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Buying expensive used CD player/transp = bad idea?

Hello Everyone,

I wonder what is your say(from your experience) about
buying a second hand "hi end" cd player or transport.
As far as I know the optical block(laser) in even the best cd transports(like Philips Pro)are good for 5000-6000 playing hours and after that must be replaced.
Purchasing 4-5 years old Hi End CD player which may have accumulated nearly 80-90% of above stated figure seems to me as an absurd.
Of course,laser block can be replaced,but is it always available??(might be discontinued)
and what the cost is? + the hassle of the whole procedure.
Going for more affordable(brand new) cd transport and spending the big money for top class DAC seems to be a better idea.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you.
kdbg00
detlof
1,899 posts
 
According to the experience I have made with the Zanden combo, the dcs chain and Steve Nugent's USB DAC, I completely agree with Shadorne. I would follow his advice, if I were you and put PC audio into the equation even if it at first complicates things for you. According to my ears it is well worth the trouble. You could, for example, start with a good DAC and get a TRENDS USB SPIF converter for little money and experiment. There is a good chance, that you might be so pleased, that you won't need a transport at all.
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mizuno
59 posts
 
is a DAC much better in terms of D to A conversion than a good pre-amp/ integrated amp?
bar81
791 posts
 
A preamp/integrated amp generally does not perform D/A conversion.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
is a DAC much better in terms of D to A conversion than a good pre-amp/ integrated amp?

A separate DAC (with no DSP processing) may be better at dealing with incoming jitter and internal generated jitter than a DSP pre or integrated - there is a lot less going on. However, "in theory" there is absolutely no reason a good preamp/integrated cannot sound as good. I suspect that a separate DAC may be the most cost effective option as the lower priced DAC's sell in large volumes, which reduces the machining costs on the most expensive pieces - fascia etc. Often the raw ingredients (chips/components) will be similar - as practically nobody makes their own chips/components for their own specific player...
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