Stream Magic 6 Upsampling Network Music Player & Pre-amplifier
The perfect way to connect your digital music collection and hi-fi – Stream Magic 6 gives you more music and makes your digital audio sound better than ever!
Wherever your digital audio comes from, whatever format you store it in, the Stream Magic 6 network music player makes it sound stunning! From smartphones/tablets and laptops, to Blu-ray players, TVs and games consoles, and with support for audio streaming services including BBC iPlayer, Aupeo, and Pandora plus with access to over 20,000+ internet radio stations – the Stream Magic 6 doesn't just stream audio on to your hi-fi amp and speakers, but dramatically improves it as it does – bringing out the ultimate in detail, clarity and quality from your digital audio.
Key to this is our unique ATF2 upsampling. Everything passing through the Stream Magic 6 is upsampled to highest-quality 24-bit 384 kHz with jitter and other digital audio issues eliminated. The result is stunning – we guarantee you'll be impressed!
And the Stream Magic 6 is compatible with all major digital audio formats – including MP3, AAC and WMA, as well as "lossless" high-quality audio formats such as Apple Lossless, FLAC and AIFF.
It's easy to use, from the sleek front panel, supplied remote or free Stream Magic remote app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
It's easy to set up too – simply handling sources directly via cable or wirelessly via wi-fi or Bluetooth*.
* With optional BT100 Wireless Audio Receiver, including high-quality aptX support...Read more
Gallery
Stream Magic 6 buy it now
Reviews
USA, January 2013
In more detail
Upsampling audio magic
Everything that passes through the Stream Magic 6 is upsampled, using our unique ATF2 (Adaptive Time Filtering) process, developed in conjunction with Anagram Technologies of Switzerland, through a high-end Analog Devices DSP (Digital Signal Processor), to ultra-high detail 24-bit 384kHz output.
As well as dragging extra detail from every source (even CD, Blu-ray and "Lossless" digital files), ATF2 virtually eliminates "jitter" common in playing digital audio files – which can lead to a flatter, lifeless sound with tinnier bass response. Those problems vanish when digital audio's put through Stream Magic 6.
Network audio magic for wireless music
Streaming network audio to your hi-fi's easy with Stream Magic 6. Music on wi-fi connected* desktops, laptops and NAS drives is automatically detected to create a wireless music system. And, of course, all those digital audio files, upsampled through the Stream Magic 6's unique ATF2 process, will sound far better through your main hi-fi, than desktop speakers.
*UPnP-supported devices only. Most modern laptops, computers and network (NAS) drives are UPnP-supported as are many games consoles, streaming boxes and smartphones.
Internet radio magic
Browse, search and listen to over 20,000 internet radio stations with ease on Stream Magic 6. And use our Stream Magic Home internet portal to set up favourite stations, preferences and check out the newest internet music stations we've added to the service.
All your favourite stations and preferences can be managed using our Stream Magic Home portal and from here, you can also suggest new stations which we'll validate and then add for other Stream Magic 6 customers to enjoy.
Streaming services magic
The Stream Magic 6 features built-in support for the latest in high-quality digital audio streaming services including BBC iPlayer Radio, Aupeo and Rhapsody. And, of course, even high-quality 320kbps streams still benefit from Stream Magic 6's ATF2 upsampling. Streaming music never sounded so good, yet was so easy to get to your hi-fi. Stream Magic 6 also supports the best in podcast streams such as Podcast.com, Blog TalkRadio and BBC Podcasts.
Cable connections covered
No matter what you want to plug in to, Stream Magic 6 digital music player can handle it…
-
USB:
Instantly upgrade the audio of your PC or Mac, desktop or laptop. Even streaming music services such as Spotify, Rhapsody or Napster sent via your computer can be improved by Stream Magic 6's upsampling – delivering audiophile detail to your hi-fi. USB connection supports up to 24-bit 192kHz transfer with both "kernel streaming" and "ASIO" support to cut out Windows default sound processing methods, further improving quality. -
Digital audio connections:
Stream Magic 6 is compatible with both S/P DIF and optical digital connections – as seen in most Blu-ray players, media streamers and games consoles. Bypassing the inbuilt audio components of these devices and using the Stream Magic 6 brings spectacular levels of detail, breathing life into the audio from movies, games and more.
Phones, tablets and wireless Bluetooth Audio
Add the optional BT100 and wirelessly stream audio from smartphones, tablets, laptops and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. And if your device supports the high-end aptX Bluetooth audio codec, even better because the BT100 does too – delivering maximum digital quality for stunning, audiophile reproduction on your hi-fi.
