Off-board DACs, for a newbie

'nough said. I'm finally tiring of the slightly shrill sound my Sony CD player tends to produced, and figure that a more accurate DAC will improve this somewhat.

The tihng is, I have no idea what I"m looking for, or even how pricey these things are (for example, it might make more sense to just plunk down for an SACD player or something, which would presumably have a higher-quality DAC).

Also, how important are stereo receivers in the scheme of things? Mine is a big, ugly piece of work from the seventies that's never really served me wrong, but I suppose something a bit more technological could be in order (after all, this thing is like the equivalent of a "stupid consumer" design, but from the seventies...it clearly isn't built for anything approaching "digital").

-D

 

Outboard DACs are ONLY a viable option if your CD player has a top quality transport mechanism. Most don't, until you hit the high end. Otherwise, you're kind of wasting your money.

If you have a big ugly piece of work from the seventies, think about upgrading your receiver first. A lot of seventies solid state was only marginally better than sixties solid state - very harsh, shrill, and grainy.

An audio circuit forms a complete chain, and it is only as strong as its weakest link. Chances are, you could plug an SACD-1 into your present system and you wouldn't hear much of an improvement. It may even sound worse, since you'd be feeding it a lot more musical info that might become harsher and grainier.

If you're on a budget, I'd look for a closeout - I just bought a Yamaha RXV1 (orig $3500) for $1400 and got a free $800 DVD player in the deal. (Tweeter electronics) Be careful of online dealers though - some companies will not honor the factory warranty if you buy online. Another option is to find a recent model used receiver. if it's mint you're probably OK. There is probably a reputable dealer in your area with a small used section, and they may even offer some kind of warranty. You'll get a better deal from an individual, but no gaurantee. Usually, receivers either work or they don't - but check each function and knob to see if it works AND if it distorts the sound. For example, a balance control that crackles when you turn it is a sign of dirty electronics.

DO NOT buy anything but decent equipment (Yamaha RX series, Sony ES, Denon, Harmon Kardon etc. there are plenty of good brands, but stay away from lightweight Best Buy/circuit city models, i.e., anything that is mostly plastic and has no weight. Your seventies setup probably sounds better.

You can buy a new SACD player right now for cheap.

By the way, MOST Sony equipment has a somewhat shrill sound, although clarity/detail is excellent.

Good luck!

 

I agree totally with dwmann on this one David. The only exception being that you can do a lot better with your money buying used high-end equipment. Denon and all the above mentioned manufacturers (with the exception of Harmon Kardon) are poor-mans beginer stage audiophile equipment and you can do a lot better than buying these ones new with your hard earned cash.

Do you really listen to the radio all that much? If not you might want to consider buying seperates as it's much easier to upgrade your system one piece at a time in the future.

Remember David...Listen lots, buy once.