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Which matters more, DAC or transport?

In my search to better the digital playback of my system I've been lead to look at several DACs to couple with my arcam cd36, and have also considered buying a whole new player like a McIntosh mcd 201 or maybe even a lower end esoteric. My question is: will I get better results using a good DAC (for $2000 to $3000) with my mid-fi transport or with a new player that has a better transport mechanism built in, coupled with what's probably a slightly less sophisticated onboard DAC? Also, what do people think of the Bel Canto DAC3? It's one I've considered. Thanks.
128x128jamiek
robertbrown
151 posts
 
the DAC by far MSB Platium is one top in the world but for the money this is 80% as good http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlconv&1255906092&/Msb-Power-Dac-usb-coax-xlr-inp
Also look at their ilink then you don't need to spend a lot of money on a transport and the sound is twice as good
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jamiek's avatar
jamiek OP
43 posts
 
Thanks alot for the input. I wish I had all the equipment I'm interested in to do an actual listening test. It's really the only way.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
The idea of splurging on a DA then buying a cheap transport, is foolish.
well said/written!
Indeed the Transport is more important than the DAC. The DAC is "nothing" without a good signal feed into it AND the axiom garbage in, garbage out holds in spades here.
Think about it: what happens if you have a cost-no-bar DAC, say the dCS DAC or the Esoteric DAC, and you feed it with a BestBuy $40 DVD player used as a transport. What sort of sound can you expect to get??
Will the DAC fill-in for the crappy transport?? If it's lost at the output of the transport, will the DAC bring it back??
No and no!
It's the transport/source.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Based on my own experience both obviously matter but I would say transport 70% and the DAC 30%. There is nothing a DAC can do to compensate a poor performing transport. It all depends on a superior signal.
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