Superior sound from newer CD players?

Just because a DVD (or CD) player has a 24/96 DAC does not mean it sounds better. There are Chevy's with 16 value 4 cylinder engines, but that does not mean they perform like a BMW or Mercedes with the same basic engine configuration. It is the quality of what surrounds the DAC chip that makes it perform. All things being equal, 24/96 is an improvement over what came before. Your Denon DVD is a typical mass market player, so all things are not equal. The Luxman (or any older high-end player) would most likely sound better. Not to scare you, but that Denon model has a terrible reliability record and will not play some DVD discs. I would replace it.

If you're doing demo's at a dealer, see if they will let you bring the Luxman in for a comparison, or bring one the the new better players home.

The Cambridge D500 is one of the few under $500 players that can compete with the more expensive ones you mention. There is usually a demo for sale at AudioAdvisor.com for between $329 to $349. New there is $429.

I pretty much agree with Sugarbrie. To add to his comments, i have found that every DVD player that i have auditioned at home has always sounded colder, leaner, brighter, etc... than even a "decent" CD player.

The only point that i tend to disagree with Sugar's comments are about the Cambridge pieces. If you read the "general consensus" over at AR ( Audio Review ), there were a LOT of problems with Cambridge cd's in terms of reliability. I know that Listener magazine also liked these units a LOT, but i was "scared away" by reading more than a few negative comments from "the average consumer".

You could always check one of these out courtesy of Audio Advisor. AA also sells Adcom ( another on your list ). If the NAD CD Players are anything like their older models, they sound smooth and warm but are not very detailed. Can't say anything about the others. Good luck on your search. Sean
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I have owned the NAD S-500 for the past 2 years and I will tell you now that it is not the same animal as the past NAD products. Just open it up and you will see a very highend product.( not all the esoteric namey parts but more than suffucient for the price ) I have listened to this CD player with extreme concentration over long periods of time ( I was on disability for a very long time ) and I am always amazed, still. It has that quality where everything sounds great. ( except when it is a rotten recording ) When it needed some minor service this year I nearly had a breakdown. I tried supporting with a Pioneer DVD player and a Pioneer Elite CD player ( I even got desperate and hooked up an X10-D to try to help ). I almost died because I didn't listen to my stereo for 6 weeks. But this is one of those special products that just shines. I like the Arcam, Cal, and Adcom too, but the NAD Silverline was just exceptional. I have not tired of it. It is going to cost me a lot to upgrade from this point. I am also running the S-100 preamp also. I do not know if that has something to do with my satisfaction level but I think that it does. For the $1,500 that this CD player cost, I am certain that I have gotten my money's worth 2 or 3 times over. Dale

If you plan on getting a Lexicon (other than the MC-12) the units you mentioned (DC-1, DC-2) don't have an analog pass through function that would enable you to take advantage of the DACs in a newer CD player. You would be using the DACs in the Lexicon, you should keep this in mind when purchasing the CD player.

There is one inexpensive DVD player that I can highly recommend for CD playback. It's the Pioneer Elite DV-05. A bit light weight in the extreme bottom end but smooth & open. Very enjoyable. A great transport and an even better DVD player. Liked it better than my Icon MKII HDCD and prefer it overall to my DV-09. Old list price was $1000 but you can fetch'em for about $350 used. Good Luck