I wish to upgrade my Sony 'Best Buy' budget all-in-one CD player (price GBP 200) from an early 90s era model (it was not even in the ES range). For the price, it sounds good, hence the Best Buy award, but no match for vinyl (a high-end record player) the latter of which I prefer to listen to. Even with the best recordings, the CD player sounds too much like a CD and lack of a holographic soundstage and 'musicality'.
Is it possible to improve the sound from the CD player with a modestly-priced external DAC such as Cambridge Audio's DacMagic 100 or the slightly more expensive Musical Fidelity V90? I know these DACs had some very positive reviews (considering their price-range). There are various schools of thought here and I expect most would advise to upgrade the CD player first (at source level), rather than using it as a transport in the hope of hearing worthwhile improvement in sound via optical digital output. The Cambridge CXC transport comes to mind if upgrading to the CD transport/DAC options. But I am hoping a DAC would be worth trying first; if not, I could always get a better CD transport later on. You can assume I am trying to tweak my sound to sound more like vinyl and less like a CD (not including SACD or HiRes formats). Plus the DAC could have a multitude of options with other digital devices/formats.
Alternatively I could just stick to vinyl and may be get a tube pre-amp or power amp in the future to improve on the 'warmth' of my Class AB solid-state pre and power amplifiers. But back to my original point: I am hoping to tweak a budget CD player rather than replace it with far more expensive gear! The second-hand market might be worth exploring too.
I wish to upgrade my Sony 'Best Buy' budget all-in-one CD player (price GBP 200) from an early 90s era model (it was not even in the ES range). For the price, it sounds good, hence the Best Buy award, but no match for vinyl (a high-end record player) the latter of which I prefer to listen to. Even with the best recordings, the CD player sounds too much like a CD and lack of a holographic soundstage and 'musicality'.
Is it possible to improve the sound from the CD player with a modestly-priced external DAC such as Cambridge Audio's DacMagic 100 or the slightly more expensive Musical Fidelity V90? I know these DACs had some very positive reviews (considering their price-range). There are various schools of thought here and I expect most would advise to upgrade the CD player first (at source level), rather than using it as a transport in the hope of hearing worthwhile improvement in sound via optical digital output. The Cambridge CXC transport comes to mind if upgrading to the CD transport/DAC options. But I am hoping a DAC would be worth trying first; if not, I could always get a better CD transport later on. You can assume I am trying to tweak my sound to sound more like vinyl and less like a CD (not including SACD or HiRes formats). Plus the DAC could have a multitude of options with other digital devices/formats.
Alternatively I could just stick to vinyl and may be get a tube pre-amp or power amp in the future to improve on the 'warmth' of my Class AB solid-state pre and power amplifiers. But back to my original point: I am hoping to tweak a budget CD player rather than replace it with far more expensive gear! The second-hand market might be worth exploring too.