kjohnsonhp Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I'm curious how big of an improvement one could get by investing in a quality CD player. That could be a $1k high-end player like those I've seen recommended here (Theta Miles, etc.) or I've read recommendations for an external solution to one's current player. The Perpetual Technology gear with Dan Wright mods seems popular and I've heard it on a $20k mbl system but didn't a/b it to standard CD player so I really don't have a feel for how much improvement it will provide. I guess the other question is why spend big bucks on digital I'm listening to mostly records....would I like the CDs better? Anyway this seems like a good deal and this type of setup is pretty frequent on audiogon. Thoughts on spending $1k on a CDplayer setup? Other options? $1100 Modwright level 2 PT DAC,interpolation and power boxes. http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?dgtlconv&1067707643 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 The differences in going to a better player can be substantial. If you have a healty investment in CDs it would make sense too. This was my situation a few months ago. I was listing to my CDs less and less. I upgraded from the Rega Planet, an already very nice CD player in many respects, to the Cary 308. The Cary was better in just about all areas and really allows me to enjoy my CDs again. In most cases I forget that I'm listening to digital. I really can't say much about the external DACs. I perfer simplicity in design and I don't want another external device that might induce jitter into the sonic mix. good luck Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Few options: Jolida JD-100 tube player - I haven't heard it in my system but it's a great player for $900 and that leaves you $100 to spend on quality NOS tubes . Theta Data Basic II, transport and Apogee DA1000-E20 dac. A killer combo that I often regret selling. Can still compete with ANY players up to $5k. Mark Levinson had used the same setup in his Cello system. He sold the same dacs for $8k renamed Cello refernce 8.1 . Theta Miles - basicly a Pearl transport and Progeny dac in one box with a digital volume control. Nice for the money but nothing special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted September 5, 2003 Author Share Posted September 5, 2003 Those are great options. Do you think they are a better sound/value than the PT gear w/mods or is that an unknown? Maybe they provide similar results? It sounds like the options listed are known to be great sounding and certainly an excellent solution for anywhere near the $1k price range. I'll save these to my shopping list. There is certainly room for improvement over my Sony 775 Cd/SACD player which could be modified for $400 but I don't know if that would match these other options. The other wild option is to modify a DVD-V and CD combo for both but that may be a compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I never heared the PT gear, but, the Theta transport brings the most out of any dac and you can find one at a VG price here:http://www.echohifi.com/current.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I really can't say much about the external DACs. I perfer simplicity in design and I don't want another external device that might induce jitter into the sonic mix. A different perspective... Get the DAC away from the Transport. Displays, transport motor, LEDs and the like can all prodcuce EMI that can induce jitter. I have even considered disabling my transport display and LED in the DAC to reduce jitter. Most DACs reclock and have some separate power supplies. SUNNY SAL and I have a common apreciation for the MSB Link DACs. I have seen MSB DACs as low as $ 250 on E Bay and Audiogon. A cheap experiement with a high probability of improvement if your CD player has a digital out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Keep in mind that the Cary 308 is around $1000 or less used. It has 24/96 upsampling and also supports HDCD encoded disks. HDCD is a very impressive technology. Discs encoded with it, you are essentially getting 20-bit sound out of a 16-bit format. So much more of the music comes through. Not quite to SACD, but close. I compared the Cary to the Wadia 850, and I liked the Cary better. If the music is encoded with HDCD, the Cary will far surpass the Wadia. The HDCD format is a licensed technology, now owned by Microsoft. You can see all the HDCD encoded CDs at HDCD.COM and there are numerous music distributors in Europe and Asia that are selling titles encoded with HDCD that you can't get here. Take a look on Ebay, there are tons of titles. Happy hunting. As always, try before you buy if at all possible. Check out the reviews at Audioreview.com too. - tb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I HAVE FULL MOD JOLIDA ITS GRREAT ALSO LOOK AT USED REGA JUPITER 2000 IT HAS DUAL DACS INSIDE ITS AROUND 1100 USED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I think you would notice a huge difference in sound quality by upgrading to a better CD source. In my system, I noticed more of a difference in the upgrade to my MSB than I did when I switched from SS to tube. Buy used. You can always get your money back out if you don't think the improvement is worth it. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Kevin Deal at upscale audio has a used Cary 308 with very low hours. Take a look on his used stuff page. Probably can score a deal on that one. They retail for $1500, probably can get it for under $1000. http://www.upscaleaudio.com/updates/demos.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 That SS to tube comment is strange. That is literally one of the biggest changes in presentation that I know of. OF course, if you have a rotten CDP then it could possibly be understandable. Otherwise, I think going to a quality tube amp from a quality SS is like an amazing difference in almost the whole way the music is presented from top to bottom. I still prefer a one box player over seperates but HAVE heard some great separates too. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 I had a Theta Data Basic and an MSB Link III with the CI mods and upscale power supply. That was digital heaven. So good I could hear the difference between digital cables. That part was cool at first, but drove me nuts in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Landau Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 ---------------- On 9/5/2003 9:39:48 PM Randy Bey wrote: I had a Theta Data Basic and an MSB Link III with the CI mods and upscale power supply. That was digital heaven. So good I could hear the difference between digital cables. That part was cool at first, but drove me nuts in the end. ---------------- It drove me nuts, too. But I still regret selling this setup............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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