Once you plug everything in and select the proper input on the dac. If you can live with its 2496 limit for the usb input and high output impedance for headphones, the zdac offers up a tightly knit musical package that can get you up and out of your listening seat, moved by the music. Mar 19, 20 the parasound zdac took me by surprise as i wasnt expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as i did. Really solid dac, practically a steal for this price. In the mid 90s, their dac1500, dac1100hd, and dac1600hd units were all highly regarded. Parasound zseries digital to analogue convertor in a market filled with dacs, parasound has set a new standard for performance and value with the help of acclaimed danish digital ex. Im using my z dac as an outboard dac for a musical fidelity a3. Merch rep the community and hobby you love so much. Its a member of parasound s small footprint series of electronics whose halfsize width permits sidebyside mounting in a standard rack space.
The zdac is a true overachiever whose performance bests that of much more expensive dacs. Has anyone heard this, and can comment on its performance as a dac and as a headphone amp. Thanks to twin dacs it instantly improves audio fidelity from all your favourite digital products allowing you to make your computer, tv, bluray player and other devices a true part of your hifi system. My previous dac was the dacmagic plus which was a solid performer but was. Today it streams from sources as diverse as your pc. The zdac accepts 24 bit word lengths and all sampling rates up to 192 khz on spdif and optical and 96 khz on usb. Please leave any questions or comments in the section below. Compared to the cambridge audio dac magic, the parasound zdac sounded faster, tighter, more aggressive, and produced a taller but narrower soundstage with more pinpointable sonic images.
The bifrost 2 is nothing less than a complete rethinking of what an affordable dac. But did you know they once made excellent digital products as well. The zdac sounds more natural and less digital than dacs selling for far more because of its. Apr 24, 20 parasounds zdac adds to the companys offerings.
Cambridge audio dacmagic 100 vs cambridge audio dacmagic plus. It comes in two finishes silver and black, with only the lattercoloured units being accessible with rackmount alternatives. I carefully selected 96k download music to play from a dell venue 8 tablet via usb audio player pro software. I cannot import products from the usa, only from china, but ive searched through all hifi stores in brazil where i live, so i dont need to import anything and i was able to come up with two models, the cambridge audio dacmagic plus and the parasound zdac. Parasound zdac v2 digital to analog converteraudio advisor. No, you mean its part of a server system, the data is stored for later retrieval by a computer system. An old denon cd player from 1993, became relevant again with the z dac. Has anyone heard this, and can comment on its performance as a dac and as a. Parasound has added a separate analog volume control for its line outputs so you can now connect the zdac v. The dacmagic plus has fantastic new features including wireless device connectivity and stunning audio performance from music of all formats. Help to chose a new amplifier integrated or separate. The parasound absolutely has a big, detailed, warm bottom end bass that goes super deep it always seems to have a good sense of pitch. All inputs feature jitter reduction and are reclocked and upsampled to 422 khz 24 bit.
The zdac sounds more natural and less digital than dacs. The cambridge audio dac magic sacrificed speed and jump factor but produced more graceful decays, had more width and 3d. Somewhat unusually for a dac in this price range, the zdac. If only usb, then id consider a dedicated usb dac as opposed to one that has a variety of digital inputs, volume control, etc. Aug 01, 20 i have already a burson ha160d, a cambridge audio dac magic and a sony cdpx7esd cd player, so my comments are relative to my experience with these items.
Emm labs dac2x v2 premium digital to analog converter. Comparison of cambridge audio dacmagic 100 vs cambridge audio dacmagic plus signal converters. Parasound zdac first version accepts signals up to 192khz on its coax and optical inputs and up to 96khz on usb. Handling the usb input in isochronous adaptive mode is the ti tas1020b usb receiver and the zdac. Never one to rest on its success, parasound has made some key upgrades to the zdac. This unit is in excellent condition look new, it works perfectly and has no issues.
Audio advisor gets an inside look of the features, specifications, and performance of the parasound zdac speaker with richard schram from parasound. Decided to go with the focal alpha 50 and cambridge audio dacmagic plus. A very pleasant sound that can be listened to for hours. Digital audio data isnt the sole domain of digital transports any longer. Handling the usb input in isochronous adaptive mode is the ti tas1020b usb receiver and the zdac reclocks and upsamples all incoming data to 24bit422khz via the analog devices ad1895 sample rate converter before handing off the upsampled signal to the analog devices ad1853 dac. Cambridge audio dacmagic 100 vs cambridge audio dacmagic. The zdac can function as a 2496capable usb dac, a 24192capable spdif dac, and a headphone amp. Compared to the cambridge audio dac magic, the parasound zdac sounded faster, tighter, more aggressive, and produced a taller but. The parasound was way easier to listen to with highly modulated, 24bit jazz music with trumpets, saxophone, etc. For example, something like the kingrex ud384 32384 is a combination dac. We recommend that you make an extra copy of your original purchase receiptbill of sale and store it inside the zdac v. Or instead purchase a 2 channel stereo receive with built in dac. The zdac is a compact but full featured unit with plenty of connectivity.
For example, something like the kingrex ud384 32384 is a combination dac and usb to spdif converter. The incredible sound is accomplished through the synergy of two premium parts, an analog devices ad1895 sample rate converter and its companion ad1853 dac, the same dac that parasound selected for its halo cd 1 cd player. The few complaints i had were all minor in scope, yet parasound saw fit to revamp the designfixing all those issues in the process. View and download parasound zdac owners manual online. The dac section is superior to those in both my elac discovery server and parasound zdac, and the headphone amp sounds great driving both my sennheiser 580s and oppo pm3s. Cambridge audio bluetooth audio receiver parasound zdac v2 digital to analog. Parasound zdac silver digital to analog converter dac. Usb input for playing music from pc or mac driverless for easy setup asynchronous sample rate conversion for all inputs including the usb input. Your purchase receiptbill of sale is required to determine if your zdac is eligible for parasound. Usb input for playing music from pc or mac driverless for easy setup.
