The better the DAC and transport usually the better.But not always. Dac and transport if you can match them with the right cabling and in your system, you will get 3D and good macro and micro dynamics.my Ares denafriifs and Yamaha s1000 with the wrong digital cable they won’t give me 3D , when I tried using my Audioquest diamond ic . It gave me 3D and dynamics.Gear can’t do it alone, you have to keep on trying different cables till you get what you want.By the way Iam using marigo apparition digital cable used.
Dedicated CD Transport vs DAC
Greetings,
Just some honest questions...
In your opinion, based on what you have actually experienced....
1) Which accounts for the most sonic improvement? A quality dedicated CD Transport or a Quality DAC?
2) If a person could assign a percentage... by what % did your cd transport improve your sound? By what % did your new dac improve your sound?
3) If you honestly gained an improvement in sound... was it like, " Oh my God, I can't believe how great this improvement is " or is it more like, " I can hear an improvement but no wheres nearly commensurate with the increase in price it cost me."
Coming from being highly invested in vinyl playback for the last 50 years... I'm struggling trying to decide how to improve the cd playback side of my system.
Up to this point in time, I've usually found cd playback to oftentimes sound hard, glaring, sterile, two dimensional, etc.
Which in your mind, helps to eliminate the above sound qualities that I dislike? A new dedicated cd transport or a new dac?
Thanks much for taking the time to reply and help me better understand!
Best wishes,
Don
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I would also say DAC first, but transport also is very important...I also was not happy with my OPPO as a transport...agree digital cable also important as it's really a digital system you're putting together...and then there are power cords...some here always try to get others to stop playing CD's, which to me is very poor advise...and yes I enjoy streaming and have 3 streamers... |
What are your impressions of the LTA DAC so far (I’m gonna guess it doesn’t suck)? It’s clear a better transport can make a significant difference, and using a lesser one on a good DAC is like putting budget all-season tires on a Porsche. Likewise, the digital cable also matters a lot, and at your level I wouldn’t spend less than $200 on one and up to $600 new. Here’s a very good one (read reviews) at a nice discount if you’re in the market… https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649210067-acoustic-zen-mc2-digital-cable/ Jay’s and Teac are obvious choices, but if your wallet’s still hurting from the LTA I’d definitely see if you can get a Shanling ET3 with a return policy as it’s getting very positive reviews and is much less expensive. Either way, I wouldn’t cheap out on the transport (or digital cable) with a good DAC. Just my $0.02 FWIW. |
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Hi, I’ve only had it for a week so I only have very initial impressions at the moment. I bought the Acoustic Zen Absolute “copper foil” true 75 ohm digital cable terminated in RCA. You can buy it at the Cable Company for $552. My whole system is loomed with AZ Absolute cables and to my ears do a great job. My early impressions of the LTA is very positive! It uses tubes, but the sound isn’t what I think most people would consider “tubey”. It’s fast! It’s not slow or sluggish or mushy… not in the least! The tonal qualities are outstanding! I’ve been a musician for 50 years playing tenor and bass trombone in jazz venues and my Montagnana cello in classical venues. Although I can no longer play at a professional level due to my strokes, I hear live acoustic music several nights a week. I feel that I know and understand the tone of instruments. I can easily discern the difference between Bach and King brass instruments; or between Steinway and Yamaha grand pianos, etc. Listening to brass instruments, the sound is pure! It’s dynamic, it’s got density and weight to the sound without being thick. Listening to Art Blakey playing the drums… my God! He can hit those toms and you can feel it! You sense the skin on the snare and the shimmer of the brass symbols is amazing! Piano has great transient attacks but you hear the sound board beautifulness in the grand piano! Hearing all the fine details of the creaking of the piano bench. Don’t even get me started on the sound of the acoustic bass! The fullness and resonance of the wooden body, but again, not sounding thick or muddy. Hearing the plucking of the strings or the bow gliding across the strings. I am impressed with this dac. What surprised me is how good it sounds being driven by my lowly vintage Rotel cd player. Hence my sincere questions about, does a dedicated cd transport really make a significant difference in the sound? I remember listening to a YouTube video where the reviewer had an $11,000 Ayon and couldn’t hear a significant difference from using a $40 Best Buy cd player as a transport. He was embarrassed and ashamed of his preconceived notions that the Ayon would wipe the floor, but it didn’t. In any case , I trust the comments of my fellow forum members over a random YouTube video. Best wishes, Don |
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