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Network Transport vs. CD Transport

So I decided to conduct an experiment. I pulled the old Marantz cd player circa 1999, around $400 retail, from storage along with few CDs. Using a coax digital cable with a $4.97 rca to bnc adapter from amazon, I sat down to listen. I played the CD, the ripped version (AIFF) of that CD, and a Qobuz redbook version thru my zmac Mini. Long story short...the reason why I did it was because there is something missing in the Mac Mini sound quality and I got tired of trying to figure out what the heck is going on. 
Anyways, that old cd player used as a transport into the Qutest DAC sounds considerably better  than the Mac Mini that right now I will need a few days break before I can can listen to the Mac again. I figured (assumed) that a dedicated network transport will pretty much better the Mac Mini and be comparable or better than what I heard with Marantz player as transport. Eyeing Auralic G1, Lumin D2 and Lumin U1 Mini as candidates (I need wifi capability), will any of these be comparable or better than let’s say a decent CD transport feeding the Chord Qutest? For example a Cambridge CXC, or a used high end player?
I can go back to spinning CDs, but figured I don’t want to give up on streaming just yet.
What are your thoughts - Auralic G1, Lumin D2, Lumin U1 Mini, or a dedicated CD transport for high quality playback. Forget convenience, let’s talk purely sound quality...thanks!

System:
Rogue RP-1, Rogue ST-100, Martin Logan Montis, Chord Qutest dac. 
audphile1

Showing 1 response by rols

rols's avatar
rols
22 posts
 
Interesting subject, one I do not understand, but I try to have an open mind on. Here is my experience and conclusion:

  • I used to just feed my PC into my DAC. Switching from using iTunes to specialist audio software did make a small, but noticeable improvement. No biggie.
  • Switching from a PC to a macbook pro made little difference to sound quality.
  • Switching from the Mac to a bog standard Intel NUC running Roon (sat on a LINUX operating core), getting its data from a NAS via a wireline ethernet network did sound a bit better, no biggie, but noticeably better. My partner noticed something had changed. Bit surprising to me given all those additional steps. 

On the scale above, changing DACs was a "biggie", a really significant improvement. 

  • Recently I changed from connecting the Roon NUC directly via USB to feeding my DAC from a Pro-Ject streambox (which I think is a Raspberry PI  running some sort of Linux system), which still uses USB, and this also made an improvement, of the scale of changing software on a Windows PC.
So this is where my head is now: 
  1. Bits are bits. I can't tell the difference between Tidal via internet and CD rip via my NAS or via my PC. All the network trickery in my house seems to have no negative effect on the sound.
  2. DACs are having a big affect on sound quality, and they do seem affected by what they are being fed by. I think grunge/noise or whatever you call it is messing with the DAC. My dac is a 2QUTE. 
  3. Something in the OS of complex PCs/Mac is messing up the sound a little, in addition to all the electrical noise. 

So short answer: I would guess that a stand alone CD player would sound better than a computer. But I think a good streamer could equal it. 


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