Is it worth upgrading a CD player?

@newbee

+1

Transport. But,

Also, it will depend on your other equipment. Rega makes a really large range integrated amps from extremely inexpensive to much less inexpensive. Which do you have and speakers? What is your longer termed goals? Move your system up? Or just bring your CD player closer to your vinyl playback?

If thinking longer termed, I would consider a streamer as transport instead of physical media. For the price of a CD / month you get access to a nearly infinite amount of music, much at a higher resolution than CD. Streaming can equal or exceed the sound quality of Other digital content or even vinyl at different price points.

Streaming is not always the answer, If one has a large collection of CD’s. Though it is close CD sound quality is better.

My advice is the opposite of @kota1 .  The DAC is the most important part of a CD system.  If you have a DAC you like, then you are really just using the CD player as a CD transport, sending a digital signal to the DAC.

Streaming you are fighting bit losses as large files are sent over the internet.  I don't know for sure, and maybe someone who knows can speak up here, but I think CD players are much closer to "lossless".  If that is the case, there is not much to be gained.  

The key to digital is to get a DAC you like and it sounds like you have.  Once you have that DAC, I would never use the DAC in a cd player.

Jerry

Thanks for all your responses! I have around 1,000 CD’s boxed up (after switching back to vinyl 7 years ago, oh the irony) and I just did a trial on Qobuz which was great but I’m looking interested in playing the CD boxsets I have where the bonus discs weren’t ever released on vinyl so it’s my only way to hear alternate takes, unreleased tracks, etc.). At this stage my CD player is basically a transporter as it feeds into the Audiolab M-DAC+. From the comments above, as I’m happy with my DAC I should stick with what I have. Thanks again.

@side22olto  - I haven't heard your DAC so I can't offer an opinion on its SQ. As far as whether or not you may or may not heard a difference with another transport in combination with it only you can decide by listening with your equipment. However,  in general better transports  offer SQ improvements as they allow the DAC to better realize its SQ potential. If you are going to stay with a separate DAC I will agree with newbee to spend the money on a dedicated transport versus another CD player acting as a transport. If you are in the US companies such as Crutchfield & Audio Advisor have 30 day return policies so you can audition a transport that's in the price range of your DAC.  Net net, having 1st hand experience with this in my own systems , I'd suggest ignoring any advice that suggests that the transport doesn't matter, that bits are bits, yada , yada, yada