Imagine this comedic scene: You ask a person what sort of equipment you need to be an audiophile. They then take out a physics-defying list that unrolls and extends for a mile. That’s how it felt when I first started my journey to being an audiophile. But, remember the saying, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.”
What do I mean by that? Well, being an audiophile isn’t about getting all of the equipment you need and making a complete setup at once. Rather, it’s about progressively gathering equipment and gradually improving your sound as time goes on. Oftentimes, the first step to crafting your dream audio setup starts with getting a quality DAC. Well, I was given the opportunity to review the Cambridge DacMagic 200M, and it’s a device that can greatly improve your audio on its own before you buy all of the other equipment that you need.
The question is whether this device is what you need to start your journey or if you’d be better served with a different product. Let’s find out in this review.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Design
Admittedly, when it comes to all of the potential qualities that a DAC can have, the looks aren’t quite a priority. It’s more important for a pair of headphones or a smartphone to be a fashion piece, as you’re likely to take them out with you. But, you’re not exactly inviting your friends over just to stare at your DAC like it’s a piece of art.
Be that as it may, I can still appreciate a good-looking piece of tech. The DacMagic 200M has a similar design aesthetic to the DacMagic 100 from a while back. However, the company went in a different direction with the 200M. It ditched the brushed texture on the front panel and went for more of a matte metal appearance. We see this texture all throughout the device, and I actually prefer this to the brushed metal look. It makes the overall aesthetic look more consistent and refined. This makes it blend more seamlessly with your setup.
I also like how the front panel is arranged. All of the information is compartmentalized with a combination of vertically oriented and horizontally oriented elements. We see the inputs and the filters flanking the knob with the MQA light, sample rate, DSD numbers, and headphone port on the right of the panel. Moving back to the knob, it has that matte texture, but there’s a glossy ring around it that contrasts the rest of the panel and acts as an accent.
As for the shape of the DAC, Cambridge decided to squish the DacMagic 100. The 200M is shorter and longer, which almost makes it look more like other DACs you’d see today. Again, I prefer the look of the DacMagic 200M over the 100. Not only does it look better, but the shape makes it easier to fit in my setup. It’s rather compact and easy to manage.
Overall
There’s not much else to say about the design. Cambridge did a great job of creating a professional-looking device. The sleek two-tone gray color gives the device an overall understated beauty. Sure, the looks of the device don’t have an effect on the overall performance, but it’s still nice to have a sleek and good-looking device on my desk or table when I’m composing or listening to music.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Build quality
When it comes to the world of DACs, the DacMagic 200M is affordable at only $499. However, that doesn’t mean that the company skimped on the build quality. Regardless of the target market, this device feels as premium as one twice its price.
Firstly, the entire device is encased in metal, which is always good to see. The front panel is also made from metal. What this boils down to is a device with a nice bit of weight to it. It’s not a bulky device, however. There’s just a satisfying bit of heft to it that lets me know that I’m grabbing a quality piece of technology.
Having used this device for a while, I’ve placed it in several locations like next to my piano, on my computer desk, and even on a few shelves while I was cleaning. No matter where I placed it, I didn’t see any wear or tear on the device. It looks as good as the day I unboxed it.
Cambridge added the obligatory rubber feet on the bottom of the device to help dampen the shock from being placed on hard surfaces. That’s a small thing, but I still appreciate it.
The only complaint that I have about the device’s build is the knob. Firstly, while the device as a whole feels high-quality, the knob feels cheap and plasticy. I’m not sure if the company used a thinner metal for the knob or if it’s legitimately made from plastic. It doesn’t kill the experience, but it’s just a bit of a shift in the overall feeling.
Not only that, but it’s rather stiff. It takes a little bit of force to rotate it, which can make it a little difficult to tune the volume to my liking. It’s so stiff that (and it embarrasses me to say) I didn’t even know that it rotated for quite some time. The first time I tried to rotate it, there wasn’t any give. I figured that if I put too much force into rotating it, I’d break it. I eventually got it loose.
That’s the only complaint that I have about the construction of the device.