Compare the main features, specifications, prices and select the best model. Selling my parasound zdac v2, which is the newer version. The parasound halo integrated amplifier is a powerful 160 wattsch 2. Jun 30, 2015 the few complaints i had were all minor in scope, yet parasound saw fit to revamp the designfixing all those issues in the process. Now i have to figure out which isolation devices for the monitors. As to your question yes files ripped from cds can sound great. Dec 03, 2012 audio advisor gets an inside look of the features, specifications, and performance of the parasound zdac speaker with richard schram from parasound. I bought it for a second system but it just never got used. This unit was voted as one of the best dacs of 2019 and its versatility as a preamp wphono make it an echo pick for value. If you have any experience with cd players vs dacs please let me know.
Product lines parasound z zdac digital to analog converter. And parasound made the headphone amp even more potent with both 18 and 14 headphone jacks and its own volume control. I installed no software, and magically it fed itself with 96 ksps audio via usb. The zdac sounds more natural and less digital than dacs selling for far more. Signals are reclocked and then upsampled to 422 khz for vivid and effortless reproduction. Cambridge audio dacmagic plus digital to analog converteraudio. Somewhat unusually for a dac in this price range, the zdac offers xlr outputs in addition to the typical rca option. Review by anthony nicosia by now audiophiles the world over have heard of parasound. Parasound a21 amp vintage luxman t110 tuner magnepan mmgs, grant fidelity dac. Im getting close to placing an order for a oppo ha1, but it looks like overkill for what i need although it definitely looks cooler. Parasound just introduced the zdac, a 192 khz digital to analog converter that gives consumers the highest possible sound quality when playing digital music files from computers via usb, or from a cd player, sonos, or other digital media players via optical or coaxial digital connections. Parasound zdac dac the zdac s specifications look impressive exceptionally remarkable given its cost that is competitive and its features help it stick out alongside its burgeoning contest. Review by anthony nicosia by now audiophiles the world over have heard of parasound, a company specializing in high end audio, home theater and custom installation gear, all at affordable pricing.
Its a member of parasounds small footprint series of electronics whose halfsize width permits sidebyside mounting in a standard rack space. In a market filled with dacs, parasound has set a new standard for performance and value with the help of acclaimed danish. The halo cd 1 is a flagship cd player from the well regarded, san francisco based, parasound. May 01, 2017 i cannot import products from the usa, only from china, but ive searched through all hifi stores in brazil where i live, so i dont need to import anything and i was able to come up with two models, the cambridge audio dacmagic plus and the parasound zdac v2, they are quite pricey, but i think it will be worth it. So the question is whether to spend the money for a relatively inexpensive dac such as dacmagic or vdac. Virtually instantaneous response to musical dynamics doesnt come at the expense of its noise floor or signal to noise ratio. Parasound is very clear in its assertion that the zdac virtually eliminates jitter contamination through all inputs by the use of two premium parts. In a market filled with dacs, parasound has set a new standard for performance and value with the help of acclaimed danish digital experts holm acoustics. I cannot import products from the usa, only from china, but ive searched through all hifi stores in brazil where i live, so i dont need to import anything and i was able to come up with two models, the cambridge audio dacmagic plus and the parasound zdac v2, they are quite pricey, but i think it will be worth it. Im doing a comparison between my old cambridge audio dac magic versus the new parasound zdac thats been. Premium analog devices ad1853 24bit192 khz digital to analog converter ic. In terms of performance, as a general rule parasound s halo line is pretty boring inasmuch as there are rarely if ever any big flaws to point out. This listing for sale parasound zdac silver digital to analog converter dac headphones amplifier. Inputs include coaxial and optical spdif as well as asynchronous usb.
Better is a matter of your cd player vs dac vs file types basically comparing your overall implementation for reduced jitter, good conversion, etc. Virtual systems let the world see what youve built. Welcome to usaudiomart, a classifieds site for used audio and hifi. Where the original model was a nice dac with a decent headphone output as a sort of bonus feature, zdac v. Its currentfeedback design and extremely high slew rate prevent odd. Cambridge audio dacmagic plus or parasound zdac v2. Parasound does it again, surpassing all expectations with its brand new parasound p 6. Emm labs dac2x v2 premium digital to analog converter you know how it is. Also note your parasound dealers name and telephone number. A dac designed to sound less digital zen guru or drunken master.
Its currentfeedback design and extremely high slew rate prevent odd order distortions and any trace of listening fatigue. Look at the threads on ripping software before you get started. Ive searched through all hifi stores in brazil and i was able to come up with two models, the cambridge audio dacmagic plus and the parasound zdac v2, they are quite pricy for my. A dedicated usb dac has all the money of the component going to optimizing that particular input. Sale on cambridge dac magic plus sources digital canuck. The cambridge audio dac magic sacrificed speed and jump factor but produced more graceful decays, had more width and 3d texture, and created a much more deeply layered soundstage. I know it doesnt really matter either, but the mydac is a flimsy piece of plastic, if you hook decent cables up to it, it does a wheelie. I must say initially i couldnt hear a difference between the mf a3.
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