New DAC vs using current CD Player

Hello to all.
I currently use a Creek CD50 MKII. It is by far the best sounding CD player I have ever owned. I have had it about 10 years. My question is if I was to upgrade, would I be best to purchase an external DAC and use the current player as a transport? And if so what do you all believe would be a bang for the buck improvement over the current players performance?

The reason I ask is because I want to get into streaming high res audio like Spotify or Tidal and would need a DAC to do so, but was looking at the same time to maybe upgrade the Creeks performance without breaking the bank.
70129EFE-622B-4531-81E1-AF483B97D3FC.jpeg
 
An external DAC should make for a very nice step forward.

The sound you're after will determine the DAC. The Topping D30 is the current budget darling displacing the S.M.S.L M8 with the same performance, a slightly less fatiguing top end and overall lower price. Very detailed and neutral sounding though a little forward, so ultimately a similar sound to my Gustard DAC-X12 for a tiny fraction of the cost.

My pick, if you've either a bright or revealing system is a Starting Point Systems DAC3 which utilizes a NOS Philips TDA1543 chip, a reclocker, and two NiMh batteries. It provides the most natural and beguiling vinyl sound I've ever heard from a digital source with an incredibly deep (most DAC's manage a wide stage though few seem to have the depth), wide and incredibly three-dimensional sound stage. It can bring dead sounding recordings to life and really makes it sound like you're there at the performance.

I've a Gieseler Groß DAC being built which should theoretically destroy anything else I've heard though that really seems a tall order after using the DAC3
 
I would not buy an MQA DAC until they fix the issues of auto-switching. As of right now, even with the most Expensive MQA DACs, you have to manually switch between modes. Until that is fixed, I would avoid ANY MQA DACs.

We know your stand on MQA, and frankly it's getting boring.

If the OP wants to stream MQA he will benefit from a MQA enabled DAC.
(He has not said he will do MQA, but he mentioned Tidal so it's an option).

So lets not take this thread down the anti MQA path please.

Eric
 
@Galaxie500xl what is your budget?

If you can push it up there, I'd try the new Schiit Yggdrasil with it's new Analog 2 board. $2399.00. Qobuz is coming to the US sometime in the middle of this year if you want hi-res streaming. Not other services offer true high res at this point.
 
@Galaxie500xl what is your budget?

If you can push it up there, I'd try the new Schiit Yggdrasil with it's new Analog 2 board. $2399.00. Qobuz is coming to the US sometime in the middle of this year if you want hi-res streaming. Not other services offer true high res at this point.

Haha, if you can push it to that sort of price a Gieseler Groß will destroy that again ;)
 
Haha, if you can push it to that sort of price a Gieseler Groß will destroy that again ;)

I'd take your word for it if I could find 1 review or one more person other than yourself that thought it was awesome.

I now see it's something made in your home country and probably easily accessible to you. Good on you for promoting it.
 
My best bang for the buck for sound improvement thus far is a vintage Parasound D/AC-1000, less than $200 shipped.
 
I'd take your word for it if I could find 1 review or one more person other than yourself that thought it was awesome.

I now see it's something made in your home country and probably easily accessible to you. Good on you for promoting it.

Lol. We tend not to worry about all that nationalistic nonsense here in Australia. Damn near everything is imported so the reality is we just go with the best bang for your dollar. That mostly means Chinese gear :)

You're right that this one's easier for me to obtain. The manufacturer is only about a 2 hour drive away :)
 
Unfortunately we seem to live in a world where unsubstantiated hype is the order of the day when it comes to DACs. Seriously, DACs don't 'destroy' each other in terms of sound quality- that's just utter and complete BS.

Give me measurements. Actual. Test. Measurements. Not datasheet numbers, not manufacturer IC specs on one part of the system. Not numbers you know Joe Average can't confirm himself. Manufacturers, publish your test results and list your guaranteed specifications. Without that, there is zero credibility.

I don't want to hear glowing emotional opinions made after three glasses of red wine, half a cheese platter and a Fleetwood Mac track. I don't care who thinks it's fabulous- other people's views mean nothing to me. I trust scientific instruments first and my notoriously fallible ears second.
 
