Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 DAC & Preamp — Balanced XLR

Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 — Balanced XLR Out, Upsampling DAC and Digital Preamplifier

A Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 in black, in as close to unused condition as a fourteen-year-old component gets: the protective film is still on the display, and it comes with its original packaging, manual and remote.

What to Buy It For

Buy this for what it is today, which is an excellent upsampling DAC and digital preamplifier with balanced outputs. That is the honest frame, and it is a better deal than it sounds.

The Converter

The converter section is the same as the one Cambridge put in the DacMagic Plus: a pair of Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs in dual differential configuration, fed by Anagram Technologies ATF2 upsampling that re-clocks and interpolates everything arriving at any input up to 24-bit/384kHz before conversion. Three selectable digital filters — linear phase, minimum phase and steep — let you pick the reconstruction behaviour you prefer rather than living with one designer’s choice. What that adds up to is a converter that makes ordinary digital sources sound considerably better than they have any right to, which was the entire point of the DacMagic line and the reason those still change hands readily.

Balanced Outputs and Preamp Stage

Where this goes beyond a DacMagic is the back panel. There are balanced XLR outputs alongside the RCA line outputs, which at this price is genuinely uncommon and matters if your amplifier has balanced inputs or if the run between components is long enough for common-mode noise to become audible. There is a ground lift switch next to the USB input — a small thing that solves a real and extremely common problem, because connecting a computer to a hi-fi is the classic recipe for ground-loop hum, and the fix here is a switch rather than an adapter. And there are digital outputs as well as inputs, coaxial and Toslink both, so the unit can also serve as a digital hub feeding something else.

Inputs

The input side is comprehensive. S/PDIF coaxial and Toslink optical inputs take a television, a Blu-ray player, a games console or a CD transport. An asynchronous USB Type B input connects directly to a Mac or PC and turns the Stream Magic into that computer’s sound card, running driverless at up to 24-bit/96kHz or up to 24-bit/192kHz with Cambridge’s free USB Audio 2.0 driver, with ASIO and kernel streaming support to bypass the operating system’s own audio processing. A USB Type A port on the back and another on the front play files directly from a memory stick or portable drive, controlled from the front panel and the supplied remote. There is also a Control Bus and an IR emitter input for integration into a wider system.

The Streaming Side, Plainly

Now the part we would rather tell you than let you discover. This is the first-generation Stream Magic 6, and its network side has aged the way network products do. Cambridge’s original Connect app was built on 32-bit technology, is no longer updated and will not run on most current phones, and this generation is not compatible with the newer StreamMagic app that serves Cambridge’s later players. The BBC’s move away from Shoutcast means BBC stations no longer stream natively on this generation either. The Ethernet and Wi-Fi hardware is present and the front panel and remote still drive it, but we would not have you buy this as a phone-controlled streamer, because that is not what it is any more.

How Owners Use It Now

The practical answer is the one most owners of these have arrived at, and it costs very little. Feed it from a computer over USB, or put any inexpensive modern streaming device into the coaxial or optical input and let that handle the app and the services while the Cambridge does the conversion. You get current streaming, and the audio still passes through the Wolfson DACs and the ATF2 upsampler rather than through whatever converter is inside a small plastic box. It is a better-sounding system than the streamer alone, and the part that ages badly becomes the part you can replace for very little money later.

Testing

Every unit is bench tested here before it is sold.

Where It Was Made

The rear panel reads “Designed and engineered in London, England,” and along the lower edge, “Made under license in China.” Cambridge has designed in London since 1968 and manufactured abroad for many years, and we would rather quote the panel than write around it. It launched at GBP 699 in 2012 as the range-topping model above the NP30.

Condition

Cosmetically this unit is graded Excellent, and is close to unused. The protective film is still fitted to the display. It comes with its original packaging, manual and remote control.

A like-new balanced-output upsampling DAC and digital preamplifier from a British designer, complete with its packaging, at a fraction of what the same converter section costs new. Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 Specifications

• Type: Upsampling digital-to-analogue converter, digital preamplifier and network player
• Converters: Two Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs, dual differential configuration
• Upsampling: Anagram Technologies ATF2, all inputs upsampled to 24-bit/384 kHz
• Digital filters: Three selectable — linear phase, minimum phase, steep
• Digital inputs: S/PDIF coaxial and Toslink optical
• USB audio input: Asynchronous USB Type B, 24-bit/96 kHz driverless or 24-bit/192 kHz with Cambridge USB Audio 2.0 driver, ASIO and kernel streaming supported
• USB media inputs: Two USB Type A, front and rear, for memory sticks and portable drives
• Digital outputs: S/PDIF coaxial and Toslink optical
• Analogue outputs: Balanced XLR left and right, plus unbalanced RCA line output
• Network: Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi
• Other connections: Ground / lift switch, IR emitter input, Control Bus in and out
• Supported formats: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, WMA, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis
• Finish: Black
• Designed and engineered: London, England
• Country of manufacture: China, under license
• Original retail: GBP 699, 2012
• Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 16.9 x 3.3 x 12.0 inches (430 x 85 x 305 mm)
• Weight: 8.8 lbs (4.0 kg)

⚠️ Important Information for International Buyers

This unit is configured for North American 110/120V power. Buyers outside North America will require a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter.

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

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