I have a few questions on the topic improving sound quality, and if it is worth the extra investment given my current set up.

My system:

Sony E55A20
Denon AVR-2807
Toshiba HD A2
Paradigm Studio 60 v4
Paradigm Studio cc 590 v4
3-Monster M1000HDMI-4M
Navajo White Speaker Cable

I love it but I have always had a dedicated CD player and DVD player which is the reason I am seeking opinions. I now have the Toshiba HD-DVD which I also use for CD's. It is connected to the Denon 2807 via HDMI and sounds fine to me most of the time but there are some issues with the player that I do not like:

1. Noisy drawer on open and close.
2. Intermittent vibration sound coming from the drawer while playing discs. You can hear it in sound stage some times if you listen closely. Grrrrr….
3. One disk limit.

If I understand correctly using a digital connection vs. RCA, in this case the HDMI, I bypass the Toshiba DAC and use the Denon’s AD-1835 DAC?

To improve on sound quality, I would have to improve on the Denon DAC with a CD or DVD/CD player that has a superior DAC?

I would like to have the option to play:
DVD audio and SACD if it compatible with my Denon’s HDMI 1.1, Multi disk would be nice also.

If the best I can do for $500 or less is what I have then I will be happy to spend it on a pair of ADP-590's


Any suggestions on players or answers to my questions are appreciated

DN

If you use digital outputs on cd player then you bypass your cd players onboard DAC. You could go with an external DAC and use your current cd player as the source.

Or get the Sony cd/dvd/SACD CX995 400 disc changer ...

Issue #2 is reason enough to put it in the dumpster , IMO ! If you can swing a little more than $500 there are very good univesal players in the $600-900 range. Example....Marantz 7600, Pioneer Elite 79AVi, to name a few.

I have not reviewed Pioneer yet. Is it quality equipment? The Marantz has been on my short list with the denon 2930ci and I agree # 2 is reason enough for music.

The multi disk changer is the direction I think I will go but could pioneer have a more out dated look? I mean wood veneer on the side of the chassis? I will have to take a closer look. The Elite 79avi looks nice and I assume it plays CD's also.

What does one look for in a DAC?

DN

24-bit/192kHz DAC seems to be the preferred on most better player Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Denon and Yamaha in the $300 to $500 range. Some of the better CD player $600 an up use the Wolfson, which is a good DAC.

I ended up with a dedicated Cd player which will provide in allot of cases better audio and a Dedicated DVD Oppo 981 player after posting on some forums. The Oppo is a great deal for a very nice DVD player.
http://www.oppodigital.com/

I swear by my Pioneer elite 79AVI - Superb SACD/DVD and Redbook is not too shabby.

24-bit/192kHz DAC seems to be the preferred on most better player Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Denon and Yamaha in the $300 to $500 range. Some of the better CD player $600 an up use the Wolfson, which is a good DAC.


Every manufacturer (TI, Wolfson, Cirrus and others) offer different DACs with different specs and prices.

The 8740 is Wolfsons flagship stereo DAC, but it is usually included in CD players that cost more than 800 USD ;)

I use the XCD-99 for CDs and a Pioneer 563a for DVD-A/SACD.
I was using the Toshiba hd-dvd before but its too damn slow. :-)

Regards

I use the XCD-99 for CDs and a Pioneer 563a for DVD-A/SACD.
I was using the Toshiba hd-dvd before but its too damn slow. :-)

Regards

What do you mean by Slow? turning on and off etc? More to the point did you hear an improvement?

DN

Every manufacturer (TI, Wolfson, Cirrus and others) offer different DACs with different specs and prices.

The 8740 is Wolfsons flagship stereo DAC, but it is usually included in CD players that cost more than 800 USD ;)

Just a note the Arcam CD73 uses a Wolfson 8740, I just picked one for $600. That seem to be the starting price point for a better DAC..

Just a note the Arcam CD73 uses a Wolfson 8740, I just picked one for $600. That seem to be the starting price point for a better DAC..

My bad. I forgot that the american audio market has terrific low prices. The mexican audio market is 20-30% more expensive :(

What do you mean by Slow? turning on and off etc? More to the point did you hear an improvement?


I assume this is a reference to power-on times. Although I haven't actually timed it, my HD-A2 (the replacement for the HD-A1) seems to take 30 seconds or so to turn on. This is supposed to be fast in comparison with the HD-A1.

Yes it is a matter of been slow and akward as a music player. The xcd-99 is much faster, user friendly when fast forwarding songs and it does sound better in a more open soundstage and clearer imaging. Eventually I will use it as a transport for an external dac so that I can run an EQ with it.

Regards