If you’re on the lookout for a versatile DAC and headphone amplifier, this early Black Friday deal on a previous Award winner from Cambridge Audio is a cracker.
Down from £549 to just £349 at Richer Sounds, the five-star DacMagic 200M is now at its lowest price ever – that's a huge saving of £200 off its retail price. We've previously seen this DAC's price drop down to £399 earlier this year, but £349 is practically a steal for this compact, multi-talented product.
Whether it's for your main hi-fi system or your headphones-based desktop system, this talented all-rounder is even better value now than when we originally tested it, and is well worth a look if you need a DAC to spruce up your music listening.
Sitting at the top of the DacMagic lineup, the 200M is the successor to the superb DacMagic Plus and serves up a host of connectivity: 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.
Whether you have CD rips, hi-res downloads or listen to MQA streams, the DacMagic 200M will handle it all. Even your streaming needs are catered for with support for aptX Bluetooth built-in. Of course, it has a 6.3mm headphone socket for plugging in your favourite wired headphones.
As for how it sounds, we said in our original review that it was unmistakably 'Cambridge': "full, smooth tonality that’s complemented by an open, expressive and authoritative manner." Coupled with an insightful midrange, punchy basslines and an overall clean presentation, the DacMagic 200M will elevate your desktop listening with grace and skill.
The good news is it sounds like this with any source – even tracks streamed from a smartphone 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.
With more than 25 years behind the DacMagic range, Cambridge Audio has had a lot of time to get what's on offer here just right. Even three years on from its release, it can still hold its own in a competitive category, and at this new lowest-ever price, it is more tempting than ever.
MORE:
Read the full Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M review
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