I saved alot of money.


Many of you will probably disagree but I have to share. I recently started streaming from my cell phone to my system with Amazon HD and You Tube Music. 
Components are a new Hegel H390, Bryston A2 speakers, NAD C 546BEE CD player, and wait for it, a cheap Auris bluetooth thing.
Sounds great but I thought about getting an expensive streamer and/or a separate DAC.
After weeks of research I thought of doing a test. The CD player is hooked up via coaxial to the Hegel. The Auris is connected via optical. So both are using the Hegel's DAC.
I put a favorite CD into the NAD and hit pause, then pulled up the same on Amazon. Without moving from my listening position I switched between the two.
Very little difference if any between them.
I tried this with different CDs 3 different times over a week and had the same results.
My system may be cheap compared to what many of you have but my love for music is as strong or better than anyone out there.
At 66, retired, and on limited funds I'm sure glad I did this test. The results must be due to the Hegel's DAC.
Thoughts?


golden210
In another thread I said that effectively, a good $150 DAC is far more accurate than a $10K (or much higher) turntable setup, and that a $150 DAC playing a well digitized version of R-R, would be much closer to that R-R than any turntable would be. I consider those to be honest statements. They are about communicating the recording, not preference. It does not take massive spend to communicate the music in the data. If you want a particular flavor to that communication of the music, that is where the big dollars comes in.
"...Thank you russ69 for you saying my NAD CD player is the weak link. I've had it for a couple of years... Since I'm only using the NAD as a transport would a much more expensive CD player give better results?.."

Sorry, my opinion was based on using the CD players D/A converter and analog amp. In your system I guess it's down to how good the Hegal D/A converter is.  
I've found that once you enter into the "high end" the reward ratio can be a slippery slope.  If your room treatment and layout is not perfect, you just end up chasing small gains, which is fine, but few of them have any substance. YMMV.