As long as one has decent sensitive gear the following will help.Proper isolation from shelf vibration and proper shelf spacing(9-12"min.) will improve your sound.The proper interconnects and cables(a modest upgrade will make a difference)Also proper speaker setup and isolation.If one listens to loud undetailed music only,then a dac makes no sense.However,if one likes good recorded music with alot of detail then a dac will most definitely be appreciated.Best bet is a higher end used dac in your price range.The dac must be better than your cdp dac to hear the difference. While digital gear has an effect on sound it is not the cure all for better bass.A different amp or reciever with the right speakers will give plenty of bass.A low cost bass improvement would be a good subwoofer.Find a store that will let you audition some in your system so that you can get the right one for you.
advice on adding dac to old cd ?
I have the upgrade bug but not lots of cash,so I have been checking out dac's for sale on the different sites. My cd is a single disc JVC from 89 (jvc444).It has always served me well and still works great.I have owned a NAD and a Technics and this one sounds better.Would I be better off buying a current player such as cambridge 4 or adding a used DAC for a similar amount of coin.I did get to hear a rather exspensive Pioneer 6-pack in my system and the bass seemed deeper and smoother but it skipped so i dumped it.I have read a lot about Pioneer's transport being well rated so how much of the sound quality comes from the transport? I am pretty happy with the rest of the system. thanks AR 07 int. amp Tara labs interconcet on cd Energy 5.1 energy esm-2 Philips 212/ v15 IV bi-wire 10 GA no-name speaker wire.