2nd hand DAC for DVD/CD Player

Thank you for the advise guys!!!

If you talk to some of the people that make DACs..the reason the don't recommend DVD players is jitter. It is true that any DVD player will sound improved with an outboard DAC..so will any cheap cd player! Try any DAC with a great DVD player...and a great CD transport, and you will hear why high-end audio companies make cd transports...and use them at shows...Why would high-end speaker companies/wire companies and others at the high-end audio shows be using CD transports or players and not DVD players to show off the best of their product? I don't want to use the man's name.. ..because he will get too much e-mail(he owns a company that makes upsampling DACs and other products)..that he doesn't need.....but as he put it in a talk with me..."if you want to listen to music, rather than watch movies...use a cd transport for the 16/44 format (with their upsampling DAC) it will give you better sound. The trouble with DVD players is jitter..I suppose a modified Sony 7700 would be the best compromise if you had to do both in one unit".

I own a Bel Canto DAC1 and, although I've yet to try one, they recommend DVD players with Toslink outputs (specifically the Pioneer DVD players) for best soud with their product. To the best of my recollection, EVS and MSB also recommend DVD players. Read more on Bel Canto's site: http://www.belcantodesign.com/dirpurchase.html

I believe all audio manufacturers are in a strugle to survive (with the notable exception of Magnepan) and to do so have had to appear to be into home theater...so enters the growing possibility of customers with DVD players...and no CD player... I have had DACs from Bel Canto, MSB and Classe. I have used/tried the first two with both DVD players (Pioneer and Sony) and all three with CD players or transports from Wadia, Sony, Classe and Pioneer (stable platter type) and on 16/44 standard CD's the sound is poorer using a DVD as a transport. The Bel Canto also sounds better using the coax in if you are using a Cd player to feed it. The Toslink is the only way to go with a DVD...because the poor sound out of a DVD player is made more noticable with a coax cable. Plus part of this marketing is the 50 dollar Toslink cables compared to 200 to 400 dollars for a high-end coax cable. It is easier to sell 1200 dollar DACs if your customer feels they will get great sound with a 250 dollar DVD player and a 50 dollar cable.....than if you tell them to buy a great CD transport and high-end coax cable..that will total more than the DAC. The Toslink/DVD player thing is about sales.. and the home theater inroads into the former audio market.

whatjd, I'm really glad to hear your opinion on this because I was just about to try a DVD player to feed my DAC. I probably will do a side by side comparison with my CD player (operating as a transport) but I've been reluctant to plunk down the $ for such a cheap looking, insubstancial piece of gear. I'm hoping that someone may eventually come out with a dedicated CD/DVD/DVD-A transport that will meet audiophile standards, but I haven't seen any yet.