bel canto dac 3 cd 2 owners

2chnlben, I have no intention of hooking a computer to my system, not intill they force us to. I am a collector , I love my collection of cds, and slowly growing lps, The idea of a list of music on a computer just does not do it for me, I like cover art and everthing else that comes with it. when all music is recorded in 24 bit 96k or higher then maybe I will look into something. the bel canto dac 2 is 24 bit 96k, so I will not have to replace it to hear hi rez formats. thanks, chris

also, this is a power supply upgrade for both the cd 2 and the dac 3, not just the dac 3 ! the cd 2 has a wall wart power supply, so Im thinking that this should be a good upgrade, by beefing up both power supplies at the same time . thanks, chris

I don't think it I'll hurt at all...

Good Luck with the upgrade if you should go that route. We're just looking out for your best interest regarding the above suggestions. You're right the DAC3 plays high resolution files, and it's very close to 24Bit/192kHz resolution.

I have a very large CD collection too, and I burned all of them using Apple Lossless Codecs into iTunes, on my MacPro desktop which is upstairs in my home office. So, it's actually not hooked up to my rig at all, nor is it on the same floor. I'm using a Logitech Transporter to stream the music to the Living Room Rig, using wired ethernet over powerline protocol in my house.

Even with redbook CD's it's great having a music streamer. I compared the Transporter to a $25,000 MBL Transport, and although the MBL barely won, it was closer than you would think. Compared to my trusty old Sony 9000ES transport there was no difference, as a matter of fact I actually prefer the sound out of the Transporter using the AES/EBU cable to the MBL DAC, because the Sony doesn't have the AES/EBU pro-link.

It goes without saying that most high-end transports can only store one disc at a time, and a music server can store an unlimited amount of CD's at your finger tips. If you have that many CD's then you will really appreciate loading an entire album from the remote control, I actually listen to much more music now compared to the old way of finding one CD at a time. Not to mention playlists, and favorites, and playing random genres of your entire CD Collection. I also have 2 squeezebox's throughout my house that can sync all of the same music in every room. The artwork shows up on the remote too.

I would not compromise the sound, ever..., however the sound is as perfect as redbook CD playbook could be, using the most expensive digital playback equipment on the Planet.

Rich

Chrissain:
The information that I was trying to convey to you is that there are, by far, more, effective ways to spend $2,000. I am familiar with the Bel Canto DAC 3 and CD 2 - great gear. In reality, those devices are already behind the proverbial curve compared to what has recently become available. For $2,000 plus your DAC, you can acquire the new Perfect Wave DAC from PS Audio - which is in a different league altogether. You don't have to use that DAC with a server, but it will be upgradable to operate as a server if you want to spend another $500 when the forthcoming Bridge device becomes available later this year. I can assure you that $2,000 spent on a power supply upgrade will not net you the advancement in performance that you can achieve by doing some more research. This is a forum designed to benefit its members. My post is meant to help you make a well-informed decision, not to deride your tactical plans or your gear.

thanks for the ideas, I do not think you were puting my gear or anything else for that matter. I would like to know why you think the ps audio dac is better, or league all together, the bel canto was the best measuring dac stereophile has ever tried. i know that measurments dont tell the whole story, but i have put the belcanto up against some very expesive competition , and prefered the belcanto. another thing about me, i like to keep gear for a while, I dont like constantly changing my system. my cd2 and dac 3 are less than two years old, which I consider new. thanks for the input, chris