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Want to buy Ayre C-5xeMP but...

I have had the Ayre in my system for 4 days and at first I found it to be better than my CDP but after extended listening I am to the point where I don't want to let it go.

My only concern is should I go with a DAC and a server instead?

I do not want to hear a hard drive or the fan of a computer and my display is a DLP and has an annoying fan also, so I never have them on while critical listening. Even the faint noise coming out of the DVR is too much.

I know that music servers are the future of audio but I don't mind changing the CD's. If I want convenience I just burn discs with the songs that I am listening to most of the time and when my mood changes I can throw that one out and burn a new one.

I have thousands of songs on my computer and shuffling through them is great but in my system I am all about sound not convenience.

Are CD's dead and upgrading my CDP a waist of money?

2 channel part of the system consists of..

Krell Evo 707
Krell Evo 400 mono's
B&W 800D's
Meridian G08
Ps Audio PPP
Shunyata Python CX pc's
relentless
herman
2,267 posts
 
Thanks for the info Perrew. have you tried to feed the DAC some way other than wireless?

Relentless, I don't think the statement about CDs not being digital is correct but perhaps he was alluding to the fact that when ripping a CD you can do it as fast or as slow or take as many passes as it takes until you get a perfect copy whereas when playing a CD it is done in real time. This makes it much more prone to data errors as well as the problems of reading it and at the same time trying to keep feeding the data to the DAC at a constant rate.
jtimothya
612 posts
 
  
I'd say this is the time to be buying CDs. Like turntables and tonearms after the CD proclaimed 'the death of vinyl', the CD player will only improve. And today, the C-5xeMP is a excellent choice.
 
http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/arc_cd5.htm
 
perrew
299 posts
 
Well from my understanding even cheap CD players have good error correction and memory buffering with large enough memory chips, so I dont buy the myth that the reading of the disc is superior with computer vs. CD.

Relentless, I think you should definately ask your dealer what he has to say about what transport(i.e. music server) he uses and how he feels about about electrical noise from the switching power supplies.
herman
2,267 posts
 
Do you really "understand" enough to declare this a myth or have you just deemed it a myth because with your setup you prefer the CD and these co called myths fit your conclusions?

I think your assumption that even cheap players use FIFO memory buffering is a myth, and on-the-fly error correction can't compete with the solutions available when ripping.
perrew
299 posts
 
My conclusions follow my experience and my experience follow the theories Ive been able do dig up so far.
This is not a proof.
I have had the same experience with other good DACs as well. They sounded better when fed with a CD transport than with a computer.

It depends on how you define cheap but I still think most cd players contain large enough RAMs for powerful error correction and memory buffering.

May I ask what server you run and has it beaten your CD transports?
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