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upgrading my CEC TL51xr

I like my CEC very much, it has beautiful analouge sound, i also use it as a transport which links to Havana dac, the result was amazing organic timbre with decent soundstage. The thing is now i want better detail, more defined presentation, so i unplugged Havana, using CEC's internal dac, and then i got my tight bass back, but now the soundstage is flat, the sound is less engaging(still very smooth and analouge though)and less life like quality.
So anyone who used to own CEC tl51xr and upgraded with success please share your experience.
if u have heard NOS dac like Havana, u might understand my preference, to me a musical sounding equipment must have a realistic soundstage, a kind of presence. And life like timbre, that gives you the being there experience. The kind of sound that is just pure musical patterns and coherent so i can engage the performance effortlessly. Since i don't have my own PC, im going back to dedicated cdp for now.
Here's my list of cdp:
Bryston bcd-1
Ayre cx7e
roksan caspian m series1
linn majk
my amp is plinius and speakers are spendor bookshelves.
thanks very much
karmatogdral
karmatogdral OP
66 posts
 
thanks so much for the tips, I must admit that my DIY skill limits within the room treatment, so about upgrading the output stage is probably not the option for me(probably).
I did read something quite positive about Ayon cdp, though i found a good deal on Ayre cx7e, i wonder if that would give good balance for my laid back spendor.
karmatogdral OP
66 posts
 
Then again, if i go the DAC route, which DAC has solid soundstage and powerful bass? I thinking Bel canto DAC 3.
When I got the upgrade bug, I was thinking of a good power cord for the amp. But the powercord turned out to be too expensive so i thought the weak link should be the source cuz when I experimented with different sources, i found places I really like about my DAC which improved from my cdp, and vice versa there are things that cdp does better than DAC.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
IMO, the best DAC for the CEC TL-51XR is the Lessloss DAC 2004. The benefit is that the TL-51XR used as a transport can be slaved to the DAC (via a clock cable that can be purchased). This is the set-up I run. As for the cost, the Lessloss is expensive (Euro $2995 new) and they rarely come up used.

On your list I'd go with the Ayre. Another option in the same ball park price wise would be a Resolution Audio Opus 21.
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