Save on V-DAC MkII and Pangea Power Supply Upgrade

Musical Fidelity's V-DAC MkII is a superb performer for the money right out of the box. But you can get even better sound from this nifty little unit for just a little bit more cash when you replace the stock 'wall-wart' power supply with the Pangea Audio P-100 highly regulated power supply. And the P-100 works with other V-Series components, too.

Musical Fidelity V-DAC MkII DAC

Musical Fidelity's MkII version of the wildly popular V-DAC has a brand new look to go with its upgraded circuitry. In addition to the vastly improved cosmetics, the V-DAC MkII has been refined to include the highly regarded V-LINK asynchronous USB input filter – a $189 value.

The V-DAC MkII also features an upgraded power supply, which improves image clarity, detail, and focus. The Musical Fidelity design team also tweaked the overall circuitry. The end result of these enhancements is to bring distortion down to even lower levels than before. In fact, MkII boasts half the low distortion level of the already exceptional original model V-DAC.

The V-DAC MkII's 24-bit, 192 kHz upsampling gives you true high-def sound. It uses the highly regarded Burr Brown DSP 1796 chipset.

USB, Toslink, and Coaxial Connections

So, now more than ever, V-DAC's performance is way beyond so-called state-of-the-art competition. The USB input lets you connect a PC or portable digital device and experience your musical files in a whole new light. Also on board are Toslink and coaxial digital connections.

The ruler-flat frequency response and excellent stereo separation restore the authenticity that's missing from some digital recordings. Musical Fidelity uses state-of-the-art digital components and implements them with state-of-the-art circuitry and layout.

Pangea Audio P-100 High-Performance Power Supply

We've sold thousands of Cambridge Audio DacMagic and Musical Fidelity V-DAC USB DACs over the years. Our customers love their outstanding performance for the money. Being audiophiles, the folks at Pangea Audio wondered how they could make these DACs sound even better. Using better cables makes a big difference, but they wanted to dig even deeper.

The answer to better performance from these components is the Pangea Audio P-100, a new highly regulated power supply created by legendary audio designer Peter Madnick exclusively for Pangea Audio.

Just Plain Better in Every Way

Compared to the power supplies that come with the DacMagic and V-DAC, the P-100 boasts better filtering, better regulation, and a much lower output impedance. You might say that the P-100 is just plain better in every way. And the circuitry is housed inside a noise- and vibration-resistant compact steel chassis. All of this dramatically cleans up the power flowing to the DAC, resulting in a noticeable upgrade in sound quality.

A No-Brainer to Use

The P-100 couldn't be easier to use. Just substitute it for the AC adapter that comes with the DacMagic or V-DAC. In fact, you can use the P-100 with any Musical Fidelity V-Series components for a nice performance enhancement, and that includes the new V-Series II products. And if this isn't enough excitement for you already, the P-100 will also upgrade the Cambridge Audio Azur 540P and 640P phono stages.

The P-100 includes all the cables you need for connecting to the DacMagic (plus 540P and 640P), V-Series components. Each cable is clearly labeled. Get listening, and have a blast.

• Asynchronous USB Input Filter
• 24 bit/192 kHz Upsampling
• Burr Brown DSP 1796 Chipset
• Upgraded Power Supply
• Inputs: RCA Coaxial, Toslink, USB

• Highly-regulated and filtered low-noise AC power supply
• Compatible with Cambridge Audio DacMagic, Cambridge Audio 540P and 640P phono stages, and Musical Fidelity V-Series components (including V-Series II)
• All needed cables are included (see below)
• Noise- and vibration-resistant compact steel chassis
• Power On/Off switch
• Front Panel LED light
• Everything You Need Is Included
  • P-100 Regulated Power Supply
  • IEC-style AC power input cable
  • DC power output cable for Cambridge Audio DacMagic (also works with 540P and 640P phono stages)
  • DC power output cable for Musical Fidelity V-Series components (including V-Series II)
  • Instruction sheet

• THD: .00019
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: -108 dB
• Dimensions: 4" x 6.5" x 1.75"

The Pangea Audio P-100's designer, Peter Madnick, has designed an amazing range of audio products, from the inexpensive Audio Alchemy DACs and preamps, to the astronomically expensive Constellation Audio products. We contacted Peter about his new P-100 power supply.

"What gave you the idea for this new product?"

"I heard intriguing things about the performance of the DACMagic and that Cambridge Audio had sold more than 40,000 units. I thought there might be a market opportunity for a device to improve the sound. One look and I knew I could design a far better power supply than the one supplied by the manufacturer. After all, I've been designing audio power supplies for more than twenty-five years."

"How is the P-100 better?"

"Without giving away too many secrets, let me just say that I used better filtering, regulation and also the P-100 has much lower output impedance. All this dramatically cleans up the power flowing to the DAC. Audio circuits always sound better when they are fed ultra-clean power."

"What was the trickiest part of making the P-100?"

"Finding the right transformer was the hard part. We tested many before we found one that exceeded our specs for both electrical and mechanical noise."

"How did the P-100 evolve to also work with the Musical Fidelity V-DAC?"

"After discovering that P-100 made a substantial improvement in the sound of the DACMagic, I wondered what else we could mate it with. Musical Fidelity was selling thousands of V-DACs, so I added additional taps to the transformer and, presto, I had a marvelous V-DAC upgrade, too. We supply cables with the P-100 so the customer can use it with either DAC – or any of the Musical Fidelity V-Series components. Also, as a side, it also will power the Wadia 170 iTransport."