What will make my system sound better? help please

[Phil77]

My current system is an Arcam A85 amp, Sony DVPS7700 dvd player, QED silver anvers edition speaker cable, Cambridge Audio Connects, and Kef IQ3 speakers

I'm thinking i'm missing out on sound alot of people are telling me to upgrade me old DVD player but this was an £800 DVD player back about 9 years ago would i hear a difference if i spent £200-£300 on a new cd player?

Or would i be best getting the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic to add on to my current DVD player or upgrade my amp and get a P85?

 

[drummerman]

depends on what you don't like/feel you're 'missing out' on at present.

 

[Anonymous]

I would leave the amp to be honest and concentrate on a CD/DAC option. I think you could be very surprised at the quality you could get from your current setup compared to using a DVD player as a source. Personally, i would go down the DAC option, it's something i have done recently, and posted about only today:

http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/343658.aspx

For the £300 budget you could get a Dacmagic,Beresford, or Fubar DAC like myself and an external Hard drive. You would obviously need some sort of transport like a PC/Laptop etc to play your files, but once you have ripped all your music to a lossless format i think you would be very happy with the sound.

I'm not by any means ruling out a new CD player, because for £300 you could get a cracking Marantz/NAD player brand new, or even a 2nd hand Arcam etc that would sound better than your DVD player. I think it really depends on your preferences, for example i got fed up of changing CD's etc and went for the DAC option, but i did have a spare laptop knocking around that i could use as a transport.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

id look at your speakers and possibly the dac but as dm says it depends what you think the problem is

 

[Phil77]

Well this is the thing i don't know what i'm missing i'm just going off what people keep telling me that my old DVD player is letting my system down?

 

[Anonymous]

in that case best borrow a cd player or dac for home demo and try it out

 

[idc]

The Firestone Fubar DAC is USB only, so it would not work with your DVD player. The Firestone Spitfire has coaxial and optical inputs, so that should be compatible with your DVD. It is also on sale at the moment and you can get a home trial.

One off is right, you want to try and demo. I also think that you should concentrate on your source first.

 

[drummerman]

Phil77:Well this is the thing i don't know what i'm missing i'm just going off what people keep telling me that my old DVD player is letting my system down?

Ignorance is bliss, trust me. You're stirring an ants nest. As for other people ... what do they know?

 

[Phil77]

How does a home demo work have i got to pay for the product then take it home?

 

[Anonymous]

Nearly all "decent" dealers will at least give you a 24 hour demo on the majority of products so don't be afraid to ask. I have demo'd many products in the past, mainly from Sevenoaks or another dealer local to me. Some of them may ask for a small deposit but not all.