question about "lower" priced CD players/DACs

Rlwainwright, my speakers are Magneplanar MG-IIIa's - 3-way planar speakers with a ribbon tweeter. They have been completely rebuilt by Magnepan within the last year. The MG-IIIa is the grandfather of the Magneplanar MG3.7.

Replacing them with the latest, greatest MG3.7 would cost around $6000(!).

I like the Magneplanar sound a lot so plan to stick with them.

Loomisjohnson, you suggested I consider consider I'd get more significant improvement by changing other components.

My preamp and amp are vintage Adcom. The Adcom amp was supposed to be pretty decent at the time (certainly for the price), designed by Nelson Pass. The preamp was not designed by Pass and is said to be decent - not great, not terrible.

Do you think replacing this preamp/amp with something better would result in a bigger sound improvement than replacing the CD player/DAC I'm using? Minorl and Marakanetz seem to lean towards the focusing on the DAC, while you lean more towards focusing on other hardware.

I plan to keep the Magneplanar MG-IIIa speakers. I like the Magneplanar sound, and the newest Maggie, the MG3.7, is going to have a similar, but improved sound, but would cost me around $6k to buy!

I lean towards not making drastic changes in a system unless you 1. get a ridiculously low price (one you can't walk away from) on something you had no intention of purchasing 2). know for sure that that piece of equipment is the problem you are trying to fix. So, you have older Adcom amp and pre-amp and an older CD player. again, I don't know the age or quality of your DAC. But, I wouldn't buy anything without first auditioning it in my system. So, reading what you originally posted and the speakers and amp/pre-amp you have. I would audition a good quality external DAC first. do your research, set a price point for each piece of equipment and go find some to listen to in your system before buying. There are some really great DACs out there and some high quality used DACs also. Same for amps and pre-amps. For example, a Theta DS Pro Gen VA DAC. You would be hard pressed to find a better DAC new now and used you could get one for not a stupid amount of money. The only issue with DACs as with other digital equipment is they always are adding new bells and whistles. Such as HTMI for DVD players and USB inputs for DACs. If you don't need USB input for your DAC at this time, then you really would have a hard time finding a better DAC new or used. The computer audio crowd wants DACs with USB so older DACs that don't have it are on the used list. My standards are quality music and elimination of listener's fatique. If something in my system is making me get up and not listen to music for long, then I will find out what it is and replace it over time. Remember, this is a long term hobby, not short term. Don't do everything quickly or at once. take your time, one piece at a time. Based on what I have read about you, I would do DAC first, Pre-amp second, Amp third and maybe CD player last. But, each time, do your research, set a price point and budget, go borrow or audition in your home that piece of equipment and enjoy the journey.

enjoy

timo, i actually think you'd get the most audible difference by changing speakers, although again whether "different" equates to "better" is purely a matter of your personal preference. since you like your current maggies, and your player/dac are solid, i would look to change your preamp first and (if you're still not content) your amp second. if you specify a budget, you'll get a lot of reecommendations

I would like to chime in here since I used to have an Adcom combo (pre-amp + amp). I agree with the folks who suggest focusing on things other than your digital components first. While I agree that the Adcom stuff is competent, I think it can easily be bettered. Start with the preamp first. I think you will immediately hear the difference. I replaced my Adcom 555II preamp with an Audio Research SP16 and immediately heard the difference. The Adcom amps actually hold their own pretty well. I still have my 545II amp, and it has great weight and punch. The only thing I can fault it for is being a little grating up top, but that is speaker dependant. Your digital front end may not consist of the hottest items out there right now, but it seems decent.