@Galaxie500xl what is your budget?

If you can push it up there, I'd try the new Schiit Yggdrasil with it's new Analog 2 board. $2399.00. Qobuz is coming to the US sometime in the middle of this year if you want hi-res streaming. Not other services offer true high res at this point.
Thanks for all the replies so far to my OP.

I would like to stay at 7 or 800 US$ or below, while still gaining significant sonic improvements over the Creeks DAC. It sounds like DAC’s have become much better for the money and improvement over the Creek Player for the cost I’m looking at should not be a problem.........right?
 
Thanks for all the replies so far to my OP.

I would like to stay at 7 or 800 US$ or below, while still gaining significant sonic improvements over the Creeks DAC. It sounds like DAC’s have become much better for the money and improvement over the Creek Player for the cost I’m looking at should not be a problem.........right?

I have not expertise in that price range nor have I heard your existing unit. Sorry.

The cheapest DAC on my recommended list is the Ayre Codex, but I don't think you can get it used for your budget unfortunately. Maybe $1000.
 
An external DAC should make for a very nice step forward.

The sound you're after will determine the DAC. The Topping D30 is the current budget darling displacing the S.M.S.L M8 with the same performance, a slightly less fatiguing top end and overall lower price. Very detailed and neutral sounding though a little forward, so ultimately a similar sound to my Gustard DAC-X12 for a tiny fraction of the cost.

My pick, if you've either a bright or revealing system is a Starting Point Systems DAC3 which utilizes a NOS Philips TDA1543 chip, a reclocker, and two NiMh batteries. It provides the most natural and beguiling vinyl sound I've ever heard from a digital source with an incredibly deep (most DAC's manage a wide stage though few seem to have the depth), wide and incredibly three-dimensional sound stage. It can bring dead sounding recordings to life and really makes it sound like you're there at the performance.

I've a Gieseler Groß DAC being built which should theoretically destroy anything else I've heard though that really seems a tall order after using the DAC3

Starting Point Systems DAC3 looks interesting ... TKS for posting this. :thumbsup:
 
Buy a DAC online that has a return policy. If it sounds better than your CD player keep it, if not, send it back. This way it won't cost you anything to find out if a new DAC is better than your CD player.
 
Starting Point Systems DAC3 looks interesting ... TKS for posting this. :thumbsup:

No worries, I bought mine out of curiosity, not really expecting much. It's sound quality was a real surprise to me though a most welcome one :)

Here's a YouTube video from the Frenchman who makes it. I believe he will take a DAC back if you're unsatisfied with its performance though it's worth double checking with him first. He's not particularly fast to reply, though he does reply after a few days:

 
Last edited:
No worries, I bought mine out of curiosity, not really expecting much. It's sound quality was a real surprise to me though a most welcome one :)

Here's a YouTube video from the Frenchman who makes it. I believe he will take a DAC back if you're unsatisfied with its performance though it's worth double checking with him first. He's not particularly fast to reply, though he does reply after a few days:


Yes ... watched that earlier today. Really intriguing video. Reminds me of the Lounge Audio LCR MK III Phono Pre guy.
Bought that back in December and have been really pleased w/ the results. I like these "thinking outside the box" kind of products.

 
From Sony.

"Popular streaming websites like Spotify and Pandora typically use a bitrate of 160 kbps, which is less than that of MP3s. If you spring for Spotify Premium, you’ll still only have access to 320 kbps tracks, which is equivalent to MP3s. Tidal is one of the only streaming websites that streams in CD quality. But it still pales in comparison to the emotional experience that High-Resolution Audio delivers."

Some other "HD' streaming music sites have resorted to upsampling their files. Just sayin... these days, a consumer seldom knows the "chain of custody" a music file goes through, thus rarely knows how many conversions have taken place.
 
Yes, I went with a Valab LCR-1 which really is a final end game phono stage for me. It's performance is nothing short of incredible for its cost.
 
Back
Top Bottom