Transport for DAC

I have had a DAC3 for a couple weeks now and have run a 200.00 player and a 1500.00 player as transports. Can't tell any difference. That's why I am selling the expensive player. Cables might make a bit of a difference, but to be truthful I can't tell there either (using the SPDIF inputs--haven't used the toslink or any others on the DAC3 yet).

I think I'm definitely in the minority here, but my own experience is that a good transport does make a difference. When I purchased my Lector transport it was the first piece I had ever had that transformed my system, greater coherence and balance. I can't pretend to know why, but I do know that at this point it has stopped me from exploring computer-based systems because I'm too busy listening to music.

Tbadder - That is true. Good transport makes a difference in general but not with asynchronous upsampling jitter rejecting DACs. I'm using one (Benchmark DAC1) that has very strong jitter suppression with very cheap DVD player (DVD players have good tracking). The only thing affected by transport is jitter and once it is eliminated it won't make any difference as long as player/transport is "bit transparent" (doesn't use any DSP processing or digital volume control etc.)

Agree with Kijanki. Transport can matter but it depends on DAC. A good transport does not necessarily have to be expensive these days also.

I use the transport still in my Denon player with external DAC. The sound is essentially identical compared to same source material ripped to music server and streamed via Roku Soundbridge network player to the Paradisea DAC, which is not upsampling but still has good jitter suppression characteristics supposedly with most decent transports.

I'm not familiar with the jitter suppression capabilities, if any, of the Bel Canto DAC3. But assuming they are not comparable to those of the Benchmark DAC1 which Kijanki referred to, keep in mind that the length of the interconnect cable between transport and dac is perhaps just as important as the dac itself.

See the following thread for a complete explanation and supporting references:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1237611683

It is essential that the interconnect be no less than 1.5 meters long. Longer than 1.5 meters may be ok, but 1.5 meters is generally considered to be the ideal length.

Regards,
-- Al