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Some Help

calexcyou

calexcyou

Member
I been a member here for a while and I am not really into theaters are surround sound, but just clean 2 channel sound . I belong to a few forums but to tell u the truth i can never get a answer from anyone without them beating around the bush and telling me to spend thousands of dollars for upgrades or get into streaming.
I have been into stereo for 50 years plus and i know what sounds good, but with new technology my brain is trying to absorb faster than i can comprehend.
I have had lots of stereo systems in the past from PE 3060 TT, Luxman , to Roberts, Marantz , receivers to Electro Research 320 Speakers.
My current systems today consist of main system Cambridge AXR 100 , Project Debut Carbon /Ort Red , Fossil Audio Tube Box 4 Photo Pre amp , with Elac 2.0 6.2 Speakers.
I would like to add my Nad 5000 CD or Nad 523 CD player to my system , but was wondering if I should get a DAC . I was looking at the Topping E30 or the Cambridge Dacmajic Plus.
I also have a Nad AV716 receiver and a Phillips 312 TT all original , with a Little Bear T7 Tube Phono Pre amp , and Pioneer SP-BS22 Andrew Jones Speakers to play my jazz vinyl .
then add either a DAC for the other CD player.
I have a huge collection of CD and Vinyl and its all I listen to.
I am moving into a smaller home and the living room is only 12' X 11' with one side being all window.
My simple question is should I get a DAC for the CD players or use the DACs in the receivers. Eventually i would like to hook up my TV to my system.​
Any thoughts would be appreciated .
Thanks
 
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It appears the Topping E30 II is $127 on Amazon. Not a huge gamble compared to the rest of your system; if you take good care of it, you can probably recover half your cost selling on Craigslist. I don't know how new or good your CD players are, but overall I think DAC technology has improved over the years. I would say my Benchmark DAC is better than the output of my Oppo player but not as good as the output of my Sony. Good luck... There are lots of used DACs on the market. Maybe you can get a bargain from somebody with upgrade-itis. Also make sure the DAC has enough inputs for your multiple players.
 
calexcyou said:
...main system Cambridge AXR 100 , Project Debut Carbon /Ort Red , Fossil Audio Tube Box 4 Photo Pre amp , with Elac 2.0 6.2 Speakers.

I would like to add my Nad 5000 CD or Nad 523 CD player to my system, but was wondering if I should get a DAC .

My simple question is should I get a DAC for the CD players...
Click to expand...

I shortened you initial post so folks can get right to the heart of the matter.

Both your Nad 5000 CD & Nad 523 CD already have built in DACS so the question to you is why are you thinking about getting a stand alone DAC?
 
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It seems to me you have some easy to sample no cost options.
1. A CD player of your choice into the AXR or the AV716 in analog using the CD players internal DAC.
2. Using the digital output of the CD player if it has one (I did not check yours) into the AXR using it as the DAC. It looks like the AV716 is analog only so that is not an option for it.

You may be perfectly happy with the sound produced this way. When CD's came out using the analog outputs of the player was the only option.
Some of the early CD players are held in very high regard by some folks who prefer the sound of the early non-oversampling DAC chips with R2R conversion.
There are some current DAC's being made with NOS DAC chips.

See if you are happy with what you have before you spend a lot of $
 
calexcyou said:
..My current systems today consist of main system Cambridge AXR 100 ..I also have a Nad AV716 receiver

My simple question is should I.. use the DACs in the receivers.
Click to expand...

You could with the Cambridge however the NAD looks like it does not have an internal DAC
 
Thanks for all your replies, I know that both receivers have Dacs , but I am reading that external Dacs are always better sounding.
Unfortunately the only way to hear the difference between dac inside or external to buy one . But for the money invested in a external Dac I can use it for my desktop.
It's not like the old days when you would have a local stereo shop on a corner and they would lend you a piece of equipment to test drive it.
 
Buy a DAC thru Amazon and listen to it ..
If the improvement is worth it ... keep it .. if not return it .. Amazon makes it possible to audition ..

DAC's are all slightly different one from another .. pretty much have to listen to them to find your flavor ..
 
I think it's hype to say that external DACs are always better sounding. If the player has better implementation or newer technology, there's no reason it can't sound better. Also the synchronization/clocking/jitter should be easier to manage in a single component. No component is perfect; one or the other may be a better match to your system and personal subjective preference. Some folks will hype "new and improved" but your ears may not agree. Plus you have cabling and convenience issues...
 
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