Why does my old CD player sound so much better than my new streamer?


Earlier this year I upgraded my system. Briefly, new Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP integrated, new Lumin D2 streamer/DAC, kept my Tekton speakers, bought a 10 year old Muse Erato CD player, new Nordost Red Dawn cables all around.  After plenty of break in, the Lumin D2 streaming Tidal, even 24/96, does not sound close to as good as the Muse Erato.  I understand the Muse was about $10k new years ago, I paid $650 for it on Audiogon, is that the difference? It replaced my Naim I had for 20+ years and I bought it on the chance I want to listen to something not on Tidal, but now I'm going to CDs when I want to sit and listen instead of streaming. I considered upgrading to the Lumin T2, but will that be more of the same Lumin sound, which is accurate but thin and a little cold compared to the Muse.  I like the Lumin when just letting Tidal shuffle music as I move around the house, but from the opening note in an A/B test the Muse just sounds so much warmer, live and simply more enjoyable. Any thoughts or suggestions?
fsgattuso
Yes, the level of the jitter is a lot higher when you use a CD-player. The other problem almost all people make is the fact that they (wanna) believe that a separate DAC is always the best solution. This is only based on an assumption people want to believe. Only because it has been said. DACS still loses too much diversity (layering) in sound. Even the most expensive ones show the same limitations.

ONLY FACTS WILL LEAD TO THE REAL TRUTH

You can read whatever you want and think whatever you want. But these words and thoughts have no meaning when they are not the truth. Trial&error is the main reason why audio in 2019 has created a decreasing market. When I talk with manufacturers about the decreasing market in audio, they even agree with me that trial&error is ineffective and the reason why the market is decreasing.

But in the past, they all could get away with it because everyone believed in it. Now they all see that they can not change it anymore. The other important limitation can be found in the fact that humans can only perceive 1 to 3 aspects of sound at the same moment. You need to be able like I am to perceive all 8 aspects of sound within 1/10 of a second.

This is why money will never save and help you. When your brains are not fit to reveal all 8 aspects of sound you can never make the right decision in your choices in audio. I talked with hundreds of people. They all had similar experiences that trial&error makes them never find the sound and stage they hope for.

Trial&error is just like an illusion. Based on the 100% fact that it is not possible to understand what each individual part you change for another part does to the end result. It has no real foundation. In all the discussions I had with manufactures they all agreed that trial&error has no foundation.

EVERYTHING IN LIFE WITHOUT A FOUNDATION CAN NEVER BE UNDERSTOOD BY ANY HUMAN

You need to explain in detail what the full DNA (aspects/properties of sound) are of each individual part within your system.

After this, you need to explain in full detail what the influence is of electro-smog, the acoustic, magnetism and high-frequency noise on your sound and stage independently. When you are not able to do this, it is 100% impossible to understand what you are doing regarding your choices in audio.

Trial&error is nothing more than pure gambling in choices. This is why you keep on buying until you die. And still, your system is incomplete in aspects/properties of sound. So the level of emotion will always be limited. The money will never solve or help you to create an ultimate level in audio.

Because almost all produced audio products can still not reveal all aspects of sound. Everything you place into your system that is incomplete (lacks different aspects/properties of sound) will always create a negative influence on the end result. So the level in emotion and realism will stay low.

THIS IS WHY ONLY EMOTION CAN MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY IN AUDIO







bo1972
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The other problem almost all people make is the fact that they (wanna) believe that a separate DAC is always the best solution. This is only based on an assumption people want to believe. Only because it has been said. DACS still loses too much diversity (layering) in sound. Even the most expensive ones show the same limitations. ONLY FACTS WILL LEAD TO THE REAL TRUTH"

A properly designed, manufactured, implemented, and installed DAC will outperform any builtin DAC every single time and if you have "FACTS" that show otherwise I challenge you to reveal, present, and explain them here but you will NOT do that because of you're committment to TRU-FI which has been clearly shown, demonstrated, and revealed to be tragically, hopelessly, and fatally flawed by failure to identify, measure, and correct for ICSS distortion as I have shown to you in your own store! 
Funny, I don't keep buying equipment until I die.  I've upgraded my cabling and tweaks but that's it for 13 years.  I plan to upgrade my speakers in the future and possibly my DAC.   Listening to Patricia Barber recordings is not my choice for judging an audio system.  I use a broad selection from various genres of music.   I prefer analog recordings made in the 1950's and 1960's.  Maybe the Lumin modified is great.  I've heard many excellent DACs in the past 10 years compared to terrible sounding CD players from the 1980s.
The biggest benefit of a turntable is the fact that you can play old records that come from the real master. Because there are many old recordings from which there are no real masters anymore. So they use a back-up copy from which they made a CD. But all these CDs are very poor.

This means that no CD-player or even network player can ever come close to a good turntable with old recordings. I heard it at different times and I sold also many turntables in the past. It is maybe not my personal choice, but I understand very well the benefit of a turntable.

When a network player has an inbuilt DAC the level in layering becomes bigger. This is why it is a lot more effective to modify a network player with an inbuilt DAC. Now in 2019 we are still waiting and hoping to find a separate DAC that has a much higher level in diversity in sound.

We always make those choices that create the best results. We auditioned many expensive DACS with network players and they were not able to reveal the same level in layering we have. Besides the layering in sound, a modified Lumin is a lot more dynamic compared to separate DACS with network players. I need to mention that we also use modified power supplies.

So the combination of a modified Lumin network player and a separate modified power supply together makes the big difference in the end result. The Lumin owns the perfect DNA to be upgraded with a modification. This means that their technique is essential for us to create and achieve this ultimate level.

This is why we are always are looking for the best DNA to create together with our modifications to the best results. Without this DNA it is impossible to create any ultimate level in quality and end result. This means that even before a modification the source needs to be able to reveal all aspects of sound.