[muchtreble]

i am considering using my cheap blu-ray player (sony bdp-3700) to play cd’s as a reference, using the digital coax out -> audio gd r2r 11 -> beyerdynamic dt1990 pro’s. as far as analytically listening to cd’s, will such a setup provide me a level of quality that will allow me to use it as a reference?

i am trying to maintain a realistic outlook in that i will be playing 16bit/44.1khz cd’s into a dac/amp and headphones that are not considered totl, and that my ears cannot discern 192khz from 44.1. i figure that most of the noise variation would be due to issues with digital processing and jitter.

also, prior to receiving recommendations to rip to flac- i might do that in the future, but in the interim, i’d prefer to get into my cd collection with existing resources

additionally, i am thinking of a/b-ing this setup with my speakers (powered mackie hr824’s) using the r2r11’s dac output in the variable setting. if i have both headphones and the speakers plugged in, the speakers turned on, and the r2r11 vol knob turned all the way down, can i switch from hp to dac var with the r2r 11 still on?

thanks in advance

 

[PurpleAngel]

As your playing your music from Audio-CDs and sending the digital signal to an external DAC/amp.
It should not make any difference if you use a CD-player or a DVD player or a Bu-ray player.

You should be able to switch the R2R 11 from between headphone and line-out (DAC only) while leaving the R2R-11 turned on and headphones plugged in.

 

[muchtreble]

good deal, thanks for your help!

 

[bildar]

yep I use a cheap samsung dvd player hooked to my dac. works great!

 

[muchtreble]

glad to hear it- trying to keep from purchasing all hifi all the time if there is an objectively good reason

 

[megabigeye]

I've been using a Sony BDP-S370 into different DACs for the past five years or so. It works and sounds great! The only drawback is that it can be kind of loud. Be sure to set the player to fast boot-up, otherwise it can take an annoyingly long time to load.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

i am considering using my cheap blu-ray player (sony bdp-3700) to play cd’s as a reference, using the digital coax out -> audio gd r2r 11 -> beyerdynamic dt1990 pro’s. as far as analytically listening to cd’s, will such a setup provide me a level of quality that will allow me to use it as a reference?

i am trying to maintain a realistic outlook in that i will be playing 16bit/44.1khz cd’s into a dac/amp and headphones that are not considered totl, and that my ears cannot discern 192khz from 44.1. i figure that most of the noise variation would be due to issues with digital processing and jitter.

also, prior to receiving recommendations to rip to flac- i might do that in the future, but in the interim, i’d prefer to get into my cd collection with existing resources

additionally, i am thinking of a/b-ing this setup with my speakers (powered mackie hr824’s) using the r2r11’s dac output in the variable setting. if i have both headphones and the speakers plugged in, the speakers turned on, and the r2r11 vol knob turned all the way down, can i switch from hp to dac var with the r2r 11 still on?

As long as you're using a headphone a cheap BRD player with a DAC won't have a problem. The only real weakness in those as a transport is the chassis but unless you're running something like a Stradivari Homage (in which case you're more likely to have a Wadia CD transport) it's nothing that vibra cones can't help with. Or even just stacking the amp over the disc player (although the depth of the R2R-11 might be a problem).

 

[muchtreble]

I've been using a Sony BDP-S370 into different DACs for the past five years or so. It works and sounds great! The only drawback is that it can be kind of loud. Be sure to set the player to fast boot-up, otherwise it can take an annoyingly long time to load.

will be sure to keep the loudness in mind- and thanks for pointing out the super quick start mode, didn't know that was an option

As long as you're using a headphone a cheap BRD player with a DAC won't have a problem. The only real weakness in those as a transport is the chassis but unless you're running something like a Stradivari Homage (in which case you're more likely to have a Wadia CD transport) it's nothing that vibra cones can't help with. Or even just stacking the amp over the disc player (although the depth of the R2R-11 might be a problem).

i was thinking of throwing the hr824s on auralex or a similar type foam to prevent the bass from overwhelmingly conducting to the ground. would that be good enough? regardless, might still purchase the cones as they seem like a good investment. as you said about stacking the r2r11, it has to much depth, and it also tends to get a bit hot over ~45m

thanks

 

[ProtegeManiac]

i was thinking of throwing the hr824s on auralex or a similar type foam to prevent the bass from overwhelmingly conducting to the ground. would that be good enough? regardless, might still purchase the cones as they seem like a good investment. as you said about stacking the r2r11, it has to much depth, and it also tends to get a bit hot over ~45m

I'd use the Auralex and such more for dealing with room modes; and I'd get them before the cones. Vibration dampening on any source with moving parts (and doesn't use RAM like computers would, but then in most such cases the compuer's cooling system is a bigger problem anyway than any reasonably new HDD) will get you that last 5% to 10% of what your system can really do, ie, just tighten up the lows.

 

[PopZeus]

This is similar to my living room set-up. A network capable blu-ray player, coax out to the R2R-11, which feeds my HT receiver. Thankfully, my receiver has a pure direct mode, which feeds the analog signal directly to the amp stage, with no processing (other than a analog LFE crossover to the sub). The lack of gapless play, and a popping sound that occurs when switching the sample rate, are the only flaws in that set-up. Otherwise, it sounds incredible.

 

[pbui44]

Your Sony BDP-S3700 can also play SACD and your Audio GD R2R 11 can also play DSD files, which will allow for SACDs to play in DSD for your DT1990 Pro as a connected setup. More info on your stuff here:

https://docs.sony.com/release//specs/BDPS3700_mksp.pdf

http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm

 

[muchtreble]

I'd use the Auralex and such more for dealing with room modes; and I'd get them before the cones. Vibration dampening on any source with moving parts (and doesn't use RAM like computers would, but then in most such cases the compuer's cooling system is a bigger problem anyway than any reasonably new HDD) will get you that last 5% to 10% of what your system can really do, ie, just tighten up the lows.

gotcha- will look into both. def appreciate your explanations.

This is similar to my living room set-up. A network capable blu-ray player, coax out to the R2R-11, which feeds my HT receiver. Thankfully, my receiver has a pure direct mode, which feeds the analog signal directly to the amp stage, with no processing (other than a analog LFE crossover to the sub). The lack of gapless play, and a popping sound that occurs when switching the sample rate, are the only flaws in that set-up. Otherwise, it sounds incredible.

i'm glad to hear this. having only recently begun to listen critically, i'm aware of conflicts regarding not knowing what i am not hearing on mediocre gear versus needlessly buying into expensive, ridiculously high-yet-inaudible fidelity rigs. while i can dig music on most any setup, getting into making music has spurred me to put together a more revealing system that will challenge me to pay closer attention to details that i've not previously noticed.

tldr: your validation is well received

Your Sony BDP-S3700 can also play SACD and your Audio GD R2R 11 can also play DSD files, which will allow for SACDs to play in DSD for your DT1990 Pro as a connected setup. More info on your stuff here:

https://docs.sony.com/release//specs/BDPS3700_mksp.pdf

http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm

thanks for the heads up, haven't looked into sacd's yet but this might make it happen. i went through the r2r11 specs, and it looks like it only accepts dsd input through usb. i can't find any coax/hdmi-to-usb converters that aren't essentially computers- is there a solution to this? i don't mind not having an sacd capable setup for the time being

 

[pbui44]

Well, DSD downloads are more readily available for more genres than SACDs, anyways. You can just do DSD now, until you upgrade your DAC or get a rare Sony 4500ES and balanced amp.

 

[muchtreble]

word, thanks for your help haha