Great demo.. Thanks a bunch... Would like to try one. Do have "?".. I have an older unit, sansui 717. Do you know if the DAC would work if pluged into the aux or phono inputs?
Have you tried the DAC (optical from oppo to the integra DHC 80.2?) the DAC inside the Integra is a Burr-Brown PCM-1795 (32-bit /192kHz) DAC which has better specs than the the Cambridge.If you skip the cambridge (especially the RCA connections) by using optical to the integra (optical to xlr out to amps) you will gain a difference without running noisy rca connectors to an analog section into the integra. You are doing 2 DAC stages by using analog input with processing enabled on the integra.
Just so everyone is aware, all CD players have DACs and they can output an analog signal. This video shows an EXTERNAL DAC with an older player vs a newer player using it's own INTERNAL DAC. Both the BDP83 and BDP93 use the same Cirrus Logic CS4382 INTERNAL DAC, they have other differences however. I have the 93 and absolutely love it.
Thanks for the post and the interesting shootout. I understand the difference that a dedicated DAC can achieve. I use the PS Audio Digilink III for my decoding. It sounds much better than any of my CD players' decoders and even smokes my ASUS STX card's converters (with upgraded op amps). I use a passive preamp which doesn't add any coloration to the sound and push my Allison Fours with a NAD 2400 THX. I am a happy boy!
what should sound best is your best oppo as a transport to the Cambridge with some nice interconnects for cd sound. if the oppo has a gain control on it by pass right to tube amps and move speakers out 3.5 ft.
Most DAC info on here are people with very high end systems and most of them do not even play music to demo how the DAC sounds! Your system is what most people on here have! I have been waiting for someone to post something like this! I can now go out and purchase that MF M1 DAC that I have been eyeing thanks to your demo of adding a DAC! I will post once I get it hooked up so that there will be 2 vids on here that most people can relate to. Good lookin' out BrolicBeast! Nice setup!
@lew708 Half Right, true that most people don't need a high end DAC like the M1. But a decent DAC is soo much more important then people care today. Most people don't know with a good digital record the sound realy is born in the DAC. Sad thing today most consumer tech has terrible DACs but people keep getting nicer cleaner amps forgetting about the DAC. In reality bad dac audio is crap no matter how good the amp or god forbid DSP. So DAC FIRST, AMP later, DSP only if truly no choice.
I just found out about DAC, but from your video I was simply blown away by the capacity of this type of audio system. I'm kind of obsessed with finding that perfect system to listen to my music with absolute clarity and detail, and I think I've found what I was looking for. Thanks!
Your receiver/processor is doing the decoding so this is a comparisson beween the DAC in your DAC Magic and the DAC in your receiver/processor. The transports have very little to do with this test.
You need to let the 93 do the decoding using it's own internal DACs then throw the decoded audio out of the left and right RCAs, put these into the stero inputs on your processor and switch the processor to direct or pure to bypass any enhancement circuitry.
@trikki69 Exactly right. That's what my earlier post means but I didn't say it as clearly. BrolicBeast has an amazing DAC chip and output stage in his Oppo that probably betters the CA DacMagic and yet he's never heard it to compare - what a waste! Especially since on paper it will outperform the CA DacMagic. It's like listening to a cheap system while paying for a high end one you never use.
@TrinityJMF I agree - The DAC in the Oppo is probably better than the Cambridge Audio DACMagic. To better the Oppo DAC you would need to spend considerably more than what the DACMagic costs.
@TrinityJMF of course I compared them in my house before finalizing setup--I just don't have a video about it. IN an analog comparison, the music sounds better through the CA's Wolfson DACs. I wouldn't have it setup this way otherwise.
markperrin is right. Your test is not like-for-like. Your HDMI processor probably has a substandard DAC chip designed for multichannel. The CA DAC has two top-end dedicated DAC chips for each channel. The DAC in the Oppo is the ESS9018 and superior. It does 8 channels, but in pure stereo will couple 4 together for each channel. But it will only decode if you use the analogue outputs on the back - you might be surprised how good it is. HDMI = receiver decoding. Could upls run test with Oppo outs?