Stream Magic Remote App for iPhone, iPad and Android
Use our free Stream Magic Remote app to bring full control of Stream Magic 6 to your fingertips. Access music stored across your home network, gain full and instant control of all supported streaming services and internet radio, with track information and album art displayed on your device automatically. Deep-level control means you can also edit favourite stations and streams and queue up playlists that will continue to play even if the device you queued it up on isn't present.
- Free for Apple iPhone and iPad, and Android devices
- Full control of Stream Magic network music player
- Inbuilt support for streaming music services including BBC iPlayer radio, Aupeo and Pandora
- Browse and play tracks from UPnP laptops/computers and NAS drives over your network
- Search, browse and listen to 20,000+ internet radio stations
- Artist and song information, as well as album artwork, automatically displayed
- Create playlists that work even if your device is off or out of network range
- Add internet radio station presets for easy recall later
Remote volume control
Stream Magic Remote can not only control volume on the Stream Magic 6, but also other compatible Cambridge Audio devices, including Azur hi-fi amps and home cinema receivers.
Digital pre-amplification
Even more versatility! You can use your Stream Magic 6 as a digital pre-amp to connect to active speakers such as our SLA25 or a power amplifier.
-
Features -
Network music player 20,000 internet radio stations Music streaming from computer/NAS/USB Gapless playback supported for seamless playback of albums Digital audio pre-amp featuring optional digital volume and channel balance control Upsampling Digital to Analogue Converter featuring S/PDIF and Toslink digital inputs and USB audio input (all 24 bit compatible) Twin Wolfson WM8740 DACs ATF2 audio up-sampling to 24-bit/384kHz USB audio input allowing streaming of up to 24-bit/192kHz audio from computer Selectable digital filters – linear phase, minimum phase, steep Free iPad/iPhone app giving full control of unit Support for optional BT100 Bluetooth receiver, allowing audio to be streamed and upsampled from any paired aptX or A2DP Bluetooth device Balanced and unbalanced analogue audio outputs for superior connectivity Full metal casework design with thick brushed aluminium front panel and dual layer damped feet, giving enhanced resonance control Eco-friendly <0.5W Standby power consumption Azur Navigator remote control with Cambridge Audio amplifier control Available in black and silver finishes
Reviews
USA, January 2013
UK, October 2012
"As network audio players go, the Stream Magic 6 is as close to perfection as I've yet seen."
UK, January 2013
Stream Magic 6 was a finalist in Hi-Fi Choice's Streamer of the Year!
UK, November 2012
UK, August 2012
"The most important feature of this CA network player for audiophiles is the excellent sound quality. For music lovers who want to experiment in a simple manner with music files, a Stream Magic 6, a laptop and a few files are enough to produce streaming data in the highest quality."
Netherlands, August 2012
"Where it excels is in the sound quality and its simplicity of use, the latter thanks to well-planned menus, an excellent remote and apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android... You'll never know you're not listening to a CD."
UK, July 2012
ATF2 Upsampling in more detail…
Stream Magic 6 makes digital audio sound amazing – drawing detail seemingly out of thin air. How?
Our unique ATF2 (Adaptive Time Filtering) upsampling technology, developed in conjunction with Anagram Technologies, Switzerland.
All incoming audio data, such as CD at 16-bit 44.1kHz CD, is upsampled to 24-bit 192kHz using a high-end 32-bit Analog Devices DSP (Digital Signal Processor). "Polynomial Curve Fitting Interpolation" provides a much more accurate upsampled audio soundwave than traditional upsampling processes. And a unique timing system buffers audio data to almost eradicate digital jitter. Vital – as jitter, common in digital audio devices, loses vital detail, often leaving digital audio sounding flat and lifeless.
Our latest ATF2 DSP also features a selectable digital filter with three settings to suit listener preferences and their particular system set-up:
• The Steep roll-off filter exhibits strong attenuation of aliasing images outside the pass band (i.e. above 22.05kHz) at the expense of a little pre and post-ringing in the time domain.
• The Linear phase filter uniquely features ‘constant group delay’ which delays all audio signals at all frequencies by the same amount meaning all audio is fully time-coherent at the output.
• Minimum phase meanwhile does not feature constant group delay but rather the co-efficients have been optimised without feed-forward so that the impulse response exhibits no pre-ringing in the time domain.
