Your digital source upgrade path?

I believe that I went through:
Philips 373
Philips 373 into a Musical Fidelity Digilog DAC
Marantz CD52se
Arcam 7se
Pioneer DVD player into Meridian 203 DAC
Teac VRDS7
Naim CD5i
Pioneer DVD player into DS NOS DAC v1
Pioneer DVD player into DS NOS DAC v2
Pioneer DVD player into Bel Canto DAC2
Meridian 500 transport into Bel Canto DAC2
Modded Meridian 500 transport into Bel Canto DAC2
SB+ into Bel Canto DAC2
SB+

I've forgotten how many other CDPs and DACs I've heard along the way, but the list has included pretty much all the Naim units, some MF, Esoteric X03/X01, a few Wadias, Densen 400xs, Quad CD99, Behringer SRC and DEQ units, Benchmark DAC1, Beresford 7510. That's before you include less extensive listening whilst at the shows I've been to.

The best sounding to me was the X01, but then it was close to being the most expensive.
The best sound/£ was dependant on price. At the dirt cheap prices it would be a DVD player into a Behringer SRC2496. Above that it would be a s/h Quad CD99, then a Densen 400xs.

My key learning points have been that DACs are generally not the panacea that they seem to be. Introducing the SPDIF connection seems to add a level of problems that one box units don't face.
So for example, whilst I enjoyed my modded 500 into Bel Canto DAC2 combo, it was something of a shock to hear how much better then Densen 400xs was, despite costing a similar amount s/h.

I went through bunch of different setups, I'm thinking of giving a try to
Musical Fidelity cd-Pre24. It seems like jack of all trades , preamp/dac/ cd player and you can get a good price on a used market

Starting with my first source:

Sony CD player that I got from my brother (1994)
Denon DCM-560 CD player (1998)
Pioneer Elite DVD player to Denon AVR-2802 receiver through optical output (2001)
Eastern Electric Minimax CD player (2006)
Minimax to CI Audio VDA-2 DAC through coaxial output (2006)
Minimax to Electrocompaniet ECD-1 DAC through coaxial output (2007)
Wadia 581i SE CD/SACD player (2008)

The $600 VDA-2 and $2000+ ECD-1 I felt were fairly comparable, but they emphasized different traits. The VDA-2 was cleaner and more precise while the ECD-1 had more musical energy on the frequency extremes. Now that I've gone to the Wadia, the VDA-2 has moved to my computer system, and the ECD-1 sits in a box while I ponder its fate. At some point, I'll probably have another DAC-off between the 581i SE, the VDA-2 and the ECD-1 so I can get a firm handle on which one I like the best and why.

I have a rotel rcd-971 that I enjoyed a lot. Had it upgraded by Reference Audio Mods. PCM63K DAC's, superclock 4, power supply upgrades, op amp upgrades,new rca outs. It sounds great. All for around $800 (the original new cost of the cdp). Great value. I am really suprised more people don't upgrade their existing cdp's.

Soundblaster 128
Soundblaster Live! 1024
Soundblaster Audigy 2ZS
Squeezebox 3

Quad CDP-2 or Cambridge 840c is the next step. Not for a while though.

My first-ever source (pre-Head-Fi) was a CD/radio boombox. The less said about this, the better.

Panasonic SL-CT579V (PCDP)
NAD T533 (DVDP)
Onkyo CS-V720 (DVDP)
Arcam DiVA CD73 ($750 SRP)
CEC CD3300 ($500 SRP)
Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V2 ($650 SRP)
Arcam FMJ CD33 ($2499 SRP)
2005 Audio Aero Prima ($2300 SRP)
Ayre CX-7e ($2995 SRP)
Accuphase DP-500 ($6900 SRP)

CDPs I regret buying are the Audio Aero Prima (should've known I couldn't tolerate tubes) and Ayre CX-7e (blech). The Prima sounded good but I just couldn't get into it. The Ayre leaves me mystified as to why it has a devoted following.

The Plinius CD-101 ($4750 SRP) which I currently own sounds better to me than the Accuphase did. A price downgrade, but it felt like a sonic upgrade to my ears.

My own digital source upgrade path has been done in very intentional price increments. As can be seen, I started playing with <$1K CDPs, then jumped to $2-$3K CDPs, and then to >$5K CDPs. Wouldn't have had it any other way.

I had an SCPH 1001 Playstation until it busted, but didn't know it's audiophile properties. I've also used an original Sony portable CDP... until it broke. Since then:

Onboard sound
Creative Audigy (Until it broke)
Creative X-Fi
DIYEDEN Great March

Someday I'll grab a decent standalone CDP again, but I haven't much considered which ones.

Sony first gen model CP???
Rotel 971
Pioneer Elite DV-47A (still used for DVD/SACD playback)
Arcam FMJ CD23
Arcam FMJ CD23 w/ AudioMod Level II upgrades
BAT VK-D5SE w/ SuperPak PS capacitor option

I love my BAT but that Plinius is sweet looking...wish I had a local dealer so I could hear one!

I am still mainly a vinyl-lover.My first digital player was 1995 a Marantz CD-52 MkII SE. I decidedtobuy a Marantz after quick comparison in a shop between a CD-72 and a Denon with Alpha-Converter.

The CD52 played anything (except MP3): computer-burned, scratched, copy-protected CDs.

Two years ago, I changed to a second hand CD-Recorder (after noone wants one because everyone uses a computer-CD-writer). It was a (8years old) Philips CDR-951 with DAC7. The magazine reviews didn´t lie, when it played it sounded superb, richer, warmer and not less detailed than the old bitstream Marantz CD52. But it didn´t accept (to play) some discs, mainly the new ones, probably copy-protected. The recording function made not less trouble. After all, I read in some forums, that these Philips types were not champions in reliability.

Therefore I sold the Philips again for ridicoulus few money and bought a Tascam CD-RW750 with 24/96 DAC, of the same age and second hand too.

The Tascam plays and records fine, sounds smooth, but doesn´t achieve the Philips´ shining.

 

 

Marantz CD-67SE

MSB Link III

MSB GOLD Link III Full Nelson

Theta DS Pro Basic

Theta DS Pro Basic II

Audio Research DAC 1-20

Mark Levinson No. 35

Electrocompaniet EMC 1 UP SE

Lector CDP-7T

MBL 1511D

Marantz DV9500

 

The MSB dacs were garbage IMO. The Thetas introduced me to audiophile quality sound. The Levinson was my first revelation in high end. The Lector made the Electrocompaniet sound mechanical. The MBL destroyed them all including my vinyl setup.

Ahhh, lets see:

 

Pico Dac-Amp, Musical fidelity V-Dac, an iMod, and DIYMod, a Cambridge Audio DacMagic (still have it in the bedroom rig) and a Peachtree Nova in the speaker / Headphone rig.

Predator

0404usb

Gamma 1 & 2

Parasound 1600 & 2000

Adcom GDA700

EAD DSP 7000mkIII

modded Valab

Marantz DV6500

I've kept, and listen to daily, the last 3 on the list.



The computer transport(USB to spdif converter) has made more of a difference than any dac for me, with the Musiland 02 & Halide Bridge being the best, and the only 2 I have owned that beat the Marantz with my current dacs and setup.