The Law of Diminishing Digital Returns


When is the sound good enough? Is that $2500 CDP $1500 better sounding than the $1000 player? I have read posts on members favorite CDP'S - i.e., Ayre, Opus, Sony, Rega, Arcam, Naim, Musical Fidelity, and countless others. I guess my question is: When you get to a certain price point (I am guessing it is in the $1000 - $1500 range) are players worth the additional $1000's in some cases for the 5% improvement in sound quality? There has to be a player out there that is really close to those $4k to $5k CDP's that is a pleasure to listen to (or even a Giant Kiler) for around $1000. Am I the only one who feels this way? Let's keep modded players out of this please. I am looking for your thought on players right out of the box that wowed you!
mattcone
How we come up with these percentages (5% better) I don't know. I am guilty of the same rap. That being said, when I'm listening for an extended time: 5% is a big deal. You said you don't want to go mod, but let me just say, that it is a very good way not to be behind the digital eight ball. I just sold my Prima, but if I could have sent it back, and had it upgraded with their new transport, and their latest and greatest, I might have rethought purchasing a new player. Well, maybe not in this case, but most of the time. The Audio Aero Prima is a honey of a player. Can go tete a tete with the big boys. Their new one? Can only imagine, but I'm sure it is grand..peace, warren
sorry for the little mod schtick...just kept it to the concept not the brand..fwiw...
it has always been true that the search for the last 3db (in this case a metaphor) is the most expensive. the ultimate is the ultimate because, well it costs more then anything else - in theory at least superior engineering and manufacturing support the claim.

But if what you really want is permission to stop at a grand because you are "there" and there is no need to spend more, think hard about what Matt8268 wrote. From personal experience I can promise you that he will not be publishing a retraction after his goodies arrive...
Matt, I have a laptop sitting around collecting dust and am thinking about getting a DAC. But I am new at this, so how do you feed signal from PC to DAC? Do you need some kind of software? Not too many DAC out there have a USB port, but my laptop has a digital out. Please advice.

Thanks.
5% is hard to see, let alone hear, in my book. at the same time, those mod things get us into no end process. those modded things are hard to compare, and how do you know is there any better mod for some CD player when you're doing one? and you have to have the original player to compare is it any better or worse than modded one.

and let me 'quote' Laurie Anderson: define better...

and if it means more details, no thanks,i'm sick of all those newly discovered details in every generation of CD players. bring back musicality, please!
You've brought up a good point with the law of diminishing returns. I have been looking at several CD players over the past couple of months and now think that I may go with the new Rega Apollo. The new Forbidden City Turandot also interests me but we're talking twice the price.