Good player or external DAC?
m00npie
Posts: 697
I currently have a Marantz DV7600 player for SACD and I plan on keeping that. For regular CDs I was thinking of doing one of two things...
1.) Get a Benchmark DAC1 USB and use the Marantz as the transport for SACD and regular CD
2.) No External DAC Use the Marantz for SACD and get a Cambridge Audio 840c player for CD.
Any thoughts as to which would be the better setup? Both the DAC and the player are within the same price range so buying both is not an option.
1.) Get a Benchmark DAC1 USB and use the Marantz as the transport for SACD and regular CD
2.) No External DAC Use the Marantz for SACD and get a Cambridge Audio 840c player for CD.
Any thoughts as to which would be the better setup? Both the DAC and the player are within the same price range so buying both is not an option.
Post edited by m00npie on
Comments
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Benchmark w/o question."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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External DAC for sure... The DAC by itself is much more useful. You can use any transport you want. Why have 2 cd players when you can have one with an external DAC? The Benchmark is a great DAC, so I think you will be getting better results than either of the standalone CDPs.
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I do the Marantz, Denon/Bel Canto dac thing, but I may go back to just a good player, like the 840C. Why use an inferior transport when you can just have one great player. Plus, I have not seen a Dac upconvert to 384 that I know of.
Venom -
I HIGHLY recommend the Benchmark DAC1. I am having a blast with it. Even Apple Lossless streamed wireless via the Squeezebox sounds great through this thing. It's the best thing I have ever purchased for my digital music.Sharp Elite 70
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Totem Mask Surrounds X4
Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
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Squeezebox Touch
Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door. -
For DVD - my Toshiba HD player up converts standard DVD to near HD quality and there is a very noticeable difference.
For CD - Im not familiar with the up-sampling feature on the Cambridge player? Is there any value to this?
The Cambridge claims to have Adaptive Time Filtering (ATF) asynchronous up-sampling technology converting 16-bit 44.1 kHz CD data to 24-bit 384kHz.
Based on feedback, it sounds like the Benchmark is the way to go for now, and then perhaps later upgrading the transport. -
For the $975 price tag, I recommend anyone serious about digital audio test drive a Benchmark DAC1. It has a 30 day return policy---which I'm confident, you'll never use.
My one and only nit-pick about the DAC1: The EXTREMELY BRIGHT LED's on the front panel.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Might I add this little gem into the mix, Paul Grzybek'a fabulous tube DAC. With the likely hood of music servers being the new standard in the future, a DAC is the way to go. I truly believe that CD players are going to fall by the way side. I might be wrong...but then again I might be right. The flexibility that a DAC allows you is another strong selling point. After hearing what this DAC does for my listening pleasure, I have no further interest in having a CD player. http://www.tubeaudiodesign.com/ Paul's DAC also comes with a 30 day return policy & is only $699. An audio steal in my book."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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I currently have a Marantz DV7600 player for SACD and I plan on keeping that. For regular CDs I was thinking of doing one of two things...
1.) Get a Benchmark DAC1 USB and use the Marantz as the transport for SACD and regular CD
2.) No External DAC Use the Marantz for SACD and get a Cambridge Audio 840c player for CD.
Any thoughts as to which would be the better setup? Both the DAC and the player are within the same price range so buying both is not an option.
The Cambridge can also be a dual differential DAC with 2-SPDIF/1-optical inputs (?remote switching of sources?)
A Marantz 8001 reviewed to do excellent SACD and redbook CD due the reputedly fine Cirrus Logic DAC in it + those H-DAM class A output modules.
I think it's $900 player.
The Benchmark DAC-1 is a benchmark. I'd like one with USB which puts it in the same pricing arena as the Cambridge 840c.
All of these are getting press as great values...around a grand digital seems like the big price elbow today...anyone agree? -
wingnut4772 wrote: »I HIGHLY recommend the Benchmark DAC1. I am having a blast with it. Even Apple Lossless streamed wireless via the Squeezebox sounds great through this thing. It's the best thing I have ever purchased for my digital music.
Squeezebox is musically liberating x2
