Are stand-alone DACs really that much better than dedicated CD players?

At the pricepoints you are comparing your question has more to do with the relative quality of the DAC VS the CD player than whether one of the 2 is inherently superior. 

Nobody likes to admit that sony can build a better product than an "audiophile approved" company... [snarky] Its amazing what a multi bilion dollar company with a skilled design staff can accomplish when they put the effort in to build something better [/snarky]

Edited/added:

When you get into realllly nice gear the separate DAC&transport generally take the cake.

some other generic reasons for separates: increased flexibility (one DAC can handle several inputs, e.g. from a CD transport, a computer, etc); easier to upgrade/swap just one part of the system; reduction of noise (by separating transports physically from the DAC).

I have A/B ed between my Samsung netbook/MF V-Dac £ 350 for both and my Naim CD5 with Naim Hicap power supply,costing £2,200 for both.It is very hard to tell the difference between them.All i could say is that the V-Dac is just a bit warmer and not quite so clinical,and then only through my speakers.They sound much the same with the headphones.I can see the day when the CDP will only be good as a doorstop.
 

Separates usually allow the designer, given a relatively large budget to work with and some free reign of topology/technology choices (latest tech isn't always the best in absolute terms when it comes to digital), options that all in one solutions can't possibly accomplish in all but the most costly of universal players (even then space limitations do force compromise separates don't have to deal with). Sometimes these advantages yield better results and sometimes they don't, it depends on any number of key factors, price being only one of several considerations.

That dependency hinges upon which manufacturer you choose. Esoteric, Linn, Classe , Ayre and few others all make very very good Universal players but some of those same manufacturers have separate unit line ups that eclipse their one box solutions by a fairly good margin. The cost can be prohibitive to all but the deepest pocket of audiophile regardless of which solution you opt for. Lower end separates do tend to be a better value for money but the choices you have to make in order to best a competently designed single box solution must be made even more carefully in these price brackets. There are gems to had at every level, the hard part is knowing what they are. SONY's latest ES series SACD/CDS player is one of those rare instances where a large company get's it right (IMO). That doesn't happen all that often, what's even more curious is the fact that SONY dropped official support for SACD a couple of years back....I guess loyal SONY customers must have berated the companies management long enough for the SONY engineers to reward their customers with a top shelf affordable SACD/CDP....is it better than a 3.5K separates setup ?...maybe..maybe not. I've never been enamored by SONY's house sound anyway so for me it's a moot point. Hopefully SACD is making a quiert comeback ???? Could be the result of the Blu-ray medium taking hold and stressing an equal emphasis on picture and sound quality. IMO anyway.

Peete.

Hmm I might hijak this thread and have a point clarified for me.

I use my MacBook Pro as a source connected to my vintage Luxman amplified via a RCA to 3.5mm cable. I'm considering buying a standaone CD player (probably second hand) but finding a good one for a cheap price here in Australia is really really hard especially as I live in the country and not a city. Anyhow. Here's the question.

Would I be better off playing 100% flawless FLAC rips from my MacBook Pro connected to a DAC (I'm thinking a DACPort/ONE/ Duet or something of that price range possibly a headphone amp/DAC I don't know) or a $250~ second hand CD player? Keep in mind it's really difficult for me to find a "good" cd player so I'll probably end up with a random shit one :/.

Hero Kid: Duratone in Canberra always has old, but decent CD players floating around their shop.  They are great with audio advice, but unfortunately inefficient at running their shop in the current economic climate for hi-fi gear (where things are moving online and portable especially), so they've always had a lot of old gear floating around.  With any luck they might have something interesting. If I was back in Australia, I'd just say, you could make me an offer for my old, but not heavily used Luxman that's sitting doing nothing.  

Back on topic though: When the USB to coax interface that I was using for my Reference 1 died, I was so annoyed at having to use my old Northstar instead that I went out and bought just about the first non-junk (as the s/h stores call it) CD player I could find.  What I scored was an Onkyo SACD player for more than I had intended (by a considerable margin).  Surprisingly though, even with CD's, the PCM1792/LM4960 combo in it sounds a lot better than its cost and brand suggested (I'm not a fan of Onkyo).  I was surprised to say the least. 

The DAC Magic has balanced output, so it should be able to scale up better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong 

Back on topic though: When the USB to coax interface that I was using for my Reference 1 died, I was so annoyed at having to use my old Northstar instead that I went out and bought just about the first non-junk (as the s/h stores call it) CD player I could find.  What I scored was an Onkyo SACD player for more than I had intended (by a considerable margin).  Surprisingly though, even with CD's, the PCM1792/LM4960 combo in it sounds a lot better than its cost and brand suggested (I'm not a fan of Onkyo).  I was surprised to say the least. 

Onkyo, any experience with the Philips CD-series? I am considering the CD800-series and higher up. The Beresford DACs have my interest as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong 

Hero Kid: Duratone in Canberra always has old, but decent CD players floating around their shop.  They are great with audio advice, but unfortunately inefficient at running their shop in the current economic climate for hi-fi gear (where things are moving online and portable especially), so they've always had a lot of old gear floating around.  With any luck they might have something interesting. If I was back in Australia, I'd just say, you could make me an offer for my old, but not heavily used Luxman that's sitting doing nothing.  

 

Back on topic though: When the USB to coax interface that I was using for my Reference 1 died, I was so annoyed at having to use my old Northstar instead that I went out and bought just about the first non-junk (as the s/h stores call it) CD player I could find.  What I scored was an Onkyo SACD player for more than I had intended (by a considerable margin).  Surprisingly though, even with CD's, the PCM1792/LM4960 combo in it sounds a lot better than its cost and brand suggested (I'm not a fan of Onkyo).  I was surprised to say the least. 

Since you obviously don't need it any more, you could sell me your Ref 1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod 

At the pricepoints you are comparing your question has more to do with the relative quality of the DAC VS the CD player than whether one of the 2 is inherently superior. 

 

Nobody likes to admit that sony can build a better product than an "audiophile approved" company... [snarky] Its amazing what a multi bilion dollar company with a skilled design staff can accomplish when they put the effort in to build something better [/snarky]

 

Edited/added:

When you get into realllly nice gear the separate DAC&transport generally take the cake.

100% agree. It really depends on the quality of the dac or cd player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JecklinStax 

 

Since you obviously don't need it any more, you could sell me your Ref 1.

I'm using the Ref 1 now (with a different digital interface, the Ref 3) and sold the Northstar over a year ago.  The Onkyo was being used as a transport briefly, but I have compared how it sounds to my other gear, which was interesting to say the least.