Should i bother with a CD player?

[admin_exported]

Hey Guys

I am in the proccess of putting togther my new hifi, so far i am waiting delivery on my Marantz 6002 and Dali Lecktor 2 speakers and i'm going to get some kinda turntable to go with this.

I'm just unsure if to get a CD player to go with this. I will mostly be using my PC using a Asus Xonar sound card to play apple lossless files. Just wondering if this is going to be off a high enough qualtiy? Or should i get a CD player?

Cheers

 

[Big Chris]

This is gonna sound sarcastic, but it's not meant to.

Basically. Do you want to play CDs?

If so, there's nothing better for the job than a dedicated CD player. If you rip all your CDs to your PC and use that for all your listening duties, then a CD player is probably gonna be a waste of money.

 

[Anonymous]

Is the computer a noisy desktop one and is it in the same room?

If so I'd get a CD player, or look at an alternate computer solution.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Steve the majority of people who have invested money in an external dac will tell you that that it's definitely worth doing. If your computer has an optical out on it connect it to a dac and let the music do the rest

alternatively if it doesn't have a digital out, connect the dac to the cpu via usb. I don't want to tell you that Beresford dac's are better than CA Dac Magic's because I haven't heard the latter but what I can tell you is I don't miss the cd player one bit. For me an external dac has been something of a revelation in terms of the immediacy of the music, the timing, and the seperation, whilst never sounding harsh. I do own a cd player but it's become redundant in the last few months.

 

[Anonymous]

Big Chris - I rip all my CD's to the computer but i do keep them handy.

Eddie - Yes my computer is an increadbly noisy desktop (It has 8 fans!!!!!) but its gona all have to be in the same room as i only have one room to live in.(student)

Hifi Newbie - Didn't evan think of adding a DAC i'll look into it, cheers!!

 

[Anonymous]

Stevie_Blaze:
Or should i get a CD player?

Its a fair question.

I would wait for your speakers and amp to turn up and then connect your PC to see how it sounds.

If you are not happy with the sound quality I would explore the external DAC route.

The DAC connected to your PC offers far more flexibility than a stand alone CD - easier track selection, streaming to other rooms, internet radio etc.

 

[Anonymous]

Stevie,

If it's that noisy don't bother!

Consider a little NetBook though, and a USB DAC if you have a lot of music files.

 

[Big Chris]

Stevie_Blaze:
Big Chris - I rip all my CD's to the computer but i do keep them handy.

Eddie - Yes my computer is an increadbly noisy desktop (It has 8 fans!!!!!) but its gona all have to be in the same room as i only have one room to live in.(student)

Hifi Newbie - Didn't evan think of adding a DAC i'll look into it, cheers!!

If using your computer means it sounds like you're living in a wind tunnel, I would definitely look into a CD player. Either that or some headphones!

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.hawaga.org.uk/james/shutup.html

It gives you suggestions about making your computer quieter

 

[Anonymous]

My computer really is noisy but i get so used to it i don't really notice it any more!

I'll wait untill i get all my stuff and have a good listen. Rearange my room a little and try to get the PC as far away form the amp and speakers as possible!

 

[Anonymous]

Stevie, you could do worse than check out the other ongoing thread called "Nait 5i rubbish with iTouch", might give you more ideas.

 

[Anonymous]

Good idea, how much was your soundcard Steve?

Edit - Looks like an expensive one, it may very well be comparable to external dac's, let your ears do the decision making for you but one thing is for sure, I am sure you will be impressed.

I need to look into ways of reducing the noise from my pc also

 

[Anonymous]

Lol they only real way i found to kill noise is to go water cooled but i never really liked the idea of pumping liquid pc killer round my belovid PC

My Sound card is an Asus Xonar DX is one of the more high quality ones avablie.

 

[Anonymous]

I think one of the culprits can be the cheap power supply

 

[Anonymous]

A student...surely students have ps3's? lol

 

[idc]

I would go with a computer because I have been told you can see mufty on a computer, but I never saw any on my CD player.

 

[Anonymous]

lol nope no PS3 : ( just my pc!

Is there a better way to conect my PC to the amp than 3.5 to RCA cable? Baring in mind the Marantz has no spdif or anything.

 

[Anonymous]

idc:I would go with a computer because I have been told you can see mufty on a computer, but I never saw any on my CD player.

Mufti is a muslim legal official who interprets Shariah law?????

 

[basshound]

AKL:
idc:I would go with a computer because I have been told you can see mufty on a computer, but I never saw any on my CD player.

Mufti is a muslim legal official who interprets Shariah law?????

Maybe should be spelt with two f`s?

 

[Anonymous]

Stevie_Blaze:
Is there a better way to conect my PC to the amp than 3.5 to RCA cable? Baring in mind the Marantz has no spdif or anything.

Not unless you get a DAC (or a receiver, to make full use of your XONAR).ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

So do you think it would be worth getting a DAC? The asus is quite higly regarded here is a link to its specs - http://techgage.com/article/asus_xonar_dx_71_sound_card/2

Do you think a DAC would be a big jump in terms of audio quality?

 

[Anonymous]

If I read that correctly one of the main reasons why you are paying quite a price on the soundcard is because it can carry the sound into 7 channels, if that is the case, then I would say yes a DAC would be a significant jump in audio quality but it's how it sounds to your ears Steve. If the soundcard along with the speakers and amp deliver a sound which sounds great, then that's your answer.

 

[Anonymous]

I've been looking at buying my first 'proper' hi-fi setup recently. At the moment, I'm torn between purchasing seperates system like yours, or going for something like the AVI ADM9.1s - active speakers with built in DAC. I'm in no rush at the moment, and am planning to do some serious auditioning over the next few weeks before I part with any cash. The setup I currently have consists of PC (bitperfect setup using ASIO/foobar) > DAC (Trends Audio USB thingy) > Active speakers (AE Aego M's). While not 'hi-fi' by any stretch, it definitely does a decent job for a modest cash outlay.

It sounds like you may already have a decent soundcard installed already. I've no doubt you'd get an improvement from an external DAC, but the first thing I'd do is look into quietening your PC down as much as poss, and also make sure you're getting a bitperfect stream of your digital files to your soundcard (there are a number of useful threads on here about how to go about this).

 

[Anonymous]

Stevie_Blaze:
So do you think it would be worth getting a DAC? The asus is quite higly regarded here is a link to its specs - http://techgage.com/article/asus_xonar_dx_71_sound_card/2

Do you think a DAC would be a big jump in terms of audio quality?

Yes, a Beresford for instance will easily beat that card for stereo music. Especially as its only output in your current set up is a 3.5mm mini-jack.

 

[chebby]

If you live in one room with all your stuff - and the PC is switched on most of the time whether or not you are playing music - then it does not matter whether you use a stand-alone CD player or not. The noise is going to be there whatever.

CD player or no CD player, you are going to need to address the noisy PC issue if you want to enjoy your music in high quality in the same room. (Summer is coming, it will only get worse.)