Please Help


I'm new to this hobby. I have a Bel-Canto Evo 2i and need a cd player or dac/trans combo. I've done as much research as possible which explains why I'm totally confused.

I've been told by someone respected in the modifications industry that if I go with seperates he would recommend a better transport than DAC. I've been told the complete opposite by others. I've also had many folks tell me that a one-boxed player is the way to go for the money.

I've got about $1,500+ to spend and would prefer to buy a good used product. I listen primarily to aggressive music but Norah Jones and Bob Marley are also regulars.

My speakers are JmLab Chorus S and have not been broken in yet, therefore they are still a little bright. These may end up front speakers for Home Theater and a 2 channel speaker upgrade will probably be in my not to distant future.

Any help would be appreciated, as well as any recommendations regarding cables and power conditioners. I'm in the vibration and shock isolation industry so hopefully I'll be able to handle that end.

Thanks for any help.

Scott
shimanole

Showing 3 responses by pawlowski6132

If you are new to this hobby AND only have $1,500 to spend don't even think about separtes. You can get an awesome used CDP for $1,500 but separates are consumed by those with lots of experience who know EXACTLY what they're looking for and can tweak their system by swapping in/out transports and DACs. Also, good ones are expensive, even used.

Also, stick with name brands to start: Cary, Audio Research, Sony, etc.

Also decide if you want only Redbook, SACD, Mulitiplayer etc.
Also, I've found power cords to be a good tweak but that's about it relative to other links in the chain (e.g., Interconnects, Tubes, Speaker Cables, Isolation, etc.). Further, power conditioning needs will depend on your situation. For instance, I live in a pretty rural area and have a dedicated line into my room. So, not much need for conditioning. If you live in an apartment building in NYC and everyone in your building has power tools, computers etc. running all the time and you live next to a radio station...different story.
While I don't recommend a two-piece, I did use a Sony DVP-S7000 transport and Musical Fidelity A3.24 DAC. It was good for the cost = $1,000.

Still, dollar for dollar, one box is best <$5k.