[ZoNtO]

You could also try modding your HD650s to bring out some clarity. I'd link you to a thread, but the mods here will remove it. Here's a link to LMGTFY (first hit).

 

[Koukol]

Got it!
You can remove it now if it's against the rules
Cheers!

 

[Koukol]

Cheers, Jodgey
 
I might actually have found someone to trade Sennies here.

 

[Koukol]

OK...
I just spent some time at the Audio gd site and have a few questions.
 
Since the 11 and 15 are DAC,Pre/Amps does this mean I should replace my Little Dot?
Is there any EQ adjustments with the preamp?
And finally...if I get a USB player like a $100.00 WDplayer or buy a cheap DVD player with a USB port...could the 11 or 15 not play HiRes audio files I got from HD-Tracks?

 

[jodgey4]

You could keep the MKIII and just use the DAC line outs on the back. There is no EQ unless you use software and optical or coaxial connections to your DAC, or hardware solutions of course.
 
I'm not familiar with those other options... but I don't think so.

 

[Koukol]

  You could keep the MKIII and just use the DAC line outs on the back. There is no EQ unless you use software and optical or coaxial connections to your DAC, or hardware solutions of course.
 

Jodgey, this post is confusing.
 
If I'm not going to need the Amp wouldn't I be better off getting the Schiit Modi for $200.00 instead of the $400.00 the Audio gd would cost?
(I live in Canada with a horrible exchange rate right now)
Also, the idea is to use the digital outputs to a DAC since I hate the chip in my Marantz.CD player
Doesn't the EQ software idea only apply to computers?
 
Maybe I should look into a better CD or DVD player instead?
One that has a better DAC and a USB port

 

[PurpleAngel]

  OK...
I just spent some time at the Audio gd site and have a few questions.
 
Since the 11 and 15 are DAC,Pre/Amps does this mean I should replace my Little Dot?
Is there any EQ adjustments with the preamp?
And finally...if I get a USB player like a $100.00 WDplayer or buy a cheap DVD player with a USB port...could the 11 or 15 not play HiRes audio files I got from HD-Tracks?

 
The NFB-11 or NFB-15 could replace the LD MK III.
But I think it would be better to just plug the LD MK III into the NFB's line-output, this way you could switch amplifiers, depending on your mood.
The NFB 11 or 15 should not have issues playing any audio files you might buy off HD-tracks.

 

[Koukol]

OK...
I found a similar thread asking whether a cheap player + a Bitfrost would sound better than the Marantz 6004
 
The thread kinda ended with this post.
 
 
"Let's make a few  things clear:
1) Economically is not feasable to get a CD player and a DAC; an asynchronous DAC is mostly useful for streaming over USB ports; if you have a decent CD player you would not need an external DAC, as CD is a medium simple to decode for its own internal CD player synchronous DAC,
2) if you want to run music out of a PC or online, you may need an external DAC such  as Schiit bifrost or so; its purpose is to clean the jitter out of the USB port signal, which is horrible and really hard to handle; 
3) if money is no object, well, yes, you can get a Blu-ray player and also an external DAC and you maybe get some 2% better sound than a regular CD player (like Onkyo c70-30 mantioneed),
4) for headphone listening, my personal experience is: get a good headphone, such as Grado, and stick it in the audio out of a Laptop and you will get the best sound possible that you get out of a $30k separates system (no joke); why is that possible? because inside the PC the decoding is very easy, as everything goes directly from digital to analog without jettering ports (such as USB active);
Conclusion:
External DAC is critical and necessary for USB active signal sent from a PC to an amplifier; usually amplifiers do not have such a great internal DAC and the best is to insert an external one in between.
For simple CD listening, the best solution is a decent CD player with no external DAC, into a decent amplifier (integrated, separates, or receiver) and make sure you get speakers that cost around all the rest of the gear minimum.
For Headphones listening, a CD player with headphone out, or a simple laptop with audio out is perfect, no need to speng zillions for just 1% improvement in sound."
 
???
If this is untrue...why hasn't anyone challenged it?
Instead...it got endorsed.
 
 
Then I read this at the Steve Hoffman Forum...
 
"Onkyo C-7030 Giant Killer with Wolfson DAC"
 
I don't know what to think now
 
 

 

[jodgey4]

Yes, software EQ would require a PC. Don't worry about optical vs. coax. vs. USB... they're usually all close enough. The Schiit Modi would certainly work for your purposes, it just may not be that different. The NFB-11 is a better DAC/pre, the headphone amp section is just a bonus at this point.

 

[Koukol]

  Yes, software EQ would require a PC. Don't worry about optical vs. coax. vs. USB... they're usually all close enough. The Schiit Modi would certainly work for your purposes, it just may not be that different. The NFB-11 is a better DAC/pre, the headphone amp section is just a bonus at this point.

OK...
I'm gonna do some inventory and see if I can sell something
Cheers, everyone!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I found a similar thread asking whether a cheap player + a Bitfrost would sound better than the Marantz 6004
The thread kinda ended with this post.
"Let's make a few  things clear:
1) Economically is not feasible to get a CD player and a DAC; an asynchronous DAC is mostly useful for streaming over USB ports; if you have a decent CD player you would not need an external DAC, as CD is a medium simple to decode for its own internal CD player synchronous DAC,
2) if you want to run music out of a PC or online, you may need an external DAC such  as Schiit Bifrost or so; its purpose is to clean the jitter out of the USB port signal, which is horrible and really hard to handle; 
3) if money is no object, well, yes, you can get a Blu-ray player and also an external DAC and you maybe get some 2% better sound than a regular CD player (like Onkyo c70-30 mantioneed),
4) for headphone listening, my personal experience is: get a good headphone, such as Grado, and stick it in the audio out of a Laptop and you will get the best sound possible that you get out of a $30k separates system (no joke); why is that possible? because inside the PC the decoding is very easy, as everything goes directly from digital to analog without jettering ports (such as USB active);
Conclusion:
External DAC is critical and necessary for USB active signal sent from a PC to an amplifier; usually amplifiers do not have such a great internal DAC and the best is to insert an external one in between.
For simple CD listening, the best solution is a decent CD player with no external DAC, into a decent amplifier (integrated, separates, or receiver) and make sure you get speakers that cost around all the rest of the gear minimum.
For Headphones listening, a CD player with headphone out, or a simple laptop with audio out is perfect, no need to speng zillions for just 1% improvement in sound."
If this is untrue...why hasn't anyone challenged it?
Instead...it got endorsed.
Then I read this at the Steve Hoffman Forum...
"Onkyo C-7030 Giant Killer with Wolfson DAC"
I don't know what to think now

 
I'm far (maybe way far) from an expert when it comes to audio, but plugging headphones directly into any laptop (maybe cheaper priced laptops) does not seem like the best way to get good sound.
For good audio quality, using an external DAC a with Asynchronous USB connection makes sense, but a CD/DVD/Blu-ray player would have to come with a USB port in the first place and have drivers that work with the external USB DAC.
Chances are a USB port that might come built into an external CD/DVD/Blu-ray player is more likely to be there to feed audio files into the player, not for exporting the digital audio.
As your current Marantz CD5003 does not have USB ports and I doubt your going to buy a external standalone CD/DVD/Blu-ray player with a USB port (that exports digital audio), can't see wasting time deliberating the benefits of USB anyway.
I really doubt your going to find a standalone CD/DVD/Blu-ray player that can get digital audio off an Audio-CD disk, better then your current CD5003, without spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars (guessing).
Now the CS4392 DAC that comes in your CD5003 is at least an 11 year old design, many even 14 year old design?
An $80 sound card will comes with a CS4398 DAC chip, which is better then the CS4392 inside your CS5003.
So chances are (I'm assuming) some improvements have been made in the design of DAC chips and design of external DACs, from when the CD5003 was designed (2008?)
So really I thinking we should be talking about an external DAC with optical or coaxial input, for plugging into your CD5003.

 

[Koukol]

It's the part about going another route from a cheap players headphone jack will only improve things by 1%
???
 
 
"For Headphones listening, a CD player with headphone out, or a simple laptop with audio out is perfect, no need to speng zillions for just 1% improvement in sound."

 

[jodgey4]

That person is just wrong. Most CD player headphone outputs are just there so they can put on the box "includes headphones jack". It's probably underpowered, and with a high output impedance, and better DACs and amps usually help. Yes, differences are smaller in these source gears, but still present.

 

[Shaffer]

If this is untrue...why hasn't anyone challenged it?
Instead...it got endorsed.

It's been challenged and explained over and over at various times. Nothing changes, no one cares, and the mods become unhappy.

 

[Koukol]

  That person is just wrong. Most CD player headphone outputs are just there so they can put on the box "includes headphones jack". It's probably underpowered, and with a high output impedance, and better DACs and amps usually help. Yes, differences are smaller in these source gears, but still present.

Absolutely...avoiding the two dollar output has far more than a 1% gain in sound quality