cd player or computer with dac

I went contrary to the usual progression, giving up a DAC in favor of a dedicated CD player. I did it for synergy and got it in spades. Now it is BAT tube CD player to BAT tube preamp to BAT solid state amp.

Conventional wisdom is computer source to DAC. But some guys aren't techie and some guys prefer the ritual of manual media and some guys like to hear a whole "album" and not just one song. So, it is a matter of personal preference measured against your subjective goals.

The MPS-3 mentioned by Jasbirnandra gives him the flexibility of multiple digital sources. It's a "world class CD transport combined with a discrete dual differential DAC that can also receive a variety of external digital sources, including computer based music servers". That, and "future-proofed" with native support for 24/384kHz, and DSD up to 6.1MHz.

Jasbirnandra,
I spent more than an hour with one of the PD - Dartzeel - EA systems.
Difficult for me to describe, except to say that I agree with the assessment of sonic signature found in this article reviewing the MPS-5.

http://positive-feedback.com/Issue46/playback_designs.htm

Good luck.

i don't think there is a definitive answer.

you should audition as many components as you can.

i am partial to tubes, yet i also own a ps audio powerwave transport and dac. there is something to be said for listening to a cd when it is not spinning.

my reference digital source is an old audionote cd player with a 12au7 output stage.

thank you every body who are so cooperative in helping me put a source together i appreciate every audiogoners support for their opinion

The digital source is THE MOST IMPORTANT element of the digital playback chain. This means the digital interface and the clocks. If you want stellar results in a digital system, put your money into a good interface and low-jitter clocks.

If you read the last two DAC reviews in TAS by Steven Stone, you will see that the right USB interface makes a world of difference. The DAC itself becomes less important and the USB interface is actually MORE important, whether it's internal or external to the DAC.

CD players cannot compete in this race IMO. The USB computer audio solutions have it beat on price and performance, as well as convenience.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio