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Transport and DAC or Upgrade CDP?

I'll admit to being a total newbie when it comes to anything more advanced than comparing standalone CDPs in my system. I'm currently using a Music Hall CD25.2 and also have a Cambridge 540D (v1) sitting idle.

Comparing the two in my system leaves me with these impressions: CD25.2 is more open, detailed and gives a wider sense of space, but is a bit cold and lacks analog warmth. 540D is warm, but it's not even close to the same level of performance as CD25.2.

In order to get to a better performance level I'm considering either selling both and moving to a better CDP (Jolida 100a maybe?), or using the 540D as a transport with a tube DAC. I'm looking at the TAD TACs most closely (TADAC and TDAC), but open to other suggestions as I know very little about them.

So...my question is...what's the consensus as to the better approach? Adding digital music is a consideration for down the road, but not top priority now. I really have no idea how to evaluate transports, and buying a whole bunch of gear for trial is out of the question.
meskandar
jhold
116 posts
 
In my opinion, Jolida 100A is not an upgrade from what you have -- it's just a way to add the coloration of tubes (which you might like, but it's not by definition an improvement). My suggestion -- keep the Music Hall player and use it as a transport to feed a Benchmark DAC1. If you buy used, try to get the latest model of the Benchmark that you can find (manufactured within the last year or so if possible). You can buy direct from Benchmark with a 30-day return period. I own two Benchmark DACs. I prefer the sound of the Benchmark -- clean, neutral, detailed but not irritating -- to some fine players I've owned, including Cambridge 840 (a superb player, which you might prefer to the Benchmark), Rega Apollo (nice sound but not to my taste ergonomically), and Naim Nait CD5i. If you're looking for a warm and romantic sound, then the Benchmark might not be to your taste, but I've found it to be a really fine device, true to the music.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
4,382 posts
 
You might want to consider the TEAC PD-H600. I wanted to get off this merry-go-round and settle on a CDP and the TEAC fits my bill to a tee. Absolute Sound gave it a product of the year already and its not readily available but worth searching out. The cost of it ($999) was at the bottom limit of where I was going to go just for a DAC and then there was the transport to consider, not to mention the coax cable. It sounds fabulous, to my ears, and has yet to break in.
The guys at Esoteric did their homework on this one, for us commoners.
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
new DAC.
danlib1
819 posts
 
Considered a Mac Mini, with AIFF files, out to a good DAC? Don't mean to throw you a curve here, but that is quite the transport to DAC setup for not much money. Surprised me- and I've owned Exemplar, Resolution Audio, Ayre, Electrocompanient and Marantz players that were extremely good.
blindjim
2,837 posts
 

Well now you’ve gone and done it!

Single or multi box solution.

As I saw recently posted here on another thread as an answer… Yes.

Multi box = multi stuff. Basically more wires and shelf spaces are needed.

Single box? Well you have just opened the door a crack now, as you already have two of those.

I’d say DAC as well, despite the addition of more wires and space usage.

If so then, one with great jitter elimination and several common interfaces. And I’d use it with my most revelatory CDP on hand.

A tube DAC might not be necessary too to gain you that fluffier presentation. Deleting a load of jitter will aid you towards that promise.

I’d address warming or filtering things downstream… and NOT with the source. Ever.

Lavry DA10 was a very musical DAC and not too too expensive as DACs go. I’m sure if you check out the archived threads here on such a subject you’ll gain more choices.
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