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.
Can an older Sony or Pioneer CD changer sound better with a budget DAC?
So just wondering?? If I took an older Pioneer or Sony CD changer, like the carousel type (circa1996) and connected via optical SPDF cable to a budget DAC, say the Fiio D03k... can the CD player sound better? Has anyone tried this?
I have an older Sony ES CD player that I have connected to a highly regarded Benchmark DAC with great results. Not sure how far the budget DAC class has come??
I have an older Sony ES CD player that I have connected to a highly regarded Benchmark DAC with great results. Not sure how far the budget DAC class has come??
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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 |
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. |
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. |
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! |