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Time for a new cd player


Dflip

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My old Teac VRDS 10 has died and I need to find a replacement.

Looking to match it with a pair of McIntosh MC-30's, Juicy Music Audio Peach and a pair of Cornwalls. I like some detail, but not to the point where I get ear wind.

Any suggestions in the $1000 -1500 range.?

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If you can spring for $2500, the Bryston BCD-1 gets nothing but rave reviews.

http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/bryston_bcd-1_cd_player/

The Absolute Sound gives it a Golden Ear:
http://bryston.com/pdfs/absound_bcd.pdf

Excerpts from some international reviews:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BYBCD1

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I think my next CD player won't be a CD player. [^o)]

Thinking ripping everything to FLAC and streaming from a computer, probably with some sort of itouch interface.

Sorry, probably no use to you, but I'd thought I'd throw the possibility out there.

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I think my next CD player won't be a CD player. Hmm

Thinking ripping everything to FLAC and streaming from a computer, probably with some sort of itouch interface.

Sorry, probably no use to you, but I'd thought I'd throw the possibility out there.

Im with you. i would buy a high end USB DAC and go from there.

J

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It might be a good idea to buy a high end USB DAC, but the transport mechanism on my old cd player doesn't work, so I would also have to buy a transport device.

I will listen to a Bryston unit this week and am going to listen to a Raysonic and a few others later this week.

Thanks for the advice.

Don

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A computer would be your transport. Rip all CDs into lossless FLAC format and stream them (an option is via one of these USB interfaces) to your system. Then you no longer insert CDs to play them, you select your music tracks or CDs from either a computer interface (sometimes via some sort of web page served from your computer) or via an Apple iTouch (with fancy cover art and the like). Supposed to sound as good or better than really expensive CD players...

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Okay.... I getting part of this.

The ripping of the cd's is easy and I know how to do that part. I have seem Squeezebox and Sonus systems that send the music from the computer to the stereo system and then play it through the stereo. Is this what you are talking about? I also assume that a usb DAC is involved and I guess it is wired to the computer through the usb slot, or the soundcard?

A Benchmark DAC seems to get very good reviews and does have a usb option in the more expensive version.

I just haven't quite figured out how the stereo plays the signal, specifically, how the signal gets to the stereo. Some additional help from those of you a few years younger would be of great assistance. I am looking at supplying the highest quality signal, FLAC, wav or 320 downloads and am not interested in iPod quality. I just need a bit more help being walked through the concept. Any links explaining how it works would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

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as much as I wnat a tubed universal player (Blu-ray too!) for music, movies and better yet music movies, I think my next source may be a used laptop with a good DAC

the Benchmark DAC has USB inputs (from your PC) and RCA outputs to your pre-amp or amp

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Okay.... I getting part of this.

The ripping of the cd's is easy and I know how to do that part. I have seem Squeezebox and Sonus systems that send the music from the computer to the stereo system and then play it through the stereo. Is this what you are talking about? I also assume that a usb DAC is involved and I guess it is wired to the computer through the usb slot, or the soundcard?

Right. The USB device becomes the PC's sound card and all sound is directed to that.

Some say that some models of motherboard-integrated sound cards are now good enough that they don't even bother with external USB interfcaes.

A Benchmark DAC seems to get very good reviews and does have a usb option in the more expensive version.

I just haven't quite figured out how the stereo plays the signal, specifically, how the signal gets to the stereo. Some additional help from those of you a few years younger would be of great assistance. I am looking at supplying the highest quality signal, FLAC, wav or 320 downloads and am not interested in iPod quality. I just need a bit more help being walked through the concept. Any links explaining how it works would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Some output an alog through RCA, and some (as I understand because i haven't done this myself yet) keep it digital and send the audio as a PCM stream; the receiver receives the latter in a digital input (coax or optical). The sound quality has nothing to do with mpeg.

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Right. The USB device becomes the PC's sound card and all sound is directed to that.

Some say that some models of motherboard-integrated sound cards are now good enough that they don't even bother with external USB interfcaes.

This is what everyone has been telling me, that most motherboard-integrated sound cards are good enough. How were they not before and is this what the puropse of the dac is for. If so how does it make it a better quality is it like a processor. I have been trying to figure out the computer to my pre-amp for a while and it sounds like all the comp guys either dont know quaility or like you said eairlier, some models are good enough. Hopefully someone who has tried this could chime in and give us all a heads up. But I bet a tubed cd does sound awesome.
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I use the Benchmark USB DAC in concert with my olive media player and am very pleased with the results. Prior to the music server, I used a Rega Apollo CDP which was fantastic. In truth the apollo sounded marginally better but the trade off for convenience has been well worth the change. If you are looking for a stand alone CDP I would audition the Apollo.

In regards to DACs here is an interesting thread than prove helpful

http://community.klipsch.com/forums/p/119335/1203560.aspx#1203560

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