[elmoe]

The answer to that is a big, resounding yes! if you want to hear the utmost sound quality, then only a CD player plus amp combination will achieve this.
A PC/Tablet/Smartphone plus a standalone/portable amp (as long as it's a good amp) will be good but it will get you no where near the level of sound quality possible that a CD Player plus amp can achieve. With the money you have available to spend, you could build a phenomenal CD Player + amp + headphone system.

Care to expand on the science behind that? A CD player is not any better than a PC/Tablet connected to an external DAC, CD players just have the DAC built in. If you rip a CD to lossless formats, you are getting the exact same digital data.

heidimilk: The RME ADI2 DAC is a great DAC/headphone amp loaded with features that make it a very fun unit to fiddle with and get great sound quality. I like headphones that tend to be regarded as "bright", so I also use a tube amp to smooth things out, but the RME's headphone out is top class and I don't doubt pairs up well with an LCD-2.

 

[chimney189]

I honestly don't think that you can just lay down on your bed with the LCD-2C. It is way too heavy for that type of listening. I would suggest a used Ether 2 (search the forums every now and then) + 3.5mm adapter + DragonFly Red amp/dac.

 

[SonyFan121]

Care to expand on the science behind that? A CD player is not any better than a PC/Tablet connected to an external DAC, CD players just have the DAC built in. If you rip a CD to lossless formats, you are getting the exact same digital data.

Then tell me - do PC's/Tablets have world class lasers to read compact discs? do they have world class/innovative DAC technology? Do they have HDAM technology on the audio circuitry, such as the kind found in my Marantz HD-CD1? the answer to that is no, they don't. A CD player and amp combination will always have superior sound quality to a PC/Tablet/Smartphone plus amp combination. Do your research and you will come to know this.

 

[elmoe]

Then tell me - do PC's/Tablets have world class lasers to read compact discs? do they have world class/innovative DAC technology? Do they have HDAM technology on the audio circuitry, such as the kind found in my Marantz HD-CD1? the answer to that is no, they don't. A CD player and amp combination will always have superior sound quality to a PC/Tablet/Smartphone plus amp combination. Do your research and you will come to know this.

Before the signal is converted to analog, the circuitry makes no difference since you are sending 0s and 1s - data. So long as the data makes it to the DAC, whether you have a "world class" laser makes no difference. Does an external DAC have world class/innovative DAC technology? Yes. HDAM is basically an amplifier module, and most external DACs such as the RME discussed here have a headphone amplifier built-in that is of much higher quality than Marantz standards.

 

[SonyFan121]

Before the signal is converted to analog, the circuitry makes no difference since you are sending 0s and 1s - data. So long as the data makes it to the DAC, whether you have a "world class" laser makes no difference. Does an external DAC have world class/innovative DAC technology? Yes. HDAM is basically an amplifier module, and most external DACs such as the RME discussed here have a headphone amplifier built-in that is of much higher quality than Marantz standards.

The sound quality that comes from the headphone output of my marantz HD-CD1 is far superior to any external DAC/Amp I have ever heard. I seriously doubt any PC/Tablet would be able to feed any external DAC/amp with the level of resolution, clarity, imaging as it can. You have got to take in to consideration the level of quality of the components inside a decent CD player, it makes all the difference! trust me.

 

[joe]

Guys, I just nuked a lot of argumentative posts, and I'm still reviewing the thread.

Let's quit with the attacks before I have to lock people out of threads or give some extended time outs. Let's be civil to each other, guys.