Why does my old CD player sound so much better than my new streamer?


Earlier this year I upgraded my system. Briefly, new Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP integrated, new Lumin D2 streamer/DAC, kept my Tekton speakers, bought a 10 year old Muse Erato CD player, new Nordost Red Dawn cables all around.  After plenty of break in, the Lumin D2 streaming Tidal, even 24/96, does not sound close to as good as the Muse Erato.  I understand the Muse was about $10k new years ago, I paid $650 for it on Audiogon, is that the difference? It replaced my Naim I had for 20+ years and I bought it on the chance I want to listen to something not on Tidal, but now I'm going to CDs when I want to sit and listen instead of streaming. I considered upgrading to the Lumin T2, but will that be more of the same Lumin sound, which is accurate but thin and a little cold compared to the Muse.  I like the Lumin when just letting Tidal shuffle music as I move around the house, but from the opening note in an A/B test the Muse just sounds so much warmer, live and simply more enjoyable. Any thoughts or suggestions?
fsgattuso
With out of the box settings I found the opposite.

Granted my gear isn’t yours but my T2 with upgraded power supply (with a good ethernet and power cables but not stratospheric ones) sounds better than my PrimaLuna tube CD player.

Also using WiFi into one of these...TP-Link Wireless N300 2T2R Access Point, 2.4Ghz 300Mbps, 802.11b/g/n, AP/Client/Bridge/Repeater, 2x 4dBi, Passive POE all of $23.

Apples to apples tests at 44k of the same tracks by three of us (nerds?) were done. At 96K to me sound was that of tip top vinyl.

I now now have ripped all cd’s to flacks and run those via the Lumen T2. Happy.

Every thing that’s any sort of cable/cord/power/power supply on my gear has been tweaked and what an audible difference. Your mileage may vary but better connects made a difference over stock. I don’t have anything that’s at the highest tear.
Yeti sorry to disagree, but there have been spectacular CD playback systems that were easily competitors to very high end vinyl playback.

We had the Audio Aero, Remiyo, CD players and they were both spectacularly musical. 

If you ever hear a T+A PDP 3000 playing a red book CD or SACD you would be blown away by the sound.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Lumin dealers