| Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif i was doing the whole computer thing for a good while - a year or so - as my main rig and where i spent almost all my time doing my listening sessions, but recently i have gone back to my stand alone cd player and, i have to say, things just sound better. i don't know why, but the music never sounds quite as good from the cpu. |
| Originally Posted by hciman77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here is an extreme position, not one I necessarily wholly agree with but call it a stsrting point. Physics is physics , engineering is engineering and specs are specs, a good design will perform to certain tolerances, the principles of extracting data from a CD are pretty mature now, even cheap transports can do it with error rates that are inconsequential. That part A costs 10x part B doesnt matter if they both perform to the same parameters. Jitter is at best a highly controversial topic. If we take competent design as a given and error and jitter are disregarded what is left to worry about. 1) The post Digitization analog steps 2) A design deliberately altering the archetypal flat FR Now given that even a $2.00 opamp can give a pretty flat response up to 20K, what else is left top worry about. |
| Originally Posted by lan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Older and used gear is economical way to get good performance. 
I don't generally recommend transport + DAC combo if you are detail oriented. |
| Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif A used Sony S7700 can be had for around 100 in ebay.. They are great transports.. Mine synergizes very well with my SA5000.. They sold for 1,400 in 99..Top notch build quality. |
| Originally Posted by stryker /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Oppo brand of DVD players are said to be great as a transport, including the guy who designs great DACs and other gear (Dusty at Channel Islands Audio). The idea is that the transport/dac combo allows one to upgrade just the DAC part as one can afford better gear. With a standalone player, you get what you get unless you want to spend the extra money to modify. Jitter arises as a prime issue with a trasnport/dac vs. a standalone player which has less inherent jitter as the signal path is shorter and more direct. The reason that a player is a lot more is that you are paying for all the engineering that goes inot the thing from the transport mechanism, power wupply layout, clock, dac, analog section, the case, the buttons, and controls, etc. However, it's also a fixed item that has lijmited upgrade potential ans you know we all want to upgrade--sooner rather than later. Splitting it up might actually yield more for your money if you catch the "upgraditis" bug. OTOH, a transport, as a "platform", can then be the basis upon which one can continuously upgrade the source over time without completely getting new equipment. The main reason is that as technology improves semiconductor chips, the price/performance of a DAC gets better and better. You can keep your same old transport and get a totally different (hopefully better) sound with a new dac. Right now, many people use their computer and swear by it as a superior transport vs. a DVD or cd player due to the negligible jitter from the USB signal. Given the amount of music that can be stored on mulit-gig hard drives, it makes for a strong case to just start with a computer if you don't already have a transport. I'm about to start that given the the ability to manage all my music by genre, group, album, all through iTunes. When I'm on a rampage, I can just point and click rather than have dozens of cds and jewel cases strewn about the room after a night of smoking, drinking, and rocking. When you throw in the ability to upsample, EQ, and in general fiddle with your audio stream through software, the convenience and features of a computer-as-source blows away the old cd or DVD player platform. Too bad I'm too stubborn to really change over to it, but I'm as close as I've ever been. |
| Originally Posted by DJShadow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the replies everyone, good to see a thread of mine that doesn't die immediately
This explained a lot to me, cheers Hmmm would I therefore have to go the standalone CDP route to fully realise the potential of the SA5000? Amazing how much that has depreciated. Found one on eBay for £115: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sony-DVP-S7700...QQcmdZViewItem . Looks like a tank though
Really great post stryker. It would be more economical for me to use my notebook as a source, but I have long decided that my home listening will be through a standalone CDP. I just can't wholly appreciate music when I'm doing other things. |
| Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif i was doing the whole computer thing for a good while - a year or so - as my main rig and where i spent almost all my time doing my listening sessions, but recently i have gone back to my stand alone cd player and, i have to say, things just sound better. i don't know why, but the music never sounds quite as good from the cpu. |
| Originally Posted by stryker /img/forum/go_quote.gif You've all read this article, right? http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/nugent.htm Of course, it is a bit of a bother to truly optimize a computer setup: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/e...l/offramp.html OTOH, there are other digital items that I really would love to use with my speaker setup: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazin...acurve2496.htm |
| Originally Posted by ċãţ /img/forum/go_quote.gif with the benchmark dac1 and the lavry DA10, been wanting to buy one for ages, been putting it off, but now i can afford it. is the DA10 better sound than the DAC1? or are the opinions still split. gah. |
| Originally Posted by DJShadow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright thanks guys, I'll go for a CDP. I may purchase a DAC anyway at a later date. Anyone know anything about this CDP? http://www.richersounds.com/showprod...id=DENO-DCD700 Any other suggestions would be appreciated too
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