[nickspicks]

hi all...
i'm new to the list, just joined today.  Been doing some reading and research, trying to figure out how to coax the best possible sound out of redbook CDs.  I listen to mostly rock, but lots of stuff as well.
my current system:
Philips 963sa for front end, using the analog output.  Its a nice sounding player, and the 24/192 upsampling capability certainly adds some nice "air" to the sound.

preamp is an audio experience Symphonies (Y-S audio).  KILLER pre, but that's another story (blows the doors off of the CJ pv10 i'd been using).

amp is McCormack DNA-1.  

interconnects are all cheap AR or Monster cables (which need to be replaced, I know)
speaker cable is MIT Term 2 bi-wire

speakers are Martin Logan SL3.

What Im thinking of doing is getting a good  DAC and using the Philips as the transport.   My thoughts are on the Bel Canto DAC 1.1 (as they are cheap used), or the DAC 2 if I feel the need to splurge.  
I've also pondered the boulder cables mod'd ART DIO DAC...which is really cheap and i've read great things about this when mod'd.
Another contender is the Benchmark DAC-1.
I'm searching for opinions, recomendations..etc.
lets hear em.


Again, i'm primarily looking for ballsy redbook playback, so if i'm looking in the wrong direction, then say so.
Having 24/96 playback potential is important to me as well as I do a lot of location recording (live rock) at this resolution and HQ playback of it through my system would be great.

[michael w]

How much do you wish to spend ?

The sky's the limit for really good Redbook playback.


cheerio

[nickspicks]

I want to spend just enough to get me to the point where i'd need to spend a ludicrous ammount in order to make significant improvement.
the threshold of the "point of diminishing returns"

say, $1200 ish?  max.
would love to stay well under that.

[bubba966]

The Ack! industries dAck! is a very impressive piece. I'd certainly give one of those a try.

And the Bolder modded DI/O is also very impressive.

[BikeWNC]

I think both of the above mentioned dacs will not decode a 24/96 signal.  Correct me if I'm wrong.  I have a Bel Canto Dac2.  It has a very round, slightly warm sound, perhaps on the laid-back side as opposed to forward.  I like it quite a lot.  That said, I hope to try the Ack dACK! for a comparison.  I'm always looking for a more natural, organic analog sound from digital playback.

Andy

[guest1632]

hi all...
i'm new to the list, just joined today.  Been doing some reading and research, trying to figure out how to coax the best possible sound out of redbook CDs.  I listen to mostly rock, but lots of stuff as well.
my current system:
Philips 963sa for front end, using the analog output.  Its a nice sounding player, and the 24/192 upsampling capability certainly adds some nice "air" to the sound.

preamp is an audio experience Symphonies (Y-S audio).  KILLER pre, but that's another story (blows the  ...

[wongstein]

I haven't heard it yet, but I think that for $1200, you can get a Perpetual Technologies P3A DAC and some combination of mods and external power supply from  Modwright, which don't even void the warranty (!).

I'm in the same boat as you, Nick. My buddy, Chris has a Gamut CD-1, and we've been using it as our redbook reference (I love the very detailed and dynamic, yet smooth and neutral sound), but not only do I not want to dish out $3K, I'd also like the flexibility of an outboard DAC like you.  I guess you'd say that I'm after a sound that is toward the warm side of "mastering studio", and everything I've read says that the Mod'd P3A deserves a serious listen.  It's great 'cause you can go in stages as you determine your system's needs.

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure it accepts input up to 24/192 because it employs the Crystal CS8420 sample rate converting digital receiver chip.

Anthony

[Rocket]

hello,

i have a modwright level 1 perpetual technologies p3a dac and it is very good sounding.  much better than the stock p3a, in fact it is a dramatic improvement in sound quality.  that being said it will cost you $1100us for the dac and mod.  another alternative is to buy one secondhand and have it modded.

others to consider:
art dio bolder dac
ack Dack!
scott nixon dac
bel canto dac 2
bel canto dac 1.1

regards

rocket

[Kim S.]

Hi, I just signed up also. I also have a Phillips 963SA which I am using as a transport.  It plays though a MSB gold dac w/optional power base. I also use a jitter reduction device, a Monarchy Dip.  I am very happy with this system.  There is no comparison to playback through the 963SA by itself.  I own a limited number of SACD's and I prefer the sound of CD's through the MSB dac to that of SACD's.  To me the sound of SACD's is overly processed and artificial.

I cannot comment on the other dacs mentioned as I have not heard them.  My wife and I live in a rural area.  Our friends taste are definately midfi.  I'm talking BOSE wave machine!

[W.C.]

Why don't you send your 963SA to Ric Shultz at EVS and have him mod it? Here's the link for info. http://www.tweakaudio.com/Philips%20DVD963SA.html

[Rocket]

Hi,

I agree with the last post you should consider modding your current player.

regards

rocket