Leaving aside the all-in-one audio systems I owned, the first separate I owned was a Sansui EDP-550-S DVD Player. I didn't know what DAC it used, but the sound quality was horrible!
Couple of years later, I bought a Philips DV-625K. This was one gem of a player, although little slow in loading movie DVDs. There was a significant improvement in the sound quality, and I was using it as a source for my first serious audio system. Philips boasted that this had a 192 KHz/24 bit DAC, and hence the improved quality of sound. The build quality was not much to speak about, and back in 2003, the player costed about Rs.7,000/- (I understand that now, you can get almost the same thing for about Rs.3,000/-)
My next "upgrade" was to a TEAC C-1D (the "Distinction" series of TEAC). The player was well built with brushed aluminium facia. The internals were meticulously organized, and it had the centrally mounted, legendary, TEAC transport. