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CD player or CD transport ??

Hey All.... I'm looking to upgrade my CD playback by moving the duties from my Oppo player to a stand alone CD player.. It'll be connected to a pre-amp/processor before it hits the amplifier.. So my question is am I better off using the money to get an upper tier transport and relying on the DSP/DAC in the processor (currently Cary Audio Cinema12) or better to get a CD player because of the synergy that might occur in the design the maker made in the assembly/design of the unit ? I'm assuming the transport does no processing and only delivers the signal picked up from the CD... I have about the $2000 range...  Any suggestions on which model in the budget ?  I prefer it can do SACD too... Thanks
oem-wheels
oem-wheels OP
151 posts
 
dbphd....  that's pretty much what I'm doing right now. Oppo 93 - Cary C12 - Classe CA2100 - Paradigm Studio10.. Sounds good.. But numerous threads says despite what the Oppo can bring there's no comparison to having a stand alone CD player..  
nutty
1,928 posts
 
A used Ayre 7 series would be a nice addition. Arcam FMJ CD27 also has SACD and streaming.
N
dbphd
1,058 posts
 
I use an Ayre C-5xeMP through a Parasound JC 2 BP to JC 1 mono blocks driving a pair of KEF Reference 107/2s for stereo.  I do prefer sound of that setup to my Oppo 105D or Sony XA5400ES through the Bryston SP 3, but the claim of no comparison would be an exaggeration, because the sound from the Oppo with the SP 3 can be superb, especially with DTS-HD MA or Dolby True HD from a prime Blu-ray.  Front LR from the SP 3 is passed through the JC 2 BP to access the JC 1 amps.
oem-wheels OP
151 posts
 
Makes sense...  no matter how much resolution a $10,000 CD player has, the $500 Oppo  can match it and then some..  May come down to musicality ?  
zorro
25 posts
 
Esoteric DV50S, I bought it here at Audiogon and it's amazing

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