As Mr. Schroeder indicated: "
There will always be Chintziphiles". I know I'm in that class as I have never spent more than $1000 on any individual component. My listening space is sonically challanged, I have 20% hearing loss in my right ear and as much as I would love to pursue owning a reference level system, I am unable to earmark that level of expenditure, now that I am retired.
I do, however take exception to the initial premise of this thread. I have a second hand LG Blue Ray player and a 20 year old NAD C 520 CD player. They are both running through an okay Arcam DAC. The sound difference isn't night and day, but the NAD makes a superior sounding transport. Even the analog out of the NAD sounds better than the LG playing through the outboard DAC.
I really prefer "budget limited stereo enthusiast" to "Chintziphile" as my moniker. I find that even entry level equipment, when properly partnered, can be gratifying. There is a sound difference as one goes up the audio food chain. I even found diminishing returns at my lower price points.
I do, however take exception to the initial premise of this thread. I have a second hand LG Blue Ray player and a 20 year old NAD C 520 CD player. They are both running through an okay Arcam DAC. The sound difference isn't night and day, but the NAD makes a superior sounding transport. Even the analog out of the NAD sounds better than the LG playing through the outboard DAC.
I really prefer "budget limited stereo enthusiast" to "Chintziphile" as my moniker. I find that even entry level equipment, when properly partnered, can be gratifying. There is a sound difference as one goes up the audio food chain. I even found diminishing returns at my lower price points.