Prime Day has thrown up a rare hi-fi deal on one of our favourite desktop DACs – now at its lowest-ever price

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M lifestyle with Sennheiser headphones
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

Unlike those on wireless headphones and TVs, Amazon Prime Day deals on hi-fi are hardly a dime a dozen.

So when a five-star – and former Award-winning – DAC gets an unprecedented 37 per cent discount in the retailer's sales bonanza, you can understand why we would want to shout about it.

Indeed, the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M is now £279 at Amazon, which is £80 less than the discounted price we have regularly seen in recent months.

Considering it started life at £449, this is a real steal for anyone on the lookout for an affordable, versatile and high-performing DAC and headphone amplifier.

This fantastic discount makes this talented all-rounder better value than ever, and well worth a look if you need a desktop machine that can work with whatever you throw at it.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M: was £449 now £279 at Amazon

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This is a hugely versatile DAC and headphone amp that can accommodate every music source you own – or might ever own in the future, for that matter. The definition of 'an oldie but a goodie', it remains a solid buy for anyone looking to upgrade their PC/laptop or hi-fi sound.
What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021 winner

Sitting within the company's established DacMagic lineup, the 200M serves up twin coaxial (up to 24-bit/192kHz) and optical (up to 24-bit/96kHz) inputs for all your digital sources, a USB type-B socket (32-bit/768kHz, DSD512) for connecting up your laptop, plus balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue connections too.

Even your streaming needs are catered for with built-in support for aptX Bluetooth.

Not only can you throw pretty much any source at it, but it also accepts pretty much any music format, courtesy of its support for PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512.

As for how it sounds, it's unmistakably 'Cambridge Audio', with a full, smooth tonality that's complemented by an open, expressive and authoritative manner.

The good news is it sounds like this with any source – even tracks streamed from a phone via Bluetooth. But feed it some higher-res audio and you'll hear the extent of its talents, uncovering layers upon layers of detail that other kit can gloss over.

All of this means we didn't hesitate to award it the full five stars when we tested it in 2021, with it winning a What Hi-Fi? Award in the same year.

It may be more than four years old now, but when we revisited our review earlier this year we concluded that it remains "a talented all-rounder". Sure, the newer portable and pocketable Chord Mojo 2 beats it for insight and musicality, but it doesn't sport half as many connections, and right now isn't as affordable.

With more than 25 years behind the DacMagic brand, Cambridge Audio has had a lot of time to get what's on offer with the DacMagic 200M just right, and even four years on from its release, it can still hold its own in a competitive category.

And at this lowest-ever price of £279 for Amazon Prime Day, it is arguably more tempting than it's ever been.

MORE:

Check out our expert pick of the best hi-fi deals in the Prime Day sale – live!

See the best audio deals at Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks and Peter Tyson

Head straight to the Amazon hi-fi Prime Day deals

Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.

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