Overall
The DacMagic 200M is a mid-range device, but you wouldn’t really know it from the feeling in the hand. Cambridge crafted this device with a high caliber of care and attention. It’s a nice-feeling and well-put-together DAC, and I can trust it to last me years and years. It just goes to show that affordable and cheap can mean two different things.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Connections and ports
As you can guess, one of the most important parts of a DAC’s experience is the selection of ports and connection options that it supports. When it comes to the DacMagic 200M, I was pretty surprised with how many connection options there are. There are enough to fit with pretty much any audio setup. Starting off with the outputs, there’s the 3/4-inch headphone jack, which I use the most often. There’s also RCA for unbalanced output and XLR for balanced.
Moving onto the inputs, you have two S/P DIF Co-axial ports, two Toslink Optical ports, and a USB port (It’s a USB-B port). Rounding out the list, you can also connect your device via Bluetooth. All in all, you have the four output options, which are USB, D1, D2, and Bluetooth (this is what the antenna on the back is for). D1 uses one of the Co-axial and one of the Optical ports, and D2 uses the other of each.
Switching between the connection options is as easy as pressing the button on the front panel to the left of the knob. If you haven’t paired a Bluetooth device to it yet, it will automatically go into pairing mode. The indicator light will blink until you pair your phone or other device.
Obviously, when you switch to Bluetooth, you’ll be hearing lower-quality audio. However, I like that the DacMagic 200M is compatible with Qualcomm’s aptX HD. So, you’re good to hear CD-quality music.
Switching between the inputs is lightning quick. If there’s music playing, I instantly hear the music when I switch to it. When you switch to a mode, it lights up on the actual device, so there’s no guessing game.
I don’t really have any complaints other than the fact that there’s no obvious way to unpair the DAC from your streaming device. It’d be neat if there was a button or gesture to unpair from one device and enter pairing mode on the DAC. Other than that, everything’s great.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Usage
Now, let’s talk about actually using this device. What I love about this DAC is just how easy it is to get set up. When I plugged it into my computer, it instantly registered without any issues. I saw it show up in my list of audio devices right away, so that got rid of the anxiety of going through an unnecessary setup process.
Everything is indicated by the lights on the front panel, which I appreciate. There’s a column of lights that indicate the input you have selected to the left of the knob and a column that shows the filter to the right.
Towards the far right of the device, there are more pretty lights. There’s a row that shows the sample rate of the music I’m listening to, and I love just how quickly it switches when I change settings and input methods. It’s instant! On that same row, there’s also a light that indicates when you’re listening to an MQA file. That light will actually change color based on the sample rate of the music you’re listening to.
I like the lights and all, but one thing you need to keep in mind is that you won’t be able to see the settings in a dark environment. I’ve always been a person who prefers mini displays that show the stats. However, for $500, there had to be some compromises somewhere. It’s not the biggest deal, though. After a bit, I was able to memorize where all of the settings are, so I don’t often have to look at the text.
My one complaint
As far as complaints go, there’s been one thing that bothered me while using the DacMagic 200M. It has an auto-shut-off feature that turns it off after a little while of not being used. The thing is that it turns off after what seems to be less than 20 minutes. I often find myself returning to my computer after a little break and wondering why I don’t hear anything when I press the Play button.
I know that this is dependent on my personal usage, but it happens so often during my usage that I can’t help but wonder if this happens to other people as often. I understand why the feature is there, but I could personally do without it.
Overall
When it comes to the overall usability, I don’t have any glaring complaints. It’s easy to switch the input sources and the filters. The buttons to switch those settings are on the front of the device, so they’re easy to access. The same thing goes for the power button. This is a very straightforward and easy-to-use device.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Filters
The DacMagic 200M comes with three easily accessible filters that you can rotate through. This is another area where you know that the company had to cut a few corners to keep the price down. Pricier DACs would have more, but three filters are a nice little selection, especially if this is your first DAC.
You have your choice between a Fast, Slow, and Short Delay filter. The DAC is super fast when switching between the filter modes. I hear the music go silent for just a fraction of a second before coming back on.
