Upgrade existing cd player or buy a new one?

Most definitely... but that is just my opinion. You have to bare in mind that not all DACs will be an upgrade on the Rotel, some can be complete rubbish just as some CD players are. I personally feel the TDA1543 DAC chip (used in the Moodlabs) is a bit , I mean its old and outdated and it never was considered great at the time. Any DAC using the TDA1541 chip on the other hand is worth having a look at. Some old Meridian equipment used it I think.

I can say pretty confidently that the modded Behringer punches well above its weight, so anything significantly cheaper would have to be an insane bargain to better it. Have you had a read of the review in the link I posted earlier on? It should give you a more unbiased opinion on what to expect than you will get from me! There is another review linked on the website for a slightly different Behringer unit I mod, same sound quality though.

 

there's alwasy the...... dum dum daaaaaaaa..... Beresford.... for £100..





to hear some people it's the best dac ever ever ever.

















of course they are comparing it to a sample of absolutely '**** all'

 

FWIW: I tried a Musical Fidelity X-DAC with an Arcam A5 for a while. It gave it a bit more body but when I bought my current CDP - a 4 y.o. Jadis Symphonia - the improvement was huge and the MF DAC, used with the Jadis, took away from the sound rather than adding to it, so I was able to flog it and revert to a 1-box CD source with which I remain quite happy!

 

a/s dax-2's are arounf the 5-600 quid mark and will blow your socks off if you are looking for something that tells it like it is without the criticism and spite of certain other dacs.
i use a dax decade (i paid ove a grand for it) with a 200 quid squeezebox 2. sounds better than the cdx2 i auditioned before i went down the server audio path.

 

another vote for the Dax Decade.

my best hifi decision.

it also has upgrade possibilities: Balances and/or Black gates.

 

Thks for all the input. I ended up going to listen to a few cd players - have concluded that I will have to spend £1000 plus to get what i want (& even then am not sure i want it!).

As a result have backed away slightly and have bought some more vinyl (even compared to £1000+ cd players it makes a nicer noise) and upgraded my rb300 with a structural upgrade.

However, am tempted by a cyrus cdx8 (& power supply).

 

That said, surely a great player, like a great cake, should already be iced?

(epic thread revival, sorry, but it had to be said!)

 

I bought a 2ndhand 02 from a local dealer & took it back the next day - (I couldn't audition in the shop) - I thought it one of the worst players I'd heard.

I use an old Mission DAD7000 which gives me the closest to analogue sound I've heard to date, (forget the 20 - 24bit syndrome its the music that's played that counts.) So if analogue sound is what you are looking for the early Mission products are worth seeking out. There is no optical out on the DAD7000 but other later Missions did allow for an external dac.

 

Interetsing.

I have an old dad5 here which is ok.

Its pleasant enough for a bit but you soon notice the lack of dynamics after the (modded) A5. I think the mission's build quality is rather better though.

 

I have not heard the A5 or a player with the 1541 (the DAD7000 used the 1540) & my direct comparison with the Rotel 02 showed me where the sound quality lay.

I have no doubt there must be better players than the DAD7000 but it would be worth a listen if analogue sound is the OP's aim. Especially considering the peanuts you can pick these up for.

 

Hello,

Just something in a different direction. If you really want an analogue sound, you could go for a used or new Audio Note DAC, with zero upsampling. Even one form the Zero series is fairly competent IMHO.

http://www.audionote.co.uk/index.html

A friend of mine has the Promitheus Audio DAC, bought it direct from Malasya, hooked it to his old trusty Pioneer Cd player and he's extremely pleased as well.

http://www.promitheusaudio.com/dac.htm

You could sell the Rotel for the same money you bought it, and buy a 2nd hand Audio Analogue or a Unison Research integrated player and you'll never look back. I've got an Audio Analogue Maestro myself. Have been offered 525 Eu for it last week, but I won't sell it. It's that good !

http://www.audioanalogue.com/index.php

http://www.unisonresearch.com/

Just my two-pence worth.

Regards,

Vincula