noob DAC question

Forgive me if I am redundant to aforementioned statements. You can purchase a disk player that allows access to its internal DAC, thus having digital inputs and outputs, or you can purchase a separate DAC and a cd player with digital outputs only. Using a player with digital inputs for computer audio likely would require purchase of a USB/SPDIF converter as few players I know have a USB input, at least not one that is sonically equivalent to a good USB DAC. Going with a separate DAC has an advantage when considering system changes.

I am hesitant to make specific recommendations. However, a Marantz 5004 CD ($350) player makes for a good budget transport. This could be coupled to any number on quality USB DACs depending on budget for a nice digital front end.

I use my computer as a server and have a disk player which I also use. I run both through a separate DAC and use a USB/SPDIF converter from the computer.

Please let us know how you proceed.

If you are interested in getting into digital audio file playback, the Computer Audiophile website is an excellent educational resource for getting started.

Given your interest in digital audio file playback, the 840c is NOT what you want. In your price range (whether new or used), the Oppo 103 or 105 are highly recommended.

Regarding how to accomplish the PC/CD Player interface, there are a variety of possibilities both wired and wireless.

This thread has so much great discussion - I'm a bit overwhelmed by the contribution. Wasn't sure what to expect after reading some of the threads on cables lol (another issue i'll have to figure out as I go). For sure I'll need to copy and paste to winword so all this good info isn't sacrificed due to dementia. Feel free to keep sharing. Every nugget helps to build how i'll move forward.

Sart - once you play a track on a decent computer-based system, you will never spin a CD again. Sounds better and much more convenient. It's a no-brainer IMO. I gave away all of my disk spinners.

What most people don't understand is that computer audio is an opportunity to improve your playback sound quality significantly. It's not just about convenience. Look at the rooms that won the best of shows at RMAF last month. The vast majority use servers or computers.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

"So first question is if bypassing the soundcard is imperative? If I use any of the soundcard outputs will the soundcard attempt by definition to interpret the data or can it be a straight pass-through? If the latter, what about using the video card's HDMI? Can the digital data pass straight through to the Blu-ray?"

If you have HDMI, you can just use it for video. If you have an HDMI computer monitor, you probably have it set up that way already. Anyway, I think that's what you are asking.