2. digital
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Will a new Dac improve the sound?

I have an older CD player( Cary CDP1) . It sounds good ,but would a new or used Dac in the line improve the sound? Looking at Dacs in the $600 - $1200 range. I know the other equipment would also matter in the outcome, but as a general question......do you think this would be an upgrade to the sound? Or should i go another route?

GP

garypick
soix
9,456 posts
 

+2 on the MHDT DAC recommendations.  BTW, what cables/interconnects are you using?

tunehead's avatar
tunehead
161 posts
 

@tweak1 

 

+1 for the Audiolab 6000CDT. I have one and its really good.

garypick OP
6 posts
 

Cables/ interconnects are other issues that i need to address. I am using Audioquest, i don't remember the exact ones ,but they are on the budget end of their cables. 

nakam
38 posts
 

I have a high-end CD player (Marantz SA-10), which I'm using without my DAC (Chord Qutest).  I can't tell any significance difference in the sound when it's attached to the CD player.  Maybe the sound from Marantz (even without built-in DAC) is so good you don't need a DAC.

petaluman
149 posts
 

People sometimes overlook the A in DAC.  The analog side is just as important to the overall sound.  While I'm not personally a fan of tubes, they are an example of how much the sound can be affected by the analog stage. 

However, the digital side controls your digital flexibility wrt input connectivity, sample rates, bit depths, and the initials - DSD, MQA, etc.  I'm guessing these things are less important to you now, but will come up when you tackle streaming. 

I was curious about one thing.  Your Cary decoded HDCD, a precursor to MQA.  Do you have any HDCD CDs?  If so, you may want to consider an HDCD-compatible DAC.  I don't know if there are any still currently in production, so this would likely have to be used.

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