2. digital
  3. 151435-125022

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
jafreeman's avatar
jafreeman
689 posts
 
Is Audioquest a high-end HDMI cable?  I got one of theirs for $400 for my DVD player--was told the image would have more depth.  Hard to quantify, but it does look good. Is there a USB or ethernet equivalent for computer/DAC-based front ends and streamers?  Seems to be lots of tweaks for headphone systems, must be for the above.     

I'm a throwback for CD players, I have to say.  I like big power cords and connectors, good XLR connections and interconnects, high-purity copper, heavy platters, big power supplies, heavy platforms, complete isolation from vibrations, and the CD itself--big and heavy, that's where the sound is for me. My audio retailer, who has a MacBook set up into a number of  DACs as well as featuring players in his showrooms, once said stored files may not be as good as the CD from which they are derived--I know little that or about file-based audio but would just say try to optimize connections and reduce vibrations. 
mike_in_nc
1,127 posts
 
@fsgattuso : I read your post too quickly & neglected to look up the D2 until now. It is quite possible that a Muse Erato might have a better-sounding DAC than the D2. Kevin Halverson of Muse was some kind of digital genius (may still be, don't know his whereabouts now). His Muse gear of Erato vintage persuaded me to give up my analog front end. Keep yours as long as it runs!

In any case, I agree with another poster that, to do a fair test, you need to rip a few CDs and run them through the Lumin. Some of us find that audio quality from the streaming services can be variable.


f917025
81 posts
 
answer:because it's not so old ,costs five times more made by a far better audiophile minded brand and meant for audiophiles with money no object revealing systems. it's not surprising at all .
sound quality wise a cd player  is just far superior to any streamer.i suspect that a 2k cd player from today will also kill any streamer(even when both use the same dac... scary ah?) .cd players are measured by their sound quality streamers are measured by dsd:
 dsd 128 is less than dsd512 that's all you need to know
that salesmen dogmatic answer is just priceless
so  dsd is a warm sounding format compared to what? 
 we say it's warm so it's warm!
 you don't like the basic sound signature? upgrade and enhance it!
swap the power cord! try acoustic treatment! drink something!
it's panic and they ignore your problem completely 


infection's avatar
infection
807 posts
 
https://www.plixirpower.com/products/copy-of-dc-power-supply-for-audio-streamer-and-dac
austinstereo's avatar
austinstereo
61 posts
 
It is quite possibly not actually the digital conversion, but rather the analog stage in the DAC.  The analog output stage designs vary pretty wildly in both DACs and players, and range from op amp based. all the way up to fully discrete output stages.  
More to discover