First of all, my opinion about A5 CDP is that it is good player but not the best in that price range. I consider Naim CD 5x, Copland CDA 823, Lyngdorf CD-1 and some others as better choice for similar amount of money.
For my taste A5 doesn't have enough substance in its reproduction. It is very neutral, fairly analytical, but somehow lacks to deliver emotional tension ...
Concerning the question about external DAC for A5 ... I am not quite sure that this is a very good idea. You are paying for a maschine that has quite complex output stage that you than do not want to use. If you are not convinced with the sound of A5 than maybe the better idea would be to go after MF DM 25 combo. It is more expencive and it is better (whether this difference really pays-of in terms of price difference - I really do not know)... but the alternative would be to go for another CDP. As I already mentioned, there are some better maschines on the market for similar amount of money ...
For my taste A5 doesn't have enough substance in its reproduction. It is very neutral, fairly analytical, but somehow lacks to deliver emotional tension ...
Concerning the question about external DAC for A5 ... I am not quite sure that this is a very good idea. You are paying for a maschine that has quite complex output stage that you than do not want to use. If you are not convinced with the sound of A5 than maybe the better idea would be to go after MF DM 25 combo. It is more expencive and it is better (whether this difference really pays-of in terms of price difference - I really do not know)... but the alternative would be to go for another CDP. As I already mentioned, there are some better maschines on the market for similar amount of money ...