As for the sound, I have to say that I had some trouble really telling the difference between the modes. I switched between all of the modes dozens of times, and I just couldn’t hear a palpable change in audio quality. One thing I found was that switching to the Fast filter game me just a bit more punch in the higher tones. I felt that the audio was a bit clearer with that setting on and fuller with the Short Delay on.
I just don’t feel the filters on this DAC add to or subtract from the overall experience. I’m sure that most people using it won’t really have much of a preference as to the filter they use.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Volume
The thing about this DAC is that it’s not only one device. The DacMagic 200M is both a DAC and a headphone amp. This is extremely useful for people who don’t want to worry about buying two devices separately.
The headphones that I use as my daily drivers are the HiFiMan HE560. I also used the Meze Audio ALBA, which are significantly less power-hungry. Using the latter, the DAC had no trouble giving me some powerful volume. I typically need to turn the volume down on my computer to avoid blowing out my eardrums.
As for the HE560, I’m still able to get some ample punch from the sound. These headphones have an impedance of 45Ω. If I crank the volume up on my computer and turn the knob up all the way, the music is well above my comfortable listening volume, and that’s realistically high enough.
I feel like the amp was enough to properly drive these headphones, but I wonder how it will do with more power-hungry headphones. I feel like if I was using headphones that required more power, I’d be able to hear the amp struggling a bit. So, that’s something to keep in mind.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Details
DACs do and don’t offer a large difference in sound quality. To break things down, they don’t magically add more details to your audio. So, if you’re listening to compressed MP3 files, the DAC won’t give them a higher sample rate. However, if you have higher-quality music files on your computer like FLAC or MQA files, and you were previously listening to them through your computer’s 3.5mm headphone jack, then hooking up a DAC will better reproduce the finer details of those audio files.
The DacMagic 200M goes from 44.1kHz up to a whopping 176.4kHz. That top setting is a bit unnecessary, as it’s pretty far above what the human ear can hear. It’s like having an 8K display on your smartphone. However, if you’re into up-sampling, then you may have a need for it.
The DacMagic 200M does a fantastic job of reproducing finer details in the sound. I listen to Tidal, and the amount of detail I can hear is amazing. Listening to all of the music that I typically listen to (anything from classical to early 2000s music + film scores) sounds great. The sound is crisp and tactile. I can hear the fine texture of all of the instruments, both natural and synthetic. I’m talking about the sound of people’s lips parting, the grit of fingers plucking strings, and other details.
Not only is the sound crisp, but it’s incredibly open. I truly feel like the audio just exists around me rather than being shot into my ears. More than likely, a more expensive DAC will be able to produce a more detailed sound, but the DacMagic 200M is no slouch at all.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Higher tones
The higher tones sound great with this DAC. Just like I said, the audio overall sounds nice and crisp. One thing I will say is that the highs can be a little much at times. It all depends on the music I’m listening to, of course. When I’m listening to 80s music, those higher tones really stand out. They can get a little shrill at times.
This is something to keep in mind if you’re doing any sort of audio engineering. Personally, I’m a composer and I mix and master my own music. I can hear a bit of an emphasis on the higher tones compared to listening without.
When I listen back to my compositions, I find that there was an effect on my mixing. It wasn’t a significant effect, but I found myself tuning the higher tones down a bit to compensate for what I was hearing through the DAC. So, if you pick up the DacMagic, and you create music or other types of audio content, then you’ll want to do a comparison between music you make with and without it.
I wouldn’t say that a wide range of the higher tones sounds shrill. For instance, the boosted treble performance makes voices sound divine. The vocals get a nice little lift in the mix, but I don’t hear any shrillness in them. When listening to voices, a good sign that the high tones are too high is when the T’s and S’s start to pierce your ears, but I don’t hear that. The T’s and S’s start to really peak at around 5.3kHz.
Higher instruments like Celeste or Glockenspiel, on the other hand, can take a toll on the ears, so if you’re listening to or making music with instruments like those, then you’ll need to keep this in mind.
