2. digital
  3. 1146935599

How do I decide on a CD player or adding a dac?

I have been trying to figure a way to find a solution to my fatigue from my digital and SS rig. I run a Pair of Odyssy Stratos Plus Mono Blocks from a Odyssey Etesian (Passive or Linestage) to a pair of Apogee C Minor hybrids. My room is very small 14 ft by 9 1/2 feet and 8 ft tall. Hardwood floors with an Inca wool rug in my nearfield listening area. No room treatments yet the wall are bare because we just moved and I wanted to have a fresh start. Nothing else is in the room, but me and my seat. Pics are on my Budget system.

I need to know if anyone has any suggestions for a source, I use a Pioneer DV 578a universal player for now and have thought about running it as a transport with an external dac, but am a bit overloaded to make a good choice. I have looked at the Dac Ah and Audio Mirror units as well as the Cal Audio Dacs. Others that have been suggestions were CIA Dac and power supply and a van Altine OmegaIII. I know just enough to get confused.

Should I get the dac and use the pioneer as a transport or should I get a new one box cdplayer. My budget is only about $350 to $400 at the most, the lite ah could be had for about $150 as can the Van Alstine.

Please help.

andy
brownsanandy

Showing 1 response by hammergjh

hammergjh
157 posts
 
I went the DAC route. I added a Bel Canto Dac2 to augment my Rotel 1072 CDP. Hmm... Frankly the change was underwhelming. Yeah, it was different, but not necessarily "better different". The 750 bucks the DAC2 cost me wasn't worth the differences I heard, which were subtle to say the least. I just sold the DAC to get my money back. It's a fine unit but not necessarily 750 dollars better than my CDP. And considering what the DAC2 cost new compared to what my CDP cost new? Yeah, I sold it.

This was the opinion of several different listeners, too. Several listening sessions proved me right, the differences were almost too subtle to notice. The DAC2 was only slightly smoother and presented a slightly lower noise floor.

I needed the $750 more than I needed those improvements.
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