2. digital
  3. 1220668556

Digital Purchase Advice . . .DAC or New Player

I'm all over the board on this one. . .

I want to upgrade my digital platform and of course, I want the best performance for my dollar. I currently have a 16 year-old Philips 5 disc carousel and a Denon DVD-3910. Obviously the Philips is sub-par as a player, but can serve as a transport for casual listening. The Denon is a decent player and can also serve as a transport for more devoted listening. It also decodes HDCD which is a must for me.

I've been looking at the Cullen level 3 PS Audio DLIII as an option, but was wondering if I'd get better results going to a new player. On that front I've been considering the stock Raysonic CD-128 or the Moon modified Original CD-2008 MK2. If I go with a new player I would use the balanced outputs to feed a Pass Labs X-1/X250 driving Thiel CS1.6s. My musical tastes are rock/jazz/classical.

Would I get better performance and musicality from the DAC or from a new player?

Any and all feedback is appreciated.
catastrofe

Showing 1 response by catastrofe

catastrofe OP
90 posts
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Jhold and Bob_reynolds (the president of my company is Bob Reynolds!!!). . .I considered the Benchmark but the modded DLIII seems like it provides better performance (albeit at a higher price).

Elevick. . .I agree that the stock Denon sounds pretty good.

Danlib1. . .the Havana certainly looks nice for the money. What have you compared it to? There isn't a lot of information out on the web. . .

Audphile1. . .I really like Bel Canto products, particularly their look. I was considering the CD2 and/or the DAC3 but the CD2 doesn't do HDCD and it seems like the DAC3 can be bettered by other less expensive units.

Samhar. . .the Raysonic 168 doesn't do HDCD so I would go with the 128 if I went Raysonic. Raysonics look great and seem to be built like a tank.

Anyone have any experience with the Original 2008 MK2? A fully modded unit is only slightly more than the Raysonic 128. . .
More to discover