CD Players

Reagan

Folks, I have re-vamped my system from the speakers back towards the source. SRS 1.2TL's with Cobalt Cables (ultimate speaker cables) connected (not bi-wired) to a B&K Reference 200.2. The Amp is fed with Cobalt Cable interconnects from my NAD receiver with the jumpers removed (pre-amp section used only). The NAD is fed with Cobalt Cable interconnects from my weakest link in the system which is a run-of-the-mill Toshiba carousel DVD/CD player. It seems obvious that my next two areas on which I should focus are the CD player and the pre-amp. I am looking for suggestions. I am considering a Denon cd player in the $300 range, but I am will to increase that budget depending on how much of a quality difference I can buy. I definately need to stay under $1000 for the CD player. Thanks!

steveinaz

- Cambridge Audio D500SE or 640C...$499'ish cheaper on Ebay
- Rega Planet 2000...$795 (upscale audio)
- Ah! Njoe Tjoeb....$749 (upscale audio)
- Music Hall CD 25.2....$599 (audio advisor)
- The list goes on and on...

OR..the BEST move:

Buy a Benchmark DAC for $995, continue using your DVD for time being and run it thru the Benchmark. Upgrade CDP later in the year when you have the bucks. (if you even think you need to after adding the DAC).

Benefits of an external DAC:
- You can eventually move to a single source player, such as a DVD--flexibility. This is my plan for the near future. I'm gonna sell my CDP and cheapo DVD and buy a Marantz DV-7600 DVD player and use it universally, running thru my Benchmark DAC1.

- You can move later to a carousel CDP and/or DVD and not have to worry about sound quality suffering.

- It's not really necessary to spend a ton of money on a transport if you have a good quality DAC.

ND13

If your budget is up to $1k, then get the JoLida tubed cdp or the Ah! Tjoeb cdp. Both can be had NIB for under $1k without any mods done. For around $400, you can get a Dodd ELP tubed pre-amp. OR if you're patient you can get both for under $1k on the pre-owned market.

The Onix 88 something cdp is basically the exact same unit as the Music Hall that Steve mentioned in the above post and it's less money and one of the best bargains on the market from what I've read.

steveinaz

Another option would be to pick-up a CDP like the onix, and then Ebay a nice preamp---this could easily be done under a grand, and your speaker/amp combo is definitely worthy of the upgrades...

Reagan

Thanks for the response! I am obviously still confused about the DAC technology. This will apparently make my cheap DVD/CD player sound better. How does this work in practical terms. Also, if I start with a DAC, will it still make sense to save my pennies for a CDP upgrade?

dbnh

I own a Jolida JD-100, so I admit I'm biased. There's been some good ideas posted. My thought we be to check A-Gon for a used JD-100 or other CDP that's been mentioned.

Also, you may want to consider going anothe router and taking a foray into PC-HD based digital wireless feeds, a trend that seems to be making increased inroads on more audio systems. Definitely worth reading up on, try AudioCircles, etc.

cfrizz

You should also check out Rotel's RCD-1072. Top notch player for 699.00

reeltrouble1

You need a DAC when your sources conversion of the signal is not adequate.

I would recommend you leave the video to the DVD and get a dedicated CD player. The ones mentioned by the others would be a nice upgrade for you. Think discreet circuitry, power supplies, shielding and so on.

RT1

steveinaz

cfrizz wrote:

You should also check out Rotel's RCD-1072. Top notch player for 699.00

YES. Sorry Cathy, I always forget the Rotel---funny thing is, it's one of my favorites!

ND13

Is it just me or does everytime you see "Rotel", does it make you want to go the the store and buy some Velveeta and a can of Rotel and make some cheese dip??? :cool:

steveinaz

Reagan wrote:

Thanks for the response! I am obviously still confused about the DAC technology. This will apparently make my cheap DVD/CD player sound better. How does this work in practical terms. Also, if I start with a DAC, will it still make sense to save my pennies for a CDP upgrade?

An external DAC takes over the digital to analog conversion. When you use an external DAC, you connect your player to it by using the digital output; optical, coax, bnc, aes/ebu---depending on what your player provides as an output---yours is probably optical (aka: Toslink).

External DAC's usually have better digital-to-analog conversion DAC's, a better analog output section, etc, etc. Because of this, they can in theory make a cheap player sound like an expensive one--in practice this is usually true, but it's a little more complicated, I don't have the expertise to speak intelligently about the differences in transports.

It's the same concept as buying an external power amp versus using the amp section in a receiver---there's less constraint on design and budget.

As far as saving for a later CDP upgrade, it depends on how well your current transport works with the DAC; it may breathe new life into it (it will definitely improve the sound), and you may find that a CDP upgrade isn't needed...

shack

The NAD C542 or the S500i.

Dennis Gardner

If you buy a $1k DAC, there is no way that you will find yourself content with a $100 transport. Your mind will never let the $$$ imbalance work.

steveinaz

Agree, the idea is to create an "upgrade" path...

Tour2ma

... and do it in the right section of the forum...