Better cd SQ

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roa51

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Joined
Nov 13, 2021
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Location
VA
Hi All,
I am considering purchasing an external DAC to use with my Marantz CD6006, trying to squeeze all the SQ from
my cd's that I can. I like the sound of the CD6006, but feel like there is something better. Good idea or
bad? If good, being that I know very little about DAC's, what DAC would you recommend for better SQ. My primary
Source is LP's. But I play a lot of CD's also.

All help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you,
roa51
 
Your budget will determine the suggestions you get. Do you have a range you want to stay within? The really good DACs will cost more than the Marantz did.
 
You'll definitely get better performance than the Marantz when you use an external DAC with better specs.
I felt that way with my Marantz SA-10 and am happy I changed disc players to a Luxman. The SNR of the Luxman is better and the detail and musical information I hear from discs is well above what the Marantz offered.

If I wanted a DAC, I'd probably try an SMSL out sheer curiosity. They measure at state of the art levels, are inexpensive, and some people seem to love them.
Look up the S.M.S.L D400EX or some of their other DACs in other price ranges. It's sold on Amazon, too.
 
DAC’s are a deep subject and range from $100 to $100000 with little objective difference in specifications but dramatic differences in sound quality. A little more about your system and what you’d like to achieve will be helpful to us in terms of giving you meaningful recommendations. Great question, by the way. For example are you trying to get closer to the vinyl experience? More clarity? Those kinds of things are helpful.
 
My budget is about 2k. Yes, I would like to get closer to the vinyl experience.
My equipment is listed below:

Rogue Audio RP5 preamp and Hydra power amp

Rega P8 w/Apheta 3

Gold Note PH-10 w/PSU-10

Revel PerformaBe M126Be w/M stands, SVS SB-1000

Marantz CD6006

Hope this will help.

Thanks
roa51
 
Since you seem to be comfortable with tubes take a look at the new Musical Paradise model. When selecting option leave out the Raspberry Pi streaming module but add the USB input and the upgraded Accusilicon clocks. Brings you at a little over half your budget. This newest model switches from tube to SS rectification.

MP-DX ES9068 ES9039 Hi-Res Music Streamer Tube DAC
 
roa51 said:
Hi All,
I am considering purchasing an external DAC to use with my Marantz CD6006, trying to squeeze all the SQ from
my cd's that I can. I like the sound of the CD6006, but feel like there is something better. Good idea or
bad? If good, being that I know very little about DAC's, what DAC would you recommend for better SQ. My primary
Source is LP's. But I play a lot of CD's also.

All help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you,
roa51
Click to expand...

This may be a minority opinion. I would not bother with the DAC. Whatever changes you make to the DAC is not going to affect the sound that much. Since you indicated that you have $2k to spend, I would look at investing the money in speakers. That is where you are going to get the most bang for your buck.
 
The Schiit Yggysial (may not be spelled correctly) is just over your budget but read about it. It will take your system a huge step up in digital playback. It has what I'd call a neutral sound. There are a couple different versions and you'd have to ask them or read about the sound difference.

You have a good budget and a lot of options.
 
Actually, the Musical Paradise DAC's do respond to changes in caps. Read the user reviews. Caps do affect the sound very much in a lot of gear. I have built a Pass preamp buffer and the caps made a huge difference in sound. I tried a few higher end caps and the differences were remarkable. Same for a pair of speakers that I swapped out caps in the XO.
 
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