Operating Instructions; Led Colours/Flashes; Led Colours; Usb Class 1.0 - Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS User Manual

Operating instructions

Important note: The DacMagic XS will get hot when in normal use.

LED colours/flashes

Max volume
Press and hold the Vol+ button until the LED flashes red. The volume will
also stop increasing at this point, indicating maximum volume output.
Warning! Listening at high volume through your headphones for long
periods may damage your hearing.
Mute
Press and hold the Vol– button until the LED starts flashing. The volume
will also stop decreasing at this point, indicating minimum volume
output.
Note: The colour of LED flashing will depend on the current sample rate
input.

LED colours

Below are the LED colours corresponding to the sample rate input.
44.1kHz/48kHz
88.2kHz/96kHz
176.4kHz/192kHz (only available via USB Class 2.0)

USB Class 1.0

Following the steps in the supplied Quick Start Guide, you will be able to
improve the sound from your computer by using the DacMagic XS in its
default USB Class 1.0 mode. Instead of connecting your headphones or
3.5mm cable directly to your computer, you will instead be connecting
them to the DacMagic XS. By doing this, you are bypassing the
computer's own internal soundcard and allowing the DacMagic XS to
perform the Digital to Analogue conversion in far higher quality, resulting
in a much better sound.
USB Class 2.0
To improve the sound even further, it is possible to use the DacMagic XS
in USB Class 2.0 mode.
Press and hold both Volume buttons to switch between USB Class 1.0
and 2.0:
Note:
– Switching between USB Class modes during playback is not
recommended.
– Always stop any playback before switching between USB Class modes.
x 3 = Class 1.0 USB
x 3 = Class 2.0 USB
4
Press and hold both
volume buttons for
approx. 5 seconds.
The benefits of USB Class 2.0 are as follows;

For Mac

Allows you to play up to 24-bit/192kHz audio files through the DacMagic
XS. (USB Class 1.0 supports a maximum of only 24-bit/96kHz).
Connect the DacMagic XS to an available USB port on your Mac.
Switch the DacMagic XS into Class 2.0 mode by pressing and holding
both volume buttons until the LED flashes pink three times.
1. Go to System Preferences > Sound. Select CA DacMagic XS 2.0 as
the output:
2. Go to Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup.
3. Set the audio output to the desired sample rate.
Note: There are 3rd party apps available (eg. BitPerfect) that will
dynamically adjust this output for you, depending on the resolution of
the audio file being played at any given time.