cd players into external dac.

admin_exported

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Aug 10, 2019
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Hi,

I have a UnitiQute. Mostly I listen to UPNP & ipod/iphone. Occasionally I still like to play cd's so I have a old Aristion Maxim cd3 connected via digital coax. Now, please correct me if Im wrong here, but I understand this setup to mean that the DAC on the cd player is bypassed and the dac on the Qute is used. However, playing cd's I find the sound 'dull' and lifeless compared with the ipod/iphone. Even on the ripped lower bitrate.

So, my question is, seeing as the DAC is on the amp, does it really matter too much ( within reasonable £ boundaries ) what CD player is used? Would I really hear a benefit from a new £300 player or indeed an £800 player when they too would be using the Qute's Dac? Does the transport make any noticable difference at this level? ( and I really prefer to use the Qutes DAC = one less cable )

Also, the CD player is not 'on' when not in use. Does it need to 'warm up' to be at its best? is this the problem maybe?

thanks.
 
A

Anonymous

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Changing the transport is unlikely to have a significant effect on SQ at this level. What is the sound like if you use the DAC in the CD player instead of the Qute, still dull and lifeless? Can you try a different digital source plugged in the Qute's DAC to see if the SQ improves - that would pin point whether the problem is with your CD players transport. Have you got a DVD player you can use as a CD transport to give it a try?
 
A

Anonymous

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I suspect the transport is showing its age - almost 20 years. The ipod & UPNP both sound stunning andd they use the Qute's DAC. I'm very very impressed with the Qute, the iradio sound is also extremely impressive. The sound from cd is just 'lifeless' and uninvolving in comparison.

So, if i bought a new low end CD player would the transport be an improvement?

Basically, I guess i'm now asking whether the transport for a £100 cdplayer is much better than than a £300 or £800 player - or is most of the cost (and therefore the sound improvement ) in the quality of their DAC's. I'm reluctant to spend too much on a cd player these days.

thanks for your help.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
From my personal experience, transports make a significant difference to the sound. I used to have an Arcam CD73 and that sounded better than my Cambridge Audio DVD player when plugged into my Russ Andrews DAC1USB. When the Arcam died, I bought one of the new Cambridge Audio CD range (Azur 550C) which was better again than the Arcam. Whether that was because of an aging Arcam transport, or that the new CA range have a redesigned mechanism and servo to extract more from the discs, I don't know. One thing is for sure, to my ears, on my system differences are clearly discernible. Your Naim should clearly show differences as well, so I suggest you borrow a few and try them out. One other thing, get a decent coax, as that makes a difference as well, being clearly better than toslink or usb.
 
T

the record spot

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As for the cable, it's a digital signal, so the cable will either work or it won't. If you've got a short length between your components, you needn't go mad. I bought a John Lewis optical cable for a tenner and have just splashed out the princely sum of £3.99 including delivery on Amazon for a coax. Yes, you can buy expensive or more expensive as you need, but you'd find more profit in sourcing some good recordings for your system and rejigging your speaker position than anything else (IMO).
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
downandout said:
I suspect the transport is showing its age - almost 20 years. The ipod & UPNP both sound stunning andd they use the Qute's DAC. I'm very very impressed with the Qute, the iradio sound is also extremely impressive. The sound from cd is just 'lifeless' and uninvolving in comparison.

The CD will either work or not - the digital information at the digi-out socket is exactly the same regardless of a £20 player or a £20,000 player. In some cases timing jitter may vary and some mis-tracking may make it sound edgy but the digital information is the same, and if you use a re-timing DAC it will sound exactly the same.

I suspect you may be hearing some processing in the iPhone that makes the sound a little more dynamic. Try borrowing another CD player and listening to that - then you'll have the answer. Also I'd use optical cable - not coax, it's good to isolate the boxes completely with optical.
 

amcluesent

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Trade in the Qute for the NaimUniti and dispense with a seperate CD player?

You need to compare a lossless rip streamed through the Qute with the same CD played into the DAC to compare like for like. IIRC the iPod input on the Qute is analogue, so you're listening the signal processing/DAC/buffer amp in the iPod.
 

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