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CDP or DAC?

I want to get back to playing and enjoying my 500+ cd's!  Been listening 95% of the time to a nice high end turntable $15k+ setup but would also like to have the option of listening to my cd collection to where it sounds at least competitive with my vinyl enjoyment.

I have no interest in streaming just playing cd's.   Does it make more sense to go with a cdp or transport and separate dac?

Budget $5 - $15k.  Thoughts
bobheinatz
melm
1,057 posts
 
@aolmrd1241
Yes, of course. My Oppo 105 has had streaming for a long long time. But the question for me is always SQ, just like whether reading data off a CD or off an HD yields better SQ. Will the combo unit stream as well as a dedicated streamer--always remembering that the quality of the bits delivered to the DAC matters.

What I meant to say was obsolete was the use of disk readers, except for ripping.
bassdude
462 posts
 
I’d go with “georgehifi” and “melm” - rip your cd’s to FLAC files on a solid state drive (not hard drive) and play via a good streamer to an R2R dac like Holo Audio, Denafrips, AGD, Yggdrasil, or the bargain MHDT. 
I use the Bryston BDP-2 to the Yggy - and never look back! Can’t beat the sound or the convenience.
richdirector's avatar
richdirector
266 posts
 
I listen to cheaper vinyl rig rega RP8 with apheta MC... But now get same enjoyment from cd listening to pro-ject rs2 cd box transport £2k with chord qutest DAC (which I had already for streamer) ... Although the pro-ject DAC allows IS2 hdmi Connection.
Other makes I looked at but. V expensive in UK were Cec

I like the pro-ject as top loading but sound is amazing 
raulwebster's avatar
raulwebster
4 posts
 
I listened to the balanced audio technology dac and was dumbfounded. I'd try to get to that if you can and find a good used transport. 

Disclosure: I own a bat vkd5 and love the sound. Have a Marantz sa1152 used as transport and use a Sony pcr500 dat as dac (best dac below 10k i ever heard).



bobheinatz OP
706 posts
 
Thanks for all that responsed.
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