CD Players, CD Transports, and DACs

Just signed up, so not sure how much to put in here.
I am asking here because the founder (Paul McGowan) has a great You Tube channel, so I thought here would be a good place to ask.
I am just starting to set up a system again after not having one for a bit over 20 years.
CDs and DAC have come a long way while I was away.
How do I know what I need of want? Trying to research and not finding a lot on my own, so If all I get is a link or two to something to read, that’s great too.
The CD player I have has digital outs, so I can get an external DAC.
But something new (to me) is streaming digital content too.
I don’t stream now, but I do have a lot of music on my iPhone and MacBook.
Do then newer DACs work with both? Do they know which input to use automatically?
Is it a worthwhile upgrade to the CD player I have now? Or do I need a “CD Transport” to go with a DAC?

Thanks in advance for ny and all help

Welcome to the forum, you can find tons of threads here so useful to get in depth informations about DACs and streamers.

Search for PS Audio DS MK I and MK II, Grimm MU1 and MU2 - PS Audio PST SACD Transport and Jay’s Lab CDT3 MK3 or CDT2 MK3.

What’s your budget? What’s your current components, amps and speakers?

Paul McGowan has written a book “The stereo” you can read:

Good luck for your journey.

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Welcome to the forum,

Sounds like you want to have a lot of things down all at once. It’s better to narrow down exactly what you are looking for then be more specific, peeps here can then chip in.

A step is maybe a new DAC, since you have a CD player already. Or if you like the buy once and cry once approach, Luca’s recommendations are great options.

Also, a thing about us folks lurking here is to help, but a lot of times, it doesn’t help your budget, be warned!

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Welcome!

Eversolo has several streamer/DAC machines. The DMP-A6, DMP-A8 and the latest DMP-A10.
The A10 uses the latest 9039pro chipset for the DAC.
PS Audio also has several DAC’s, including a Stellar Gold DAC and the MKII (many are raving about both, but most recently the MKII with the latest downloadable update).
Others were raving about the Grimm MU2 until I bought one, lol.

Welcome and enjoy researching. There is a lot to take in, especially with the differences between chip-based DAC’s and FPGA (software-based).

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What is your budget? I could put together a killer system for cheap or expensive, like many here could. One DAC I highly recommend is the PS Audio Stellar Gaincell, you will need to look on the used market, USAudioMart.com. My buddy has one of his for sale up there right now, a black one. He has a few, as he loves the Gaincell that much. He is thinning his collection. I think he is around $900 shipped, Edman in Shelby MI.

On the cheap, and don’t laugh, the new Fosi ZD3 DAC/Preamp. I own one, and this stupid thing is beyond impressive for $179.

Streaming, well, you are on the PS Audio site, the AirLens @ $2000… I use the Volumio Rivo transport, I think I have $2000 invested in that one. Or, on the cheap, with incredibly good sound quality, especially when paired with the Fosi ZD3 DAC/Preamp, is the $329 WiiM Ultra, I own two. Just a solid and fantastic streamer, and preamplifier with a decent DAC, but not as good as the Fosi. Downside with the WiiM Ultra, it does not do Apple. Many folks use AppleTV to stream their music through an external DAC like the Fosi ZD3, which has an HDMI input. If you are heavy into Apple Music, and do not desire to have a subscription to say Amazon Music, Qobuz, Tidal, etc… The AppleTV may be your best choice. If you have Amazon Music, I would go with the WiiM Ultra. I have AppleTV, it works, but I have Amazon Music and Love the WiiM Ultra, they work incredibly well together and you get the HiRes if you use the USB output, and it does make a difference.

CD transports/players, lots of them out there, if you want SACD, PS Audio has you covered, but at a cost, as we do not know your budget. Many folks love the AudioLab units, Cambridge Audio too. They make dedicated transports and players at reasonable prices. They are on sale at Amazon right now, around $500. I would try streaming first before jumping into a CD player, unless you have huge CD library. Just me, I have pretty much dumped physical media with my streamers.

