Thank you,
My choices were not etched in stone, but were price driven models. Thanks for your input on the Cam and the Peach.
My choices were not etched in stone, but were price driven models. Thanks for your input on the Cam and the Peach.
To Dac or not to Dac
I have a NAD 525 BEE in a room with a second system. I would rather not buy a new CDP, but would like to try an outboard DAC, thinking I could always use the DAC on another digital device. What do you guys think of the Jolida tubed DAC (FX series) or the Micromega unit? I would like to stay below $500 new.
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Tmsorosk, As living techie I can tell that tube DACs are only for audiophile community. All they do is show glowing tubes inside the chassis. They've been placed on the output stage, but all we perfectly know that to make a computer processor out of tubes takes a space larger than fridge in your kitchen! |
If you're just looking for improvement on your CD player, I'd say it's not worth it. I don't think you can get any significant improvement putting a $500 DAC on your approximately $350 NAD CD player. For me, to use a DAC on my Cambridge Audio 650C (bought for $500), to get any significant improvements would've cost me at least $1800 new (Simaudio Moon 300D), plus the money for a good S/PDIF interconnect. I tried the Moon 100D ($600) as well as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic, and neither delivered anything close to significant differences. For the two less expensive DACs, if it was a blind test, I would've offered maybe $75 for the improvements I heard. Unless your CD player is terrible, or you know of a DAC for $500 that outperforms the $1800 Moon 300D, save your money for something that actually makes a difference. If, however, you just want access to other formats from other sources (e.g., audio from a computer), then perhaps the Cambridge Audio DacMagic would justify itself for you (whichever model you choose). You should be able to find one of those under $500. I got more out of my CD player from a LessLoss DFPC Signature (power cord @ $1149) than I did from the $1800 Moon 300D. At the time of these auditions, the rest of my 2-channel setup looked like this: Focal 816V (floorstanding loudspeakers) Kimber 4TC (loudspeaker cable) Yamaha RX-A3010 (amp) Kimber PBJ (interconnect) Cambridge Audio 650C (CD player) 2 LessLoss DFPC Originals (power cords: 1 on source; 1 on amp) |
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