Need info on DACs
07-20-00, 08:21 PM
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Hi everyone
I have a Konka DVD player that i also use to listen to CDs. recently i decided to purchase a sound upgrade. so i decided to look into DACs. i recently got an offer for a soundstream DAC for 120$, at the same time another guy offered me his Marantz cd5000 for 100$. question is: does anyone here uses DACs? and if so, do you notice any significant sound improvement? which device do you think i should go? i am leaning towards the DAC because i can use it to improve my computer Mp3 sounds too, but i am mainly interested in CDs
please Advise
thanks
I have a Konka DVD player that i also use to listen to CDs. recently i decided to purchase a sound upgrade. so i decided to look into DACs. i recently got an offer for a soundstream DAC for 120$, at the same time another guy offered me his Marantz cd5000 for 100$. question is: does anyone here uses DACs? and if so, do you notice any significant sound improvement? which device do you think i should go? i am leaning towards the DAC because i can use it to improve my computer Mp3 sounds too, but i am mainly interested in CDs
please Advise
thanks
07-20-00, 10:40 PM
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Whether or not a DAC is a worth while upgrade depends on the rest of your system. A DAC can make a small diffrence that really takes a good amp/speaker set up to notice. With a good DAC the music will have a more transparent sound, a direct comparison with a lesser quality DAC will lead to a "veiled" sound.
Your typical dvd player has a much better DAC than a cd player because of higher demands from dvd decoding. Whether or not a DAC will help you depends on the quality of the one in your player. I've found that most dvd players sound as good as if not better than cd players costing about the same.
Your typical dvd player has a much better DAC than a cd player because of higher demands from dvd decoding. Whether or not a DAC will help you depends on the quality of the one in your player. I've found that most dvd players sound as good as if not better than cd players costing about the same.
07-21-00, 12:02 AM
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So in other words, upgrading the DAC wont be that much of a difference? someone told me that if i want to upgrade: upgrade the source first. so i figured maybe a DAC??
07-21-00, 01:24 AM
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It really depends on your system. Garbage in, garbage out; but the law of diminishing returns plays into DAC's. You have to determine if the diffrence is worth the price.
I'm not familiar with your dvd player, but speaking from experience dvd players have excellent cd sound quality. As far as the player only costing $140, I have a sub $100 portable player that sounds better then a 8+ year old cd player that cost several hundred dollars. Great sound quality does not have to be expensive, and advances in technology have made excellent performance the norm.
If you want the difinitive answer as to whether a cd upgrade will sound better to you, then visit a local hifi audio shop. Any good dealer would allow you to audition a quality cd player at home.
I'm not familiar with your dvd player, but speaking from experience dvd players have excellent cd sound quality. As far as the player only costing $140, I have a sub $100 portable player that sounds better then a 8+ year old cd player that cost several hundred dollars. Great sound quality does not have to be expensive, and advances in technology have made excellent performance the norm.
If you want the difinitive answer as to whether a cd upgrade will sound better to you, then visit a local hifi audio shop. Any good dealer would allow you to audition a quality cd player at home.