Specifications
| Digital to Analogue Converter | Dual Wolfson WM8740 24-bit DACs |
| Digital filter: |
2nd Generation ATF2 up-sampling to 24-bit/384kHz. Linear Phase, Minimum phase or Steep modes. |
| Analogue filter: | 2-Pole Dual Differential Bessel Double Virtual Earth Balanced |
| Digital Inputs: | S/PDIF 75 ohms or Toslink optical |
| USB |
USB Audio Input USB Type B conforming to Audio profile 1.0 or USB Audio profile 2.0 (user 1.0 or USB Audio profile 2.0 (user selectable) Local USB media 2 x USB 1.1 current limited to 1A each |
| File systems | FAT32, NTFS |
| Digital Outputs: |
S/PDIF Co-axial and Toslink Optical 16-24 Bits, 32-96kHz |
| Analogue audio outputs | Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue audio outputs |
| THD @ 1Khz 0dBFs: | <0.001% 24bit (at volume set to full) |
| THD @ 1kHz -10dBFs: | <0.001% (at volume set to full) |
| THD @ 20kHz 0dBFs: | <0.002% (at volume set to full) |
| Frequency Response: | 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.1dB * |
| Signal to Noise Ratio: | -112dBr (at volume set to full) |
| Total correlated jitter: | < 130pS |
| Crosstalk @ 1kHz: | < -100dB |
| Crosstalk @ 20kHz: | < -90dB |
| Audio Formats |
WAV containing uncompressed PCM 16-24 bit 32-96kHz FLAC containing losslessly compressed PCM 16-24 bit 32-96kHz Apple Lossless (ALAC) 16-24 bit @ 12/16/22.05/24/32/44.1/48/88.2/96kHz AIFF containing uncompressed PCM 16-24 bit 32-96kHz Microsoft® Windows MediaTM Audio (WMA 9 Standard) 32-320kbps MP3 (CBR or VBR) 16-320kbps AAC, HE AAC and AAC+ (CBR or VBR) 16-320kbps OGG Vorbis 32-320kbps |
| Streaming Protocols |
RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) MMS (Microsoft Media Server Protocol) HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) |
| Wi-Fi |
IEEE 802.11 b/g or n (2.4GHz connection used only) |
| Wi-Fi Encryption | WEP, WPA, WPA2 |
| Ethernet | IEEE 802.3, 10 Base-T or 100 Base-T |
| Mains inlet voltage | 100-240 VAC (switch mode) |
| Max. power consumption: | 30W |
| Standby power consumption: | <0.5W |
| Dimensions (W x H x D): | 430 x 85 x 305mm (16.9 x 3.4 x 12.2”) |
| Weight: | 4.0Kg (8.8lbs) |
| * Steep filter disabled |
-
Click here for information about the latest firmware update -
Here at Cambridge Audio, we’ve been working hard to make your NP30 and Stream Magic experience even better! There is a new Stream Magic firmware update.
The new firmware version is v266-b-482 (and v266-b-482-a-002 for later production NP30s with Auto Power Down added).
The next time you switch on your Stream Magic device it will automatically see that an update is available and will prompt you to update. Alternatively, you can update your device manually by going to Settings > Upgrade Firmware.
16th April 2013: v266-b-482 (and v266-b-482-a-002 for NP30s with APD)
- Improve occasional track skipping seen when using certain Synology NAS devices
- Improve stability when using Stream Magic iPhone/Android control app
- Fix player crash when attempting to play tracks > 192kHz
- Fix display of clip-info for Aupeo! streaming service
- Improve overall detection of USB thumbdrives
- BT100: improve reliability of information displayed on player's front panel
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
-
Click here for information about previous firmware updates -
15th March 2013: v266-b-467 (and v266-b-467-a-002 for NP30s with APD)
- General player stability improvements
- BT100: Fix issue where state gets lost when force re-paring
- Fix occasional crash when coming out of idle mode
- Send hostname when doing DHCP request
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
29th January 2013: v266-b-416-a-004
- Stream Magic 6 only - fixes intermittent bug with USB Audio input occasionally not selecting correctly
3rd January 2013: v266-b-416-a-002
- NP30 digital volume controlled by IR remote control (NP30 only)
- Changes required for compatibility with future Windows 8 USB Audio driver (Stream Magic 6 only)
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
10th October 2012: v266-b-398
The new firmware update includes a number of upgrades and most importantly, means your Stream Magic 6 or NP30 now supports Apple Lossless (ALAC) playback. Features of the firmware update include:
- Added Apple Lossless (ALAC) support, 16-24-bit @ 12/16/22.05/24/32/44.1/48/88.2*/96kHz (*88.2kHz not supported on NP30)
- Added support for up to 24-bit AIFF @ 12/16/22.05/24/32/44.1/48/88.2*/96kHz (only 16-bit AIFF was supported previously)
- Added Display of album/artist metadata on our iPhone App for Internet Radio stations that provide such information
- Add Auto Power-Down function to European Stream Magic 6 units
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
An updated version of the Android Stream Magic Remote app is also available on the Android app store. The updated version is V1.05 and adds support for Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) devices.
