Cambridge Audio Diskmagic 1

I bought my Cambridge Audio Diskmagic from a jumble sale for fifty pence! It was very good and still is. Unfortunately it was a bit smelly!

I bought my Cambridge Audio Diskmagic 1 very cheap, as new old boxed stock when I was a manager for a hi-fi store, we had one lying about in the main warehouse. I wanted to try a transport with an XLR output as my arcam alpha five plus being used as a transport was getting tired and tetchy. The difference was quite remarkable, midrange particularly so female vocals really sharpened up and leapt right out of the mix at you. Timing and grip were, for the money spent terrific. If you are offered one, buy it, unless you have at least £500 to spend you won't find noticeably better, I've seen them secondhand within the last few months for around £150. It's a bargain.

My Cambridge Audio Diskmagic 1 feeds an Arcam black box 500 dac from the XLR output using a home made pure silver balanced XLR cable, and then through a rotel pre amp and on into a pair of bridged cambridge audio p500 power amps, then on to a pair of mass loaded Mordaunt Short MS 914 floor standing speakers with silver home made interconnects right through from dac to power amps. Just so you know.

As already mentioned, the XLR and Clock lock options make a Significant difference in detail and clarity over the BNC/optical/or 75ohm co-axial output, and was a deciding factor in me choosing this machine.

I have heard many more expensive machines and most I have heard upto round about £1000 mark don't have significantly better timing or ability to latch on to a beat, though to be fair it can sound a bit muddled with pop or rock but if you listen to a lot of acoustic or close miked recordings it's terrific.

If you're looking for a flexible and inexpensive transport and you can get hold of a good one they are terrific value for money, I used to be in hi-fi retail and could sell as many as I could get hold of.

I use my Diskmagic 1 with a MUSICAL FIDELITY X-ACT (DAC) via OEHLBACH NF! on a KENWOOD KA-5090R.

Clear sound and straight bass ist what describes it best. I'm sorry my Oehlbach NF1 is surely not the best cable for it, but it really is MUSIC !