$5k DAC....Will A $500 cd Transport Get It Done?

Unfortunately you need a top of the line transport - it makes a big difference with a good DAC.

I personally would get a dirt cheap DVD player and Steves syncromesh at an all up cost of basically the syncromesh at $599.00 because these days DVD players are so cheap. You can add the better cables and power supply Steve mentions later.

Thanks
Bill

Sorry, but it is true. I have done and tried it all. Just look at my feedback and see! Ha! My computer based front end trumps every single high dollar, well reviewed, CD player and transport I have ever owned. Ya, I have owned many, many good ones...

Cary 306
CEC belt drive transports
Marantz sa7
Top Esoteric players
Highly modified top end transports

And on and on.....my actual experience proved it out beyond any doubt for me. Really not close, but you must be prepared to do it right and the devil is in the details!

Computer way is very convenient but just OK sound wise. Guys, please don't say that "burning your cd's to a computer out putting via a high quality usb cable to your dac and you will get far superior sound". Unfortunately, that is just a wishful thought, not reality. I compare it zillion times and it is not so. Some micro musical nuances are lost right there when you convert your CD in to WAV files( not to mention anything less) to yur SSD( not to mention HHD). I'm not a dealer for some CD Player or any electronic devices whatsoever, just a hobbits and currently shopping for new CD transport to replace my Teac VRDS-10, which unfortunately stopped open the CD tray. I used it as a transport to Remyo777 dac and prefer over any computer files to the same dac. If you had the original digital master file, then of course it should play better than CD to which it copied, but not vice versa.
P.S. Steve (Audioengr), i didn't try your re-clocker, but i did buy your up sampler Anarchy (if i remember correctly) in 2005, and that was pure waste of money.

I think that you have a very good dac and cheaping out on the transport is not going to let you hear what you paid for. If you are not skittish about buying from China, here is a very nice Lite transport. My friend bought one from Pacific Valve and it works beautifully. Unfortunately, PV went under. Check it out;
http://www.diygene.com/store/index.php?route=product/search&keyword=transport&category_id=50

I put a $99 bluray into a Berkeley Dac and is sounded pretty poor. Changed to a Rotel DVD Player (a $1,200 DVDA model from a few years ago) and the sound quality improved dramatically.

Upgraded that to an Esoteric X03SE and the sound became amazing.

You get out of things what you put into them...

.
This thread was created with redbook cd's in mind. I don't own any SACD discs. I have no interest in SACD.
.

Is there a way to burn SACD's to the computer?

? What?

The correct answer is 0 you should be burning your cd's to a computer out puting via a high quality usb cable to your dac and you will get far superior sound with the ease of use that modern digital file management offers.

Sweeping statements don't address the variables which are often prevalent in most situations. Going from disc play to computer audio OK if all you own are Redbook CD's. With large collection of SACD's things get more complicated. Spend more money on another iffy eBay PS3 to rip SACD files? No thanks.

Steve (Audioengr) knows his stuff so listen. I will say today's cheapo Blue
Ray players sound darn good if you have not tried it!

I don't use a transport anymore either, however if you don't want to go the computer route, then you have two options:

1) spend at least $2K on a really good transport. This is actually more important than the DAC

or:

2) use the transport you have or any other inexpensive transport and add a $599 Synchro-Mesh reclocker to reduce jitter. When using this reclocker, the transport and cable does not matter. It gives you a new low-jitter master clock. IF you add the BNC-BNC cable with RCA adapters and the Dynamo power supply, then you have a truly world-class digital source. Still cheaper than a good transport: $1548 for all three items.

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/synchro-mesh

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/news-and-reviews/synchro-mesh

Lots of people use the Synchro-Mesh with transports, Apple TV, Sonos, Squeezebox, Wadia itransport and other sources.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Yes computer will sound best if done right and I also understand why you might want a CD spinner to use at times. I have both.

Just get a $100 DVD/Blue Ray player from Sony. It will sound fantasitc and be as good as something you pay $1200 for used as a transport. No kidding.

The correct answer is 0 you should be burning your cd's to a computer out puting via a high quality usb cable to your dac and you will get far superior sound with the ease of use that modern digital file management offers.

Call me if you want advice on how to do this 877 428 2873 we do it all the time it is so much better. I don't use CD's anymore at all.