Overall
The DacMagic 200M has a nice focus on the higher tones. The sound is clear and tactile. Instruments like snare drums, high hats sound amazing. If you like to listen to music with plenty of drums and other percussive instruments, then you’ll really feel the impact of each transience.
Moving onto voices, I think that it reaches a nice balance to give the voices a nice boost. I can hear vocals clearly, and that includes all of the fine details like the lips parting and the sound of the singers’ tongues moving within their mouths.
I just feel that things can get a bit shrill once you start to venture into the tones higher than 7kHz – 8kHz. It can be a little too much to handle at that range.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Mids
Just like the higher tones, I think that this DAC strikes a nice balance. It does a great job of reproducing those mid-tones that add fullness to the audio. While the audio sounds nice and full, it also still sounds nice and clean.
Instruments like violas, guitars, etc, have a nice warm and encompassing sound. It’s easy to overlook the mid-tones in lieu of warmer bass or punchier treble. However, I think that the DacMagic 200M does a great job.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Bass
I think that the DacMagic 200M is king when it comes to the higher tones. However, I don’t hear too much punch in the lower tones. A DAC doesn’t have a ton of control over the bass, but it can have an effect on it. I feel like the lower notes could be warmer. I’m missing a bit of the impact of the Double Basses, Bassoons, Bass guitars, and other lower instruments. So, if you’re a person who needs driving bass, you’ll need to keep that in mind. It’s not terrible, as you could use a system-wide EQ on your device or just switch to headphones with drivers tuned to give you more bass.
That being said, the sound keeps from getting muddy. That’s a big thing for me. The audio stays clean, and that’s important for people who prefer a cleaner sound. It is rather spacious, and the effect is only boosted if you’re using a pair of open-back headphones.
This isn’t to say that the sound is thin or flat. The sound itself is rather lush and lively. I just think that there could be a bit more emphasis on the lower notes. At the end of the day, it depends on the kind of music you listen to. People who are into more modern music might want to boost the bass in their audio setup just a bit. However, if you’re into older music, and you care more about a balanced sound, then you’ll most likely be good.
Overall
I don’t see the bass performance as a mistake on Cambridge’s part. I don’t think that the company neglected the bass performance. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. It seems like Cambridge made sure that the lower notes are clean and clear, and this gives users more control. As a composer, I can hear more detail in the lower notes thanks to the clarity, and it allows me to make better choices when mixing my music. I can decide whether I want to add more bass or walk it back.
As a music listener, you have the option to tune your music or other equipment to offer more powerful bass. Less is more, and I respect that.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Noise
One benefit of using a dedicated DAC is the reduction in digital noise, and the DacMagic 200M is great at delivering a nice clear audio signal to your ears. You can get a cleaner signal with a more expensive DAC, I have to admit. However, the difference between the DacMagic and a more expensive device isn’t significant. It’s one of those situations where you’d be spending exponentially more money for a slight improvement.
Cambridge DacMagic 200M Review: Final verdict
The Cambridge DacMagic 200M is classified as a mid-range device. However, the term Mid-range mostly refers to a device that has a more affordable price and a feature set to match. It’s a device that’s meant to give you a mild experience because that’s what you require. The DacMagic 200M, on the other hand, doesn’t fit that description, in my opinion.
To borrow a term mostly associated with the smartphone market, I think that it is a flagship killer. This refers to a device that costs less than many top-tier devices but brings an experience that comes pretty close to them. The DacMagic 200M comes in at $499, and it’s perfectly suitable to be many people’s first DAC. However, it’s not confined to being a perpetual jumping-off point.
I think that it will serve many upper-level and some seasoned audiophiles very well. It has its obvious pitfalls like the lack of an LCD display and only three filters. However, that just comes with the territory; there have to be sacrifices to keep the price down. The thing is that the number of sacrifices is rather low. Cambridge has managed to create a great all-around experience, not just for the price, but as a whole.
If you’re looking to start your audio setup, or you’re looking to an affordable get DAC to add to your existing setup, the DacMagic 200M will be perfect for you.