@BrolicBeast Hi... please red mine and other peoples comments. You have completely bypassed the Oppo DAC by sending its raw digital to an HDMI receiver with sub-par DACs compared to DACMagic. The Oppo DAC is better but you have failed to compare it. I feel let down you have not learnt this yet. You appear to be Christian and people are trying to help you... I think you need to understand the Biblical concept of "test all things" like the Bereans (I Thess 5.21)! So pls test it + post results!
@TrinityJMF and everyone else, the Wolfson DACs in the Cambridge Audio DACMagic are superior to the DACs in the BDP-83. That is not an 83SE...it's a regular 83. That being said, I have just ordered the BDP-95 w/ 32-bit Sabre DACS and I WILL be using those DACS directly once it arrives, as they are far superior to the Cambridge Audio's DACs. A Video of the BDP-95 is forthcoming.
Bit unsure of your comparison here. The oppo connected to the dac is fine, however when connecting the 93 to your processor via HDMI you are actually bypassing the dac in the 93 and using the dac in your processor. Also make sure you allow for volume differences between sources as they won't be equal. The louder usually sounds more dynamic and can ruin your test. Nice room buddy :)
@markperrin1 The 93 is used for multi-channel Blu Ray and multi-channel SACDs, while the 83 is used with the DAC for Stereo CDs. Also plugged into the DAC are a Computer and the Sonos System.
Good upload, I am pretty well sold on the idea of splashing a bit of cash on the magic. On a scale of 1 to 10 what would you say the overall improvement of sound quality is ?
@mikeyboy19731 I would rate the improvement in sound to be a solid 8.3--I love the sound improvements. I can't even begin to imagine what higher-end DACs like PS Audios $2k DAC would sound like.
Sounds great, really wish i had better speakers/amp i currently have "Jamo X 550" floor speakers and a kenwood amp nothing great but i would love to buy a setup like yours. What is that song called?
@pod1uk Greetings! Every music-lover must start somewhere! That Kenwood will be replaced with SimAudio Moon Separates before you know it!!! That song is called "Let It Rain" by Anthony Evans. It's a spectacular recording.
This video is a comparison of the DAC in the 80.2 vs the DAC magic, not "DAC vs digital". ALL digital audio is converted to analogue before you hear it, whether it be done in the player, an external DAC, or in the integrated/receiver. IMO, an external DAC is overkill when you have something like the 80.2.
@sojux42o the Wolfson DACS in the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic are superior to the DACS found in the integra or the DACS in the BDP-93. If i had purchased a BDP-95, it would be a different story.
Once again, great video, and even though the audio quality heard thru youtube may be sub par to say the least, I can definitely still hear the difference in your comparison. You're system has always been amazing, and just seems to grow more amazing by leaps and bounds with every new addition! Congrats!
@genewildershair Greetings! I appreciate the kind words man. Yeah the audio quality through youtube is indeed abysmal, but it was still able to convey a slight difference in overall character between the two recordings. How have you been?
@BrolicBeast Been good thanks for asking. Recently upgraded my HT speakers to an all SVS setup to match my Ultra sub, and added Emotiva amp to give them the power they need, and deserve. All in all it sounds really good, but man everytime I come across one of your new additions, I get that urge to do more! Lol.... the wife gets worried everytime she catches me watching another vid by you! She's like "uh oh, what is it you want now???" hehe.... Anyways, Keep it up man!
Why would you covert it from digital to analog? i've been told that digital audio is better? Can you please explain to me, just to clear things up in my head.
@HyyRisque that's a good question--essentially, Digital (to my ears) is better when dealing with multi-channel audio (i.e. SACD and home theater); however. digital audio contains bits that, while perfect in their binary (1's and 0's) transmission, contain jitter that can degrade audio quality. It turns out, the process of converting digital to analog, if done properly, can remove this jitter. this what Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) come in,
@BrolicBeast Oh thanks man. Btw i've been following you through your build, and i all i gotta say is awwsoooooooooooooome.. i one day, wish to do what you have done!
