WhatHiFi tested this yet? If not, what about a comparison between a DacMagic 100 linked to a budget BluRay player (say a Sony 380) and a budget CD player (£250-£300 mark)? Playing CDs and MP3 files. Which gives the better sound?
No filter options any more then? Could be ideal for my kitchen Squeezebox system.
Muddy bass £30 cheaper or issues resolved?
See, if I'd written that with fewer 'o's and no 'h', it would be ' '...
Oh
I was going to write that (but with fewer 'o's and no 'h')...
Oooooooooooh!!