Which Setup Would Give me the Equivalent Quality to my CD5x

Posted by: HuwJ on 17 January 2010

Hi,

The more I listen to playlists, the less I want to pop a CD in my player. The ease of use of my iPod and Squeezebox are driving me towards a DAC or media player.

I'm using four methods of listening to music via my SuperNait, with varying results:
CD5x/Hi-cap - very happy with the sound this produces.
Squeezebox/FLAC/Wireless/SuperNait DAC - good when you have guests or you are scanning a magazine or paper but no where near the fidelity of my CD.
Pioneer LX82/SuperNait driven speakers/WAV/8Gb USB stick - better than the Squeezebox but tends, for some reason, not to control the bass as well at higher volumes. Detail is there though, possibly more detail than the CD5x.
iPod (medium quality rip - 320 I think)/LX82/SuperNait - Not as good as the Squeezebox.

So the question is, how do I get my ripped music to the level of my CD5x?

Would the Naim DAC make a significant impact on the sound of the Squeezebox?

Would the Naim DAC control the bass bloom of the USB stick?

What other options should I consider?

Regards,
Huw
Posted on: 17 January 2010 by Eloise
Are you willing to locate a computer of some sort with your HiFi?
Do you have a preference for Mac or PC?
How much are you prepared to spend?

Just a few basic questions to help guide you.

Eloise
Posted on: 17 January 2010 by rich46
quote:
Originally posted by HuwJ:
Hi,

The more I listen to playlists, the less I want to pop a CD in my player. The ease of use of my iPod and Squeezebox are driving me towards a DAC or media player.

I'm using four methods of listening to music via my SuperNait, with varying results:
CD5x/Hi-cap - very happy with the sound this produces.
Squeezebox/FLAC/Wireless/SuperNait DAC - good when you have guests or you are scanning a magazine or paper but no where near the fidelity of my CD.
Pioneer LX82/SuperNait driven speakers/WAV/8Gb USB stick - better than the Squeezebox but tends, for some reason, not to control the bass as well at higher volumes. Detail is there though, possibly more detail than the CD5x.
iPod (medium quality rip - 320 I think)/LX82/SuperNait - Not as good as the Squeezebox.

So the question is, how do I get my ripped music to the level of my CD5x?

Would the Naim DAC make a significant impact on the sound of the Squeezebox?

Would the Naim DAC control the bass bloom of the USB stick?

What other options should I consider?

Regards,
Huw
i use sonos/flac/ripnas feeding via optical to naimdac and the quality is very good ,alittle less defined than a cd transport to the dac.

ive ripped 2000+cd ,what a chore. but ease of selection/playlists is a great advantage

i did find optical better than cable. maybe the isolation of the network and nas from the audio set up did the trick. i dont know.

cant you run the squeezebox with a new psu, i think russ andrews sells one
Posted on: 17 January 2010 by HuwJ
quote:
Are you willing to locate a computer of some sort with your HiFi?
Do you have a preference for Mac or PC?
How much are you prepared to spend?


I'd be happy to use a MAC mini or other PC equivalent. Probably happy to spend £1k on top of a DAC. No preference on MAC or PC.

I would get a new Squeezebox PSU if it would help but in the current configuration I don't think it would match the CD.

Regards,
Huw
Posted on: 17 January 2010 by james n
I wouldn't bother with the PSU for the squeezebox - minimal gains on the digital output (i built a Welborne labs linear supply for my Duet a couple of years back). The SB into the Naim DAC should be a good combo.

James
Posted on: 17 January 2010 by Guido Fawkes
The only DAC I've heard that will improve on your CD5X/FC2 is the Naim DAC and I've only heard that on a Naim CD transport courtesy of a CDX2-2. The Naim DAC has a virtual transport capability and I think that goes along way to its success. I think you'll be disappointed if you move from a CD5X/FC2 to a non-Naim DAC.

That said, I've not heard the Weiss Engineering DACs, which have a growing reputation, especially because they have a firewire interface.

However, if you're expecting a sub-£1k DAC to match your current CDP then I doubt you'll find one. I would have though the Logitech Duet into a Naim DAC would be a good combination; certainly like to hear it.
Posted on: 18 January 2010 by Joe Bibb
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
ROTF,
The Lavry you heard at UHS went back to Lavry as it was faulty.They replaced it with a new one.You have not heard a good one.
Stu


If that was John's, it sounded horrible. His replacement one sounds great.

Joe
Posted on: 18 January 2010 by tonym
quote:
Originally posted by Joe Bibb:
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
ROTF,
The Lavry you heard at UHS went back to Lavry as it was faulty.They replaced it with a new one.You have not heard a good one.
Stu


If that was John's, it sounded horrible. His replacement one sounds great.

Joe
Seconded!
Posted on: 18 January 2010 by js
The one I compared to the SN must have been faulty too. Winker 2nd one I heard also. We all have our FAVs but any $1k DAC is the issue here. My opinion. I don't think he's going to match the CD5x/HC with any combo of PC DAC under $2k depending on his own perspective but that doesn't mean he can't get a good result if he prefers to use it that way. I'd look into the HiFace with whatever computer setup you have. Dig out from a SB touch looks interesting but no one's heard it yet.