Source up(side)grade???

[Morph201]

I'm, once again, thinking about altering my source. Is it worth it to invest, $400-450 on a GOOD QUALITY used (Music Hall, Marantz, etc...) dedicated CDP, compared to my current setup of PC (lossless)\MicroDAC? Or will the differences be so slight, in that given CDP price range, that it's not worth it?

thanks!

 

[santacore]

Assuming you have a good sound card it seems like a side step. Instead I would upgrade the DAC or the digital cable. If you're using a cheap stock sound card then I would say a good CDP might be a good option. Having said that, I think sticking with the computer setup is probably the better move if you are playing full resolution files. I would just max out that setup for the best quality.

 

[Morph201]

Ah! Currently, I'm using the USB port with bit perfect (?) from Foobar to the MicroDAC... also, my files consist of uncompressed WAV and FLAC.

 

[lowmagnet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah! Currently, I'm using the USB port with bit perfect (?) from Foobar to the MicroDAC... also, my files consist of uncompressed WAV and FLAC.

Unless you DSP/EQ on your computer to change the sound (free), then there's nothing to improve there. There is no longer anything you can do with a CDP that you can't do with a computer.