25th July 2012: v266-b-354-a-002
The new firmware update includes a number of upgrades and most importantly, means your Stream Magic 6 or NP30 now support gapless playback. We’ve also added a handy digital volume control feature to the NP30 to allow you to control the volume of the NP30 using the app or front panel selector. Features of the firmware update include:
- Added gapless playback via UPnP and local USB
- Added digital pre-amp mode (digital volume control) to NP30
- Ensure mute status persists over power-cycle and idle mode
- Changes to improve interworking with iOS/Android app
- Some minor fixes to improve UPnP browsing
- Fix issue where start of playback is lost on analogue output on SM6
- Improve buffer control on Internet Radio
- Allow volume control and balance control from iPhone/Android apps
- Fixes a bug where when switching from internet radio to a digital input of the Stream Magic 6, there is no sound coming from the digital input – requires a restart the Stream Magic 6 in order to get sound again from the digital input
- Fixes a compatibility issue with Apple ._ files, where they would show as duplicates
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
7th March 2012: v266-b-272
This Stream Magic firmware update includes a number of upgrades and most importantly, means your device will now support Bluetooth audio streaming. All you need is our new plug and play BT100 wireless audio receiver to stream music from your iPhone, smartphone, iPad, tablet, laptop or MacBook to your Stream Magic device. Read more about this amazing enhancement here Features of the firmware update:
- Allows the NP30 to work with Stream Magic Remote Android app
- Changes to improve interworking with iOS/Android app
- Adds BT100 support
- Some minor fixes to improve UPnP browsing
- Add fast scrolling via remote and front panel
- Rename UuVol to Stream Magic
- Improve handling of tracks being moved around in the media queue via the iPhone app
- Displays "Queue Empty" if when Reply/Browse Queue button pressed there is no current queue
- Ensure that codec information is still displayed when paused
- Don't list devices that aren't media servers in the 'UPnP Servers' menu
- Stop playback when queue is cleared
- Export information on current stream type/source name to iOS/Android app
- Changes to the preset-setting mechanism
- Mark currently playing track when browsing UPnP
- Fix "Network not supported" problem with some access points
- Other miscellaneous bug fixes
As part of this update process, we’re also creating a single platform to support all our network players and as such, UuVol has now become Stream Magic. These exciting enhancements will deliver a host of benefits:
Even more powerful control apps...
- UuVol Remote apps for iPhone and iPad have become Stream Magic Remote. Today, an update has been released on the App Store which your device will prompt you to install. As well as changing name to Stream Magic Remote, the app update also features improved UPnP browsing and album art handling.
- Stream Magic app for Android! We’re in the final stages of developing a fantastic app for Android phones. This has been released in advanced beta mode on Android Market and we will continue to develop it to offer seamless control across Android devices. Finally, UuVol Home portal has also now become Stream Magic Home. When you visit the usual www.uuvol.com you’ll now be redirected to www.stream-magic.com where your UuVol login details will allow you to access your new Stream Magic Home account. Your presets, settings and devices will be carried over to your Stream Magic account and no action is required to activate or use your account.
-
BT100 upgrade
Fixes issue when playing Bluetooth audio from some aptX enabled devices. This affects some (but not all) BT100 units. The symptom is audio cutting out after 3 minutes of playback with some aptX capable source devices. Typically affected devices will be Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phones and Apple computers.
Click here to download BT100 upgrade files and instructions - note: this upgrade can only be carried out on a Windows computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Video wall
Did you know?
As well as FLAC, WAV, MP3, AIFF, WMA, AAC, HE ACC, AAC+ and OGG Vorbis.
Designer's note
Matthew
Technical Director
"With Stream Magic 6, we were able to take our learnings from the NP30 project and apply them to even greater effect"
