Hasta La Gadget!

Ever since trying out professional quality headphones with a digital audio converter (DAC) and headphone amp, it’s hard for me to listen to music without them. Unfortunately, the amplifiers in most computers are woefully underpowered – and most headphones are designed to operate at a low impedance to make up for this shortfall. But most headphones prefer to be driven with more power than most consumer electronics can muster. Additionally, the DACs built into most computers are sub-par in my experience.

I recently had the opportunity to test out a combination DAC/headphone amp from Cambridge Audio called the DacMagic XS.

This pocket-sized device is easy to tote around wherever you go, and provides a significant boost to headphone sound quality on your PC or Mac. Measuring just 2.1″(h) x 1.2″ (w) x 0.4″(d), and weighing only 3.5 oz., it’s definitely teensier than I expected it to be.

The DacMagic XS plugs into your computer’s USB port, and bypasses its internal audio output. Its 24-bit ESS9023 DAC is capable of handling audio bit rates from 44.1 to 192kHz, and its amp puts out up to 150mW of power. It’ll work with headphones with impedances as low as 12 Ohms, but will also work with higher impedance studio quality ‘phones. In my case, I tested the unit primarily with my current favorite cans, Beyer Dynamic’s DT990 Pro 250Ohm headphones.

To test the DacMagic XS, I first connected my headphones to the headphone jack on my 2011 iMac, and cranked up some high-quality digital tracks from iTunes and some medium quality tracks from Pandora. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the miniscule box pushed out nearly as much volume as my much larger and less portable FiiO system.

Thanks to it’s almost non-existent 0.004% total harmonic distortion, sounds are clean and crisp at any volume level. I definitely found sound to have crisper highs and much clearer lows when listening via the DacMagic than via the iMac’s built-in headphone jack.  One of my favorite audio test tracks is Donald Fagen’s 1980s jazz fusion classic New Frontier, because it’s got huge dynamic range both in instrumentation and vocals, and most cheaper sound systems fail to extract the brilliance of the track. On this track, I found audio from the DacMagic XS to be significantly cleaner than the computer’s built-in DAC and amp. It’s especially deft at producing clean sound at lower volumes which cheap amps don’t do well.

To mix things up, I also tried out my trusty old iPhone earbuds with and without the DacMagic XS. Connected directly to my computer, sound was harsh – almost unlistenable at higher volumes. With the XS in place, sound is more evenly rounded and not as harsh – though it can’t do much to aid the lack of low end in earbuds. Still, sound was decidedly better with the XS connected.

For my final test, I tried tracks on my Marshall Monitor headphones, which offer very even and natural sound but at a low impedance. Sound has a tendency to be a bit muddy and lacking in definition plugged right into the iMac, but with the DacMagic connected, sound is wonderfully rich and well balanced. Again, a clear win for the little guy.

There’s really not much to dislike about the DacMagic XS. Certainly it’s a winner in terms of sound quality, size and portability. You can really take it anywhere. I have a couple of gripes, but they’re fairly minor. First, when connected to my iMac, I could no longer use the keyboard volume controls, and could only use the face buttons on the DacMagic. For comparison, this isn’t a problem with my FiiO DAC/amp. And while the tiny MicroUSB/USB cable is good for many situations, I think they should have included either a longer cable or a coiled version, in the event you don’t want the DacMagic dangling from the back of your computer and want it to sit flat on your desktop. Plus, a longer cable would be good if you’re using a workstation and not a laptop or all-in-one. Still these issues are very small, and the DacMagic XS does exactly what it promises – dramatically improve sound quality in a tiny package.

The DacMagic XS is available from Amazon for $189(USD).

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all…

It seems that everyone wants to get in on the music streaming business these days, but is it that surprising? A study earlier in the year found that digital sales actually dropped for the first time since the launch of iTunes back in 2003, suggesting that consumers were starting to lose interest in purchasing songs individually, but would rather stream them.

We have services like Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify that have been around for a while, but then Apple recently got into the game with iTunes Radio, followed by Beats Music, and now according to a report by Re/code, it looks like Amazon wants to get in on the action as well. (more…)

Amazon Talking To Music Labels About Possible Streaming Service [Rumor] original content from Ubergizmo.

If you have used WhatsApp before, you know that WhatsApp provides statuses on you that your friends and contacts can see. Basically it tells them when was the last time that you were seen online on WhatsApp. It’s handy if you want to check if a particular number is still being used for WhatsApp, but at the same time can be kind of stalker-ish.

The good news is that WhatsApp for Windows Phone could soon be getting a new privacy feature which allows users to select who can see their “last seen” status, thus blocking off any stalkers and exes that you might not wish to keep in contact with, or at least not let them into your life anymore. (more…)

WhatsApp For Windows Phone To Get More Privacy Features original content from Ubergizmo.

(Credit: Xeros)

Everyone knows a washing machine requires water and detergent to clean your clothes.

So when you think about halving that amount of water and adding beads — yes, imagine beads flinging around in the washing machine — into the equation, it might sound a little off.

But that wasn’t the case for University of Leeds’ Stephen Burkinshaw, professor of textile chemistry, and his students.

They have developed a washing machine that uses nearly 1.5 million tiny polymer beads mixed with a small cup of water and detergent to thoroughly clean one load of laundry.

The beads physically dislodge dirt, and work against creasing by weighing down the fabric. According to an article in AIP Scitation, “Nylon readily takes up dye, and forming the polymer into round beads yielded the most effective stain extractor.” The beads were refined from there to be more effective.

Related stories

• Legos in washing machines make random art
• … [Read more]

  Related Links:
  Kayaker’s iPhone survives 82 days under the waves
  What Comcast’s buyout of Time Warner Cable means for you (FAQ)
  Electrolux’s new dishwasher has a need for speed
  Geek’s guide to subverting Valentine’s Day
  The future of wearables: 8 predictions from tech leaders
  
  

  
  
  

  

  Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • More

  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Email