Amplifier, PS Audio has them… I like my ChiFi units, currently using a Dartzeel clone, the D5Pro found on AliExrpress, around $600 delivered, it sounds much better than my Parasound A23+. If you are on a budget, say around $300, you need to seriously give the 3e Audio A7 a series look. I have one hooked up to my Zu DW6 Supremes right now, and cannot believe this little amp is doing what it is doing for only $300 delivered. I cannot say it is doing anything wrong, and it is light years ahead of the other amps in this category, like the Fosi or Aiyima offerings.

Then speakers! Do you have any? Or something in mind? I would give Zu Audio a serious look, their DWX or DW6 speakers are an incredible deal, and sound fantastic for the money. they easily compete with speakers that cost double or triple the money. And, you can power them with a 9 volt battery, and are fantastic for low volume listening, I love mine, on my second pair. If you want an inexpensive pair of speakers that will knock your socks off, especially with that 3e A7 amplifier, check out the $250 NHT SuperZero 2.1’s. All I can say is OMG! Do not let their small size fool you, these little guys can fill a room with some incredible sound. Just add a sub, like the $299 RSL Speedwoofer 10E.

My other thoughts on speakers, if you are on a budget, stay away from Klipsch. They are more for home theater in their lower price range offerings. I would look at the Polk lineup, much better sound in my book. If you are spending a bit, look at the Zu’s, they will really open up a lot of possibilities for future gear purchases, especially tube amps. The sky is the limit on speakers, just get the best you can afford, or just grab those SuperZero’s, seriously, they are that good!

Good Luck! And I hope this helped. :wink:

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To answer two questions: as you have a cd player with digital outputs yes you could use that to feed an external DAC. And if you also get a streamer the DAC may not automatically select which component you wish to play, but most likely you can connect each component to a separate digital input and select each via a button on the DAC or the DAC remote.

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I wanted mention the Ferrum GoldenSound Wandla DAC that costs $3299.00 but sounds like a $10000 unit. You can check it out in an article on Stereophile magazine last year. I currently use both this DAC and the DirectStream DAC Mk 2!

You can get a lot of very competent advice here. If I had it all to do over again, I’d take advantage of the used market, as someone has already suggested. Put together a budget, and learn how to allocate $$$ for components of the system. For example, 30 to 50 per cent of the total budget for speakers, which give the biggest bang for the buck. Good luck!

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Thank you for all of the replies, they came much quicker than I expected.
I didn’t know how much to post at first, so I will add some here.
I had a system before, the only thing I have left is my Rega Planar 3 and Marantz CD player, a 5100if I remember rightly.
I sold the rest of my old system which was a Conrad Johnson PV 3 and a Dynaco Stereo 70 and some POLK SPEAKERS 9i don’t remember the model numbers)
I have, left over from the home theater I used to have, two NAD 2400 AMPS AND A PAIR OF B & W speakers (782? Too lazy to go downstairs and look right now)
Budget. That’s always the question.
Right now my budget is going to be negatively impacted because I need to finish a room in the basement for a listening room. I expect that to set me back about 2K

Askingabout the DACs cause I’m seeing them. I don’t know if I will ever stream music. I have tried several streaming services, and was not happy with any. So I have ripped CDs to my computer and bought a lot off Apple Music. I get the mix I want that way. I just looked and I have just over 1000 songs downloaded.
I also still do have all of my albums and CDs, not sure the count on either of those.

Back to the DACs, Since I was into he HiFi thing before I do know that EVERYTHING has an upgrade. I was just wondering how much improvement I would really get and if I could get the digital off my computer or my phone to add to the source material I have.

And, I am a firm believer in the used market, lets me stretch my dollar further.
Although I do see that refurbished BHK 250 on the PS Audio site…

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Before you drive yourself nuts looking at DACs, etc., get your basic system up and playing music. Since you have a CD player, you already have a DAC, the one inside your CD player.
And you might find that you quite like the way it sounds.
And you said that you might never stream. Good, forget about a streamer then.
As for the music on your hard drive, you might be able to use the DAC in your CD player if it has a digital input on the rear.
Welcome to the forum. We love love love to help you spend your money.

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It seems you can already play records, CDs and files! What else? I agree with Ron, you just need to seat and listen to music for a while.

From here on out you can either live with your current gear or… you can fall down the same giant rabbit hole we, the members of this forum, have fallen down: I’m pretty sure in this case you’ll stay on this forum and DACs and streamers will soon follow (along with a lot of money spent, of course).

