Does Avergae CD Player + DAC = Average Sound?

If your just using a avg system, I don't see a need.....I dont and have better than avg.

If you can't tell the difference between an Arcam and a Technics, you are not listening blind, you are listening deaf : ) Sean
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That's a problem. I hadn't checked because I assumed all CDPs have digital outs, but this one doesn't. No luck here. Case closed. A new CDP it is.

That's a problem. I hadn't checked because I assumed all CDPs have digital outs, but this one doesn't. No luck here. Case closed. A new CDP it is.

You certainly CAN go the route you suggest, with reasonable quality. I really think that for the price of a decent external DAC and digital cable though, you probably can find a new CD player that will yield excellent results.

I think the Audio Refinement CD Complete is really good, and you can probably find a used one for $500.

Budrew, if you can swing it, I would get the Bel Canto DAC-1. It is quite inexpensive now because Bel Canto is releasing their DAC-2 soon.

Depends. If there's something wrong with the sound of the Technics, the DAC may well help. (Of course, it's also possible that there are some bad DACs out there.) At the same time, using an outboard DAC introduces the risk of jitter, which is unlikely to be a major factor in a single-deck system.

Here's a suggestion: Since your Arcam is a fine unit, try doing a blind comparison of the Arcam and the Technics. See how often you can guess which one is playing, based on sound alone. If you have trouble distinguishing between the two (and don't be surprised if you do), then it's unlikely that a DAC will do anything for you.

What kind of digital output does the Technics have?-- coaxial would be preferred. IMO, the DAC is much more important to music quality than the transport, so I think plugging the Technics into a good DAC (you don't specify budget) will certainly improve music quality. When you do this, you are bypassing the Technics internal (and presumably inexpensive) DAC.

In years past I've had very good results with Adcom 600/700 DACs, but there are many good ones in that price range-- MSB also comes to mind. Good Luck. Craig