I have the Jay's Audio CDT3-MK3.  I have a lot of CDs but I also have made a lot of recordings from FLAC files bought on Presto and burned to CD-R.

I recently replaced the Philips CD Pro2 with a new one.  Now I notice that my Maxell CD-Rs are noisy in comparison to commercial CDs which are very quiet.

I bought a different brand of CD-R Verbatim and they are quiet like the commercial CDs.  Now I want to replace all the Maxell with the Verbatim and that is a lot of CD-Rs which I burn at 4X so it will take a long time.

So I considered getting an Aurender N30SA to play the FLAC files from the server.  I was hoping the sound quality would equal or be better than what I was getting from my burned CD-Rs played on the Jay's.

I asked AI which would sound better and got the following response (see below for a summary).  I know to be careful accepting what AI has to say and try to do more research to confirm.  What are your thoughts on what AI had to say?

I also found this thread where Brandonhifi likes his Jay's over his Aurender W20SE but he was streaming rather than playing the files from the server  https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/jay-s-audio-cdt3-mk3-wins-over-aurender-w20se/by_member?username=lordmelton  

AI 

So which one “sounds better”?

If the disc is perfect (AZO, Taiyo Yuden, MAM‑A Gold, or a flawless pressed CD):

➡️ Jay’s CDT3‑MK3 will sound more natural, more dimensional, more “live.” It has a drive and immediacy that even the N30SA can’t quite duplicate.

If the disc is average or flawed:

➡️ Aurender N30SA will sound cleaner, quieter, and more stable. It removes all mechanical variables and gives you a blacker background.

If the rip is bit‑perfect and the DAC is excellent:

➡️ N30SA will be more consistent and more neutral.

If you value “musicality,” “drive,” and “presence”:

➡️ CDT3‑MK3 wins with a great disc.

If you value “silence,” “precision,” and “effortlessness”:

➡️ N30SA wins every time.

Thanks, Kent