Well, for me, my Airport Express & DAC triumph over my CD player (£800, bought six or seven years ago). Even with some older non-lossless encoded songs it's mostly the former over the latter, but a straight CD versus Lossless test and there's no contest.
My CD player feels less like a vital part of my set-up and more like an artefact at present. Long live the future format. Oh, and vinyl.
A USB or optical (or wireless via Airport Express) connection into a good DAC is claimed by many to sound superior to more expensive CD players (with lossless music).
I am taking the first step towards this as soon as my (less prestigious) USB DAC arrives somewhen this week. So I will be able to get some idea of the potential for these these claims soon. (With Apple lossless files @ 16bits and 44.1 khz I should at least get an idea of what everyone is on about.)
The Chordette Gem information literature states 24 bit resolution @ 44.1 khz (and it is capable of sampling between 44 - 96khz) so it is not unreasonable to expect at least CD quality. Chord claim "CD like" transfer performance via Bluetooth here....
The concept of Lossless + DAC is a good one, though I really don't fancy bluetooth as a means of getting the data to it, so I'd look at others - starting with the DACMagic, obviously.
JohnDuncan:The concept of Lossless + DAC is a good one, though I really don't fancy bluetooth as a means of getting the data to it, so I'd look at others - starting with the DACMagic, obviously.
The only reason to buy the Gem is if you need bluetooth connectivity. You are paying a premium for that and the Chord Electronics name. If you have a laptop with usb or even better coaxial, the DacMagic, Beresford, or spend more on the Benchmark if you want.