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CD player or CD transport ??

Hey All.... I'm looking to upgrade my CD playback by moving the duties from my Oppo player to a stand alone CD player.. It'll be connected to a pre-amp/processor before it hits the amplifier.. So my question is am I better off using the money to get an upper tier transport and relying on the DSP/DAC in the processor (currently Cary Audio Cinema12) or better to get a CD player because of the synergy that might occur in the design the maker made in the assembly/design of the unit ? I'm assuming the transport does no processing and only delivers the signal picked up from the CD... I have about the $2000 range...  Any suggestions on which model in the budget ?  I prefer it can do SACD too... Thanks
oem-wheels
nutty
2,976 posts
 
A used Ayre 7 series would be a nice addition. Arcam FMJ CD27 also has SACD and streaming.
N
dbphd
1,632 posts
 
I use an Ayre C-5xeMP through a Parasound JC 2 BP to JC 1 mono blocks driving a pair of KEF Reference 107/2s for stereo.  I do prefer sound of that setup to my Oppo 105D or Sony XA5400ES through the Bryston SP 3, but the claim of no comparison would be an exaggeration, because the sound from the Oppo with the SP 3 can be superb, especially with DTS-HD MA or Dolby True HD from a prime Blu-ray.  Front LR from the SP 3 is passed through the JC 2 BP to access the JC 1 amps.
oem-wheels OP
196 posts
 
Makes sense...  no matter how much resolution a $10,000 CD player has, the $500 Oppo  can match it and then some..  May come down to musicality ?  
zorro
45 posts
 
Esoteric DV50S, I bought it here at Audiogon and it's amazing

rspyder
99 posts
 
I bought an OPPO 105D and got it modded.  I still prefer my Ayre C-5xeMP so I moved the OPPO to my HTS.  There is something about the Ayre that is very tough to beat.  Wish Ayre took the same direction as Esoteric.
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