[Vicious Tyrant]

I did a quick search and couldn't find what I was looking for, sorry if this is a repeat.

I'm interested in Headroom's MicroStack (DAC and amp), so I'd like to get a PCDP with an optical line out. Any suggestions as to the cheapest way I can go? My understanding is that the DAC actually becomes the source in this case, and the CDP merely provides the 1s and 0s, so its quality [eta - its ~audio~ quality] is irrelevant - is that correct?

 

[Lsportline43]

The iRiver iMP-550 has optical out and it was selling for $60 when iRiver had their close out sale. I don't know how much they are going now, but you can check out ebay.

Also the iRiver H120 and H140 DAPs have optical out as well. They run for about $150-$200+.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicious Tyrant My understanding is that the DAC actually becomes the source in this case, and the CDP merely provides the 1s and 0s, so its quality [eta - its ~audio~ quality] is irrelevant - is that correct?

I thought this would be the case, but it isn't. These portable players produce "jitter" which causes the audio to degrade somehow. I don't know the specifics, but the answer to your question is that these portable players with optical out still are lacking in ways.