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Question about using a CD player's Digital out

post #1 of 6
8/22/07 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
If I take the digital output on any cd player to the same DAC, will the quality of the cd player change the sound?

I am asking because I currently have an Apex dvd player I got at a garage sale for $5. But I use the digital out to hook it into my dac and it sounds great. But would a better cd player with the same dac sound any better?
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post #2 of 6
8/22/07 at 7:20pm
Yes and no. There are many people here who are far more qualified than I to explain this but, at a basic level, the digital output from any cdp should be the same in terms of *what* it outputs - that is, assuming there are no reading errors from the CD, the data is the same.

What changes with a better transport are issues such as jitter. Jitter is a timing issue, an issue of *when* the data is sent to the DAC, that can be quite dependent on several factors including your digital connection type (Toslink, coax and the like), your DAC (does it re-clock?) and your cdp. How audible that is depends on the rest of your setup and your ears.

Edit: 300th post (and it's something constructive, nice to know)
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post #3 of 6
8/22/07 at 7:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bizzel View Post
Edit: 300th post (and it's something constructive, nice to know)
what is even freakier is that my first post in this thread was my 300th post as well.
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post #4 of 6
8/22/07 at 7:55pm
Now wait and learn from the 22,000 posts icon here
Edit: Ok they don't answer too fast this time so i see if i can help

For my part i see lot of difference between the different sources you use. Recently i discovered that my CDP was the weak link in my system when i tried my DVD player with the same digital cable, the differences weren't small. I don't think it is just jitter, there is a lot of stuff that can change the results in line. The best way to test it is to try different transport and see if you perceive the differences.
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post #5 of 6
8/22/07 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, I will experiment when I get the chances. I am a little bummed because its almost impossible to buy a really great cd player without also paying for its included dac. that is, a cd player with ONLY digital out. does anybody know if such a thing exists?
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post #6 of 6
8/22/07 at 11:47pm
Yes this is called a transport and there is a multitude. I will maybe be buying one soon, a Rotal RDD980 but like i said earlier there is lot more. Just look for digital transport.
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