2. digital
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transport/dac vs integrated player

I have almost always used an outboard dac,  primarily because it always sounded much better, presumably because the external dac was better than my cd players internal dac. I have always concentrated on the dac and not on the quality of the transport, and planned on trying better transports and also playing via computer with a usb to s/pdif bridge. The question I have is this: assuming the dac in an integrated player equals the sound quality of an external dac, does the fact that it is in the player itself  alleviate any issues with the connection from a transport to an external dac?   To put it another way, assuming all things being equal, am I better off seeking out a player rather than a separate transport /dac?  Thanks in advance. 

majorc
ghdprentice
6,359 posts
 

Given where we are in the evolution of digital playback you definitely want to stay with separates. CD playing is rapidly being replaced with streaming.. many companies have discontinued manufacturing them. Streaming is rapidly replacing CD transports. My streamer sounds better on streamed high resolution material than a spun CD. My service ($12 / month) gives me access to over 1/2 million high resolution albums and millions of CDs. 
 

I can spin a CD… but only do a punt once a year… then can’t figure out why I bothered.

soix
8,648 posts
 

If you’re considering streaming, and you DEFINITELY should as you’ll have access to worlds of new music, just go with a separate DAC. Computers are awful as streaming sources, and when you can pick up a good streamer like the iFi Zen Stream for $399 (and even less used) or a Bluesound Node there’s really not much cost involved for significantly better sound. And the Zen has an SPDIF digital out so no need for a bridge to convert from USB. Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Incidentally, many people have bought the Audiolab 6000CDT transport with good results.  It appears to be at a big discount on Amazon…

https://www.amazon.com/Audiolab-6000CDT-Dedicated-Transport-Remote/dp/B07HS2PDBM

majorc OP
76 posts
 

Many thanks and yes I plan on introducing streaming to my system.  But the narrow question I have is for playing my cd collection: whether having an all in one player alleviates the concerns with the connection from the transport to the dac, in terms of the quality of the transport, straight coax from a transport vs playing from a computer via a usb to s/pdif bridge, etc. 

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,496 posts
 

What’s a stinkin’ PC have to do with the fact that the best sounding CD drives are all in transports? And only use a PC for ripping tracks if you want to avoid years of learning.

It's not about A vs B, it's about musical enjoyment

 

soix
8,648 posts
 

But the narrow question I have is for playing my cd collection: whether having an all in one player alleviates the concerns with the connection from the transport to the dac

Well, if you’re going the streaming route anyway you could consider getting a streamer like an Innuos Zen Mini or Zen that also has an onboard disc drive and internal storage so you can just load all your CDs directly into it and have access to all your music from your chair and no need for a separate transport.  Just another option to consider FWIW. 

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