Enjoy!

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I was in your shoes a few years ago, and I had a decent system from the 90s. I have changed every single piece of my system and cables. So, this could be an additive giant rabbit hole.

The single component that made the most improvement to me was the DAC. I had a Wadia transport and DAC, and the new PST and DS Mk1 just sounded so much better. The new DS Mk2 has an excellent USD input and is well worth the investment.

The streaming chain is the most complex and expensive part of the upgrade, so I would not start here.

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Welcome aboard! You can expect to get a lot of great advice, maybe not including this…
If I understand correctly all you need to get a system up and running is a DAC and preamp with a built in phono section or a separate phono preamp and maybe interconnects and speaker cables.
The Music Room can be a great low risk source for used gear. If you want new now but don’t want spend big while you’re figuring stuff out, Schiit Audio is highly recommended. US based with great warranties, and well regarded products at rational prices.
A PS Audio Sprout might be a great way to get started. It lacks a coax in which may limit what you can do with your CD player but it has an onboard phono pre, blue tooth for you phone, USB, for your computer, and analog in for your CD internal DAC.
You might also consider something like the NAD C 658 BluOS DAC/pre which includes the pretty well regarded BlueOS streamer in the event you want to dip your toes into streaming and allow you to bypass the internal DAC on your CD player.
There are what can be an overwhelming number of choices. Get a sense of what you want to do, how much you want to spend - and then double that number :slight_smile: - and what your time line is. Being in too much of a hurry to spend a lot of money can start you down some expensive false paths. Don’t ask how I know…
Best of luck!
Edit to add that I didn’t know I’d want to get into streaming until it became an option. Now it’s 90% + of what I listen to. I bought a BlueSound Vault 2i to rip all my CDs. The Vault essential includes a Node streamer which I have come to love. Streaming opens an the entire world of music, most of it free.

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+1

Speakers and room setup are the only changes that have been more important and impactful in my experience.

The PSA DS Sr. DAC was the first component to open my ears to the fact that all DACs are not created equal.

If you listen to CDs, SACDs, or files and you want to significantly improve the performance of your system, save up for the best DAC you can afford.

That said, if your current speakers are not what you will be listening to long term, then I would plan and budget to acquire the “best” speakers you can afford.

Finally, you can improve your system by leaps and bounds much more economically/quickly by focusing on the used market. I like to focus on buying yesterday’s SOTA kit after the next best things start to be purchased by the early adopters.

Have fun.

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I am surprised that you mentioned you were not happy with either of the streaming choices.

I believe most of us on this forum use either Qobuz or Tidal and are quite happy with them, myself included.

In the end it’s all about the music and streaming does allow you to explore music that you may never have listened to otherwise.

As @RonP mentioned, get your system up and running and take it slow.

Good luck on your journey!

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I stream a lot these days. But when I was first thinking about it, I called the folks at PS Audio. I was looking for good sound but minimal hassle. I got great advice (Tidal, Roon, DS Jr.). I’ve never looked back. The advice was first rate.

This year, like others here, I sprang for the Grimm MU2. Way over what I thought was my budget. But it does so many things well, it is incredible. So yes, fair warning, big rabbit hole!

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You will learn SO much here. This place has been (and still is) an audiophile school for me. Whenever I have a question responses have been great. I am trying to build a new system but saving money to get it. Before coming here, I didn’t know about synergy between and amp and speakers. Needless to say, the budget for my system has increased and I had to come out of retirement.

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The used market is great for preamps and power amps.
My Conrad Johnson GAT-S2 preamp was purchased used, and sounds a million times better than my much older CJ PV10AL preamp.
My power amp was slso purchased on the used market.
My DAC, however, is a new DAC.
Streaming with a nice streamer like the MU2 is much easier to use and find music versus the Eversolo ( I have an A6), but do still like the Eversolo. But the MU2 sounds MUCH, MUCH, better

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After retirement, cars, bikes that demanded routine, expensive maintenance are gone. Roughly 40 years of that was plenty, thanks.
My primary hobby/passion now is my stereo system that gives me hours of pleasure every day. And it asks nothing of me but more and more music. Equipment expenditures are purely my decision to buy myself a new toy.

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