@HyyRisque Actually, all music is analog. So every digital player has a DAC at some point, it's just that when you choose to spend more money on a DAC you get better sound (theoretically). The goal of every DAC is to transfer the digital data from the file to an analog wave as close as possible. You can't have "digital music" without a conversion to analog.
cool cat
SquirrelFromGradLife 6 days ago
not sure if you heard this..but with the cambridge DAC I can hear more of the reverb tail on the vocals..sound good
Jtoneloc 1 week ago
wich speakers do u have
they sound good
SkyInHeritor 2 weeks ago
if u play the music without the dac do u really hear a difference?
SkyInHeritor 2 weeks ago
Great demo.. Thanks a bunch... Would like to try one. Do have "?".. I have an older unit, sansui 717. Do you know if the DAC would work if pluged into the aux or phono inputs?
sweetsilage 1 month ago
like your system man :) i have a onkyo tx-nr509 receiver along with a jbl cinema 500 speaker set. how much did you pay for your dac?
calvinchoe100 1 month ago
Have you tried the DAC (optical from oppo to the integra DHC 80.2?) the DAC inside the Integra is a Burr-Brown PCM-1795 (32-bit /192kHz) DAC which has better specs than the the Cambridge.If you skip the cambridge (especially the RCA connections) by using optical to the integra (optical to xlr out to amps) you will gain a difference without running noisy rca connectors to an analog section into the integra. You are doing 2 DAC stages by using analog input with processing enabled on the integra.
jerrod5o 1 month ago
Just so everyone is aware, all CD players have DACs and they can output an analog signal. This video shows an EXTERNAL DAC with an older player vs a newer player using it's own INTERNAL DAC. Both the BDP83 and BDP93 use the same Cirrus Logic CS4382 INTERNAL DAC, they have other differences however. I have the 93 and absolutely love it.
BDP83 w/External DAC 2:41
BDP93 w/Internal DAC 4:47
didjamatic 2 months ago 2
Can you do a compare with and without DAC on same OPPO to hear the difference what a dac does?
greddy09sc 2 months ago
okay why wouldnt you run just anolog out from that bluray player instead of running it to a converter ruining your signal even mote
omfgg3tlost 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Thanks for the post and the interesting shootout. I understand the difference that a dedicated DAC can achieve. I use the PS Audio Digilink III for my decoding. It sounds much better than any of my CD players' decoders and even smokes my ASUS STX card's converters (with upgraded op amps). I use a passive preamp which doesn't add any coloration to the sound and push my Allison Fours with a NAD 2400 THX. I am a happy boy!
drmoroe30 2 months ago
Great video, as usual man. I'm looking at an Oppo 93 for connection into my Benchmark DAC/PRE for use as a universal player.
TheDesertRoseRanch 2 months ago
what should sound best is your best oppo as a transport to the Cambridge with some nice interconnects for cd sound. if the oppo has a gain control on it by pass right to tube amps and move speakers out 3.5 ft.
twochaudio 3 months ago
I like your set up. the song it lovely> keep it up.
albertjr71 3 months ago
Great video! BTW, which amplifier are you using to connect the Oppos?
wonderfaller 5 months ago
Wow it must sound great because I can tell the difference with my computer speakers
Keith2800 5 months ago
Most DAC info on here are people with very high end systems and most of them do not even play music to demo how the DAC sounds! Your system is what most people on here have! I have been waiting for someone to post something like this! I can now go out and purchase that MF M1 DAC that I have been eyeing thanks to your demo of adding a DAC! I will post once I get it hooked up so that there will be 2 vids on here that most people can relate to. Good lookin' out BrolicBeast! Nice setup!
lew708 6 months ago 4
@lew708 Gracias!
BrolicBeast 5 months ago
@lew708 thats because you must listen a dac live to judge.
hallugi 4 months ago
@lew708 Half Right, true that most people don't need a high end DAC like the M1. But a decent DAC is soo much more important then people care today. Most people don't know with a good digital record the sound realy is born in the DAC. Sad thing today most consumer tech has terrible DACs but people keep getting nicer cleaner amps forgetting about the DAC. In reality bad dac audio is crap no matter how good the amp or god forbid DSP. So DAC FIRST, AMP later, DSP only if truly no choice.
Neojhun 1 month ago
I just found out about DAC, but from your video I was simply blown away by the capacity of this type of audio system. I'm kind of obsessed with finding that perfect system to listen to my music with absolute clarity and detail, and I think I've found what I was looking for. Thanks!
Marincon508 7 months ago
Your receiver/processor is doing the decoding so this is a comparisson beween the DAC in your DAC Magic and the DAC in your receiver/processor. The transports have very little to do with this test.
You need to let the 93 do the decoding using it's own internal DACs then throw the decoded audio out of the left and right RCAs, put these into the stero inputs on your processor and switch the processor to direct or pure to bypass any enhancement circuitry.
I like your videos - keep up the good work!
trikki69 7 months ago
@trikki69 Exactly right. That's what my earlier post means but I didn't say it as clearly. BrolicBeast has an amazing DAC chip and output stage in his Oppo that probably betters the CA DacMagic and yet he's never heard it to compare - what a waste! Especially since on paper it will outperform the CA DacMagic. It's like listening to a cheap system while paying for a high end one you never use.
TrinityJMF 6 months ago
@TrinityJMF I agree - The DAC in the Oppo is probably better than the Cambridge Audio DACMagic. To better the Oppo DAC you would need to spend considerably more than what the DACMagic costs.
trikki69 6 months ago
@TrinityJMF of course I compared them in my house before finalizing setup--I just don't have a video about it. IN an analog comparison, the music sounds better through the CA's Wolfson DACs. I wouldn't have it setup this way otherwise.
BrolicBeast 5 months ago
markperrin is right. Your test is not like-for-like. Your HDMI processor probably has a substandard DAC chip designed for multichannel. The CA DAC has two top-end dedicated DAC chips for each channel. The DAC in the Oppo is the ESS9018 and superior. It does 8 channels, but in pure stereo will couple 4 together for each channel. But it will only decode if you use the analogue outputs on the back - you might be surprised how good it is. HDMI = receiver decoding. Could upls run test with Oppo outs?
TrinityJMF 8 months ago
Thanks for your input. I believe on that note its time to try for myself. I have just ordered my first ever stand alone DAC . Keep up the good work.
mikeyboy19731 8 months ago
@mikeyboy19731 Ahhh Welcome to the world of DAC!!! Which make/model DAC did you purchase?
BrolicBeast 8 months ago
@BrolicBeast Hi... please red mine and other peoples comments. You have completely bypassed the Oppo DAC by sending its raw digital to an HDMI receiver with sub-par DACs compared to DACMagic. The Oppo DAC is better but you have failed to compare it. I feel let down you have not learnt this yet. You appear to be Christian and people are trying to help you... I think you need to understand the Biblical concept of "test all things" like the Bereans (I Thess 5.21)! So pls test it + post results!
TrinityJMF 5 months ago
@TrinityJMF and everyone else, the Wolfson DACs in the Cambridge Audio DACMagic are superior to the DACs in the BDP-83. That is not an 83SE...it's a regular 83. That being said, I have just ordered the BDP-95 w/ 32-bit Sabre DACS and I WILL be using those DACS directly once it arrives, as they are far superior to the Cambridge Audio's DACs. A Video of the BDP-95 is forthcoming.
BrolicBeast 5 months ago
Bit unsure of your comparison here. The oppo connected to the dac is fine, however when connecting the 93 to your processor via HDMI you are actually bypassing the dac in the 93 and using the dac in your processor. Also make sure you allow for volume differences between sources as they won't be equal. The louder usually sounds more dynamic and can ruin your test. Nice room buddy :)
markperrin1 8 months ago 2
@markperrin1 The 93 is used for multi-channel Blu Ray and multi-channel SACDs, while the 83 is used with the DAC for Stereo CDs. Also plugged into the DAC are a Computer and the Sonos System.
BrolicBeast 8 months ago
Good upload, I am pretty well sold on the idea of splashing a bit of cash on the magic. On a scale of 1 to 10 what would you say the overall improvement of sound quality is ?
mikeyboy19731 9 months ago
@mikeyboy19731 I would rate the improvement in sound to be a solid 8.3--I love the sound improvements. I can't even begin to imagine what higher-end DACs like PS Audios $2k DAC would sound like.
BrolicBeast 8 months ago
Sounds great, really wish i had better speakers/amp i currently have "Jamo X 550" floor speakers and a kenwood amp nothing great but i would love to buy a setup like yours. What is that song called?
pod1uk 10 months ago
@pod1uk Greetings! Every music-lover must start somewhere! That Kenwood will be replaced with SimAudio Moon Separates before you know it!!! That song is called "Let It Rain" by Anthony Evans. It's a spectacular recording.
BrolicBeast 10 months ago
Wouldn't using a component cable to the 80.2 do the same thing
lswope03 10 months ago
@lswope03 component cable is for video. I think you mean coaxial, but the DACs in the 80.2 aren't as good as the ones found in a good outboard DAC.
BrolicBeast 10 months ago
This video is a comparison of the DAC in the 80.2 vs the DAC magic, not "DAC vs digital". ALL digital audio is converted to analogue before you hear it, whether it be done in the player, an external DAC, or in the integrated/receiver. IMO, an external DAC is overkill when you have something like the 80.2.
sojux42o 11 months ago 2
@sojux42o the Wolfson DACS in the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic are superior to the DACS found in the integra or the DACS in the BDP-93. If i had purchased a BDP-95, it would be a different story.
BrolicBeast 10 months ago
glad to see you back man, good stuff
321windowss 11 months ago
Once again, great video, and even though the audio quality heard thru youtube may be sub par to say the least, I can definitely still hear the difference in your comparison. You're system has always been amazing, and just seems to grow more amazing by leaps and bounds with every new addition! Congrats!
genewildershair 11 months ago
@genewildershair Greetings! I appreciate the kind words man. Yeah the audio quality through youtube is indeed abysmal, but it was still able to convey a slight difference in overall character between the two recordings. How have you been?
BrolicBeast 10 months ago
@BrolicBeast Been good thanks for asking. Recently upgraded my HT speakers to an all SVS setup to match my Ultra sub, and added Emotiva amp to give them the power they need, and deserve. All in all it sounds really good, but man everytime I come across one of your new additions, I get that urge to do more! Lol.... the wife gets worried everytime she catches me watching another vid by you! She's like "uh oh, what is it you want now???" hehe.... Anyways, Keep it up man!
genewildershair 10 months ago
Why would you covert it from digital to analog? i've been told that digital audio is better? Can you please explain to me, just to clear things up in my head.
Thanks
HyyRisque 11 months ago
@HyyRisque that's a good question--essentially, Digital (to my ears) is better when dealing with multi-channel audio (i.e. SACD and home theater); however. digital audio contains bits that, while perfect in their binary (1's and 0's) transmission, contain jitter that can degrade audio quality. It turns out, the process of converting digital to analog, if done properly, can remove this jitter. this what Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) come in,
BrolicBeast 11 months ago
@BrolicBeast Oh thanks man. Btw i've been following you through your build, and i all i gotta say is awwsoooooooooooooome.. i one day, wish to do what you have done!
HyyRisque 11 months ago
@HyyRisque Actually, all music is analog. So every digital player has a DAC at some point, it's just that when you choose to spend more money on a DAC you get better sound (theoretically). The goal of every DAC is to transfer the digital data from the file to an analog wave as close as possible. You can't have "digital music" without a conversion to analog.
marshallfantiv 10 months ago
How are you only 25 and are able to afford all these things. i must have really screwed up the choices i made in life lol
jitsorooney 11 months ago
@jitsorooney lol, don't believe everything a profile tells you. My real age will never be placed on the internet.
BrolicBeast 11 months ago
Very Nice
kreyson74 11 months ago
@kreyson74 Muchos Gracias!
BrolicBeast 11 months ago
you have a very nice system that oppo was the highest rated player in quite a few magazines i read
andersonjjj333 11 months ago
@andersonjjj333 I appreciate the kind words!
BrolicBeast 11 months ago