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Sony jukebox CDP-CX400: Can it sound good?

Hi Everyone,
I have a Sony 400 CD changer, model CDP-CX400. I'm fully aware that this is a "low-fi" product. My question is: Does anyone think that the sound could be significantly improved by adding perhaps a jitter filter and an outboard DAC? Has anyone done it already? I'm very interested to hear from you all, because I think it's a great product for many other reasons. It's only the sound that's disappointing.
tfkaudio
kthomas
911 posts
 
Definitely - hook it up to a good DAC and I think you'll find the sound greatly improved. I agree - it's a lot of fun to put 400 CDs in one place and have the flexibility of playback. -Kirk
tumbler
93 posts
 
The 1s and 0sare not lo-fi, I run a 200 disc Sony CD changer via Toslink into a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista-21 DAC and its great. Read the current issue of SF regarding this DAC.
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
Follow-up. I just hooked up my Birdland Odeon Ag upsampling DAC (with re-clocker) to my Sony jukebox(es) and WOW! The improvement is dramatic. I feel like I'm hearing my CDs for the first time.
socrates
247 posts
 
I tried the jukebox to a dac thing for a while ($500 Pioneer Elite player, various $1000-$2000 dacs) and thought it sounded good...that is, at least until I bought a cheap/used Theta dedicated transport, which completely outclassed the changer in every imaginable way. That's not an overstatement. I have found the transport to be at least as important as the dac, and often more so as it's harder to match up perfectly. Jukeboxes and the vast majority of DVD players make horrible transports in my experience, I'm sorry to say....
tfkaudio OP
591 posts
 
Don't kill my buzz, Socrates! Now I'm gonna find myself trolling for transports.......
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