CDP or DAC?


I want to get back to playing and enjoying my 500+ cd's!  Been listening 95% of the time to a nice high end turntable $15k+ setup but would also like to have the option of listening to my cd collection to where it sounds at least competitive with my vinyl enjoyment.

I have no interest in streaming just playing cd's.   Does it make more sense to go with a cdp or transport and separate dac?

Budget $5 - $15k.  Thoughts
bobheinatz
I’d go with “georgehifi” and “melm” - rip your cd’s to FLAC files on a solid state drive (not hard drive) and play via a good streamer to an R2R dac like Holo Audio, Denafrips, AGD, Yggdrasil, or the bargain MHDT. 
I use the Bryston BDP-2 to the Yggy - and never look back! Can’t beat the sound or the convenience.
I listen to cheaper vinyl rig rega RP8 with apheta MC... But now get same enjoyment from cd listening to pro-ject rs2 cd box transport £2k with chord qutest DAC (which I had already for streamer) ... Although the pro-ject DAC allows IS2 hdmi Connection.
Other makes I looked at but. V expensive in UK were Cec

I like the pro-ject as top loading but sound is amazing 
I listened to the balanced audio technology dac and was dumbfounded. I'd try to get to that if you can and find a good used transport. 

Disclosure: I own a bat vkd5 and love the sound. Have a Marantz sa1152 used as transport and use a Sony pcr500 dat as dac (best dac below 10k i ever heard).




stuartk
490 posts
07-17-2021 10:54pm
"Unless you just like futzing with physical media there is no fundamental benefit."

Well, I guess I'm old-fashioned and clearly, the "futzing" and the "benefit"
 are in the mind of the beholder!

I like books-- forget the kindle-- and I like CDs. There's something very reassuring about being able to grab a title from a wall of cds, actually hold it in my hand, read liner notes for the umpteenth time, etc.Maybe there's ritualized aspect I find comforting but I liked analog gauges on my dashboard, way back when and I can't see that in terms of ritual.
I'd rather wash a carrot and cut it up with a knife than buy a bag of pre-washed, pre-sized, pre-peeled, ready-to-eat "karits".
 
The last thing I want is for my audio system to feel like one more damned computer interface. . .as if they're aren't enough of those that I have to contend with, already.  

Won't be long before we're all born with a keyboard implanted in one arm and a screen in the other. . . gonna have to memorize passwords for all the basic bodily functions...

I'm in no hurry to go there !

To paraphrase the Kinks: "I'm a twenty-first century man but I don't wanna be here"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graet spot on post.

Even if I had access to free streaming, , I have no interest. 
I'm old school.
My classical cd collection, about 400+ is now complete, have 50+ LP's just picked up a  used Philips turn table as added some rare LP.s
But I'm  a  tube cdp guy
I have a  Cayin cd17 mark1, a  Shanling 3000 (use as Transport) and a  jadis JS2 Mark2 DAC.
I like the fact all 3 units can take  the new high tech opamps, , Tried a  2 types, just landed a  3rd type which is much better the JFET's, off Ebay, Real nice high tech china opamps.
All 3 units sound very close, But there is a  nuance gain in one over the other.
Obviously the Jadis has superior components, but honestly both the cayin and Shanling off 1st  Class AAA sonic fidelity.
= All 3 have very music DAC's. 
I'm not into all these new high end expensive DAC's. 
The only other DAC/cdp tahts interests me (Other than Jadis' cd player) is the PL cdp and DAC. 
Very nice design . 
Super build, super DAC. 
So yeah, tube cdp/tube DAC, very  musical  and when you tweak with JFET's Class A , you really up the gains. 

I'm running 4 duals in the Jadis DAC. 
Shanling takes like 8 singles, 4 duals, and the Cayin 4 singles 2 duals. So cost layout is expensive but well worth the  easy upgrade.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/274403974731