Can an older Sony or Pioneer CD changer sound better with a budget DAC?

can the CD player sound better?

A question!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9463hBWy0ig 
My answer is simply as your level of understanding makes possible: Yes!

Millercarbon
I can always count on a good answer from you.
I guess that the question should be something like” Would a newer 2019-20 DAC chipset and implementation at a budget cost outperform an older DAC chipset and implementation in an established product from Sony or Pioneer”. I think I am going to try it.. just to see if my hunch is correct.

I looked up the DAC...it costs $20!  Please go ahead and experiment because I would love to know the verdict.

Budget DACs have come a long in recent years and using one to "update" an older CD Player can be very cost-effective. Some use inexpensive Blue-Ray players as a CD transport with good resiults. I've done recent tests using an old Sony ES-series CD Player as a transport and a Schiit Modi 3 (Delta-Sigma) DAC with very good results. For whatever the reason, I was less successful with a BD/Modi 3 combo.

I've used The ES series of Sony for a long time... Look inside, some of the best you'll ever see. They the (ES series) are really really good.
The carousel ES, not to sure about....Their ES single loader a real sonic nugget,. I'm always on the lookout for the 777s or 9000s. 3-6,000 for something even close to the quality... All the ESs are of good quality.

Folks complain about CD this and CD that.... Try an old Sony, LOL just a wonderful product...and great remotes too...

Regards

I have ordered three of the Fiio D03k devices. These are the cheapest in cost, with the most favorable reviews. I will post some very “unscientific” results for the fun of it. Ahh the audio hobby is so addictive.....

I have a vintage Denon CD player that was a TOTL player in it's day. It doesn't keep up with my other CD players in terms of resolution. I pulled out a Benchmark DAC1 that I purchased used years ago ($550). I'm surprised to hear how much it improves the sound, especially through headphones. Obviously, the trick is to find a reliable, well-reviewed DAC (Benchmark, Wadia, Schitt) that you can buy at a reasonable price.