Audio Note digital

i own an audio note cd2. it is my favorite cd player. it never offended me. i don't see anything out there that i would prefer.

note, this player is 18 or 20 bit and was current around 1992. i don't care for the current audio note gear, or much else that is in production.

If you are using the AN just with streaming audio and iTunes downloads, then it's no wonder CD's beat it. You are comparing Redbook digital to lossy MP3. On top of that, you are probably getting a lot more jitter coming off the computer (how are you doing that, by the way?).

How does the Sony/Modwright sound going into the Audio Note -- have you tried that?

IMO, I think you are going in the wrong direction if you go back to conventional cd replay.

I would contact someone like Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio, Stephen Balliet at Reflection Audio or Vincent Sanders at VRS (I'm sure there are many others) who seem to have a pretty good grip on how to do computer/server based digital properly.

After owning many very expensive digital set-ups (including AN cdt-2/Dac 3.1x balanced) I will never go back for a multitude of reasons...sonics being one.

I use the usb out of my computer directly to the squeezebox and then into the audio note dac so not sure about the jitter with this. Certainly quality from computer doesn't compete with cd quality.

I have used lossless software - exact audio copy and express rip. Both are fussy to use and not very intuitive for an old dog to use. At end of day have been ripping some of my favourite cds to computer but what is point of having in two places and honestly the computer version is the poorer cousin to the cd through the modwright player.

Final issue is finding quality digital feeds. Streaming audio is inferior. itunes is fabulous and love the instant download of just about any new music (for example picked up tribute to Steve Goodman this week something I have never seen in any store) but quality is mostly inferior to the disk version. And have played a bit with new high quality downloads such as hd tracks but a) download was forever and b) still haven't figured out how to get it playing through the squeezebox!

So maybe I need computer audio 101 as Glide suggests because I would love if I could stream higher quality than my cd versions but I'm a long ways from being there. Meanwhile despite cd stores closing all around me still leaning towards trying out the transport and dac combo (haven't figured out how to run Modwright through the dac but have an Oppo 980 that looks pretty straight forward that might give a run this week).

i owned DAC 4.1X Signature love it

Blue - do you feed your Dac 4.1 with a computer or a transport?

Your A-N DAC 2.1 is near-SOTA and should be killer with a decent USB source, like a Mac (Mini or otherwise) USB to the DAC (what's with the Squeezebox????) playing CDs ripped **LOSSLESS** with error-correction **ON**.

I doubt you'll find a transport to beat that, perhaps at any price.

My I ask what Response Audio did to mod the 2.1?
I own a 2.1 Sig and would be interested in modding mine. Also what was the cost?
Thanks
Sheldon