DAC vs CD Player for cd playback with computer audio - Help old timer out

Your CD player doesn’t have a digital input so cannot be used as a DAC for streaming.  As @ghdprentice mentioned, it’s best to get a dedicated streamer for best sound.  The DAC8 has both AES/EBU an SPDIF inputs (no USB) so you’d need a streamer that has at least one of those outputs and then the CD2 can be plugged into the other and you should be good.  You’ll be very glad you made the effort to start streaming — I’ve never enjoyed audio more with the ability to find incredible new music on almost a daily basis.  Goodonya!

I tried Googling the AR DAC and CDP but didn’t get the info I sought.  If the CDP is from 2092 my guess is that it will not have a digital input to access its DAC.  If it has a USB digital input only it might not be an asynchronous USB.

  A DAC from 2012 is more likely to meet the requirements.  See if it has an asynchronous USB input to work with your PC.  If so then you are good.  If it doesn’t then you could get a streamer that has every digital output in all price ranges and transfer the computer files (I assume that you mean files on a hard drive) to a USB flash drive.  The streamer will then work with commercial streaming services.

  Since you are new to streaming, IMO the DAC is the major determinant of the sound.  Streamers matter but for around 1K you can get something that should pair nicely with the AR DAC.  If you like streaming you can always buy an uber expensive streamer for that last little increase in performance 

@kublakhan Audio Research is excellent. I’m a huge fan. I used to own CD3MkII. 
A word of caution on the older ARC cd players - the Philips transports that old have a high probability of failure - you can find a replacement and swap it yourself if you’re handy; There are other parts in those older CD players that can fail and potentially brick the unit permanently as ARC may not have replacement parts and no one will be able to fix it. 
On ARC DACs - keep in mind their USB cards are not linux compatible unless you opt for the latest DAC or confirm the DAC you are buying has an upgraded USB card. This matters if you are using Apple computer or any of the modern streamers and use USB as interface (using computer to stream music is not ideal to begin with). 
This CD9SE has an upgraded USB card. If you look at pictures you will see the sticker Audio Research placed above the usb input https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650115598-audio-research-dac-9-se/

Alternative solution to your case would be  separate CD Transport, streamer and DAC. Depends on your budget you can get a really nice setup. 
 

Kublakhan WELCoMe Back . Where have you been? I am glad to see you back. So many changes happen since you left.