A blanket dismissal of all 5 disc players may be unfair. I plan on adding a single disc player to my system in the very near future, and have had the opportunity to audition about a dozen or so in my system at home. From those auditions I have concluded that my choice would be from the Ayre CX-7 (definitely the best, if I am willing to shell out the dollars), Audio Aero Prima (unmatched bang for the buck), and Cairn Fog w/upsampling (my wife still talks of the sweet sound, I hated the ergonomics). Meanwhile, since I have always liked the DVD capabilities of my Sony DVP-C600D 5 disc changer, and intend to keep it, I decided to try out some DIY upgrades. I admit to no prior experience with this stuff. I started out by taking out the 2 prong AC cord, and replacing it with a Connex IEC filtered male connector (I did use a repair shop for a crucial step, connectint the IEC wires to the old pin that fits into the board). Then I started to experiment with power cords, and voila, the Sony has taken on a new life. Currently, my PC of of choice is the Essential Sound AV Power Flow. The CD play sound from my system definitely surpasses the sound I achieved with any but the 3 players listed above. The sound is very musical, with good resolution, soundstage depth, and non fatiguing. I have also since introduced a couple of DACs into the mix, but found they added nothing. This experience has further opened my eyes to the impact of power supplies on system performance, and contributed to making this hobby even more satisfying. This is definitely a fun journey.
dac or new cd player
i currently have a yamaha dvd-c920. 5 disc player. need to have the 5 disc so wife can use random function. should i purchase a better cd to listen to music with and keep the yamaha for the video and wife, or buy the perpetual dac and have don wright fix it up for me. my system is 4 linn 5140 speakers witha 5120 center, transparent super xl bi=wired cables and a nad 762 rec. thanks in advance for your input