came from the King Rex UD 384 DAC/converter also via S/PDIF. The good news here is a
prospective owner can start using the DacMagic Plus via USB 2.0 and later, as USB interfaces
improve, add an external convertor to further improve their system’s sound.
The DacMagic Plus’ headphone amp worked well with all the headphones I used. As with many
DAC/Pre units, when you plug in a headphone the DacMagic Plus mutes the balanced and
unbalanced line outputs. While I would prefer the option of selecting whether the outputs were
off or on while a headphone was plugged in, that isn’t an option.
Although I’ve heard headphone amplifiers with better defined imaging specificity, the overall
presentation was as dynamic and low noise as what I’ve heard from some far more expensive
DAC/Pre’s, such as the April Music Eximus DP-1 ($3200). The self-noise or background noise
level through the DacMagic Plus was very low—so low that inner details seemed easier to “hear
into” than through the Eximus DP-1. My favorite headphone with the DacMagic Plus was the
new HiFiMan HE-300. Together the two components produced a big enveloping soundstage that
allowed instruments to dynamically bloom in a way that reminded me of what I hear from a live
microphone feed.
Near the end of the review period I changed the set-up so the DacMagic Plus’ single-ended
analog outputs went into the analog inputs on a April Music Eximus DP-1 Dac/Pre. Both the
Eximus DP-1 and the DacMagic Plus were fed digital signals from an Empirical Audio Off-
Ramp 4—the DacMagic got a S/PDIF signal while the Eximus received AES/EBU. With this
configuration I could do direct A/B comparisons between the two DACs. The first speakers I
listened through were the AudioEngine 5+ speakers. The two DACs sounded virtually identical
through AudioEngine speakers—even the depth recreation was indistinguishable.
Next I hooked up a pair of ADAM Artist A5 powered speakers. Through the ADAMs I thought
the April Music DP-1 enjoyed a narrow but consistent edge in terms of better depth and image
edge definition. Finally, I hooked up a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5B speakers powered by a pair of
April Music Eximus S-1 monoblock amplifiers. This rig confirmed what I was hearing through
the ADAM speakers—the Eximus DP-1 had ever so slightly better depth recreation and image
specificity. But the dynamics, harmonic balance, and low-level detail rendered by both DACs
were equally impressive.
MUSICAL EXAMPLES
My most recent live recording of the Boulder Philharmonic included the world premiere of a
composition by Ruby Fulton entitled “Deadlock.” It is a concerto for beat box and orchestra.
Shodekeh, the beat box soloist, used a small amp on stage in addition to an array over the concert
hall’s proscenium and a freestanding subwoofer. When I played back my 192/24 files of the
recording through the DacMagic Plus I was immediately struck by how accurately the bass
transients and dynamics were reproduced. During the Beat box passages I could hear how the
bass traveled through the hall and how it bloomed as it expanded. The DacMagic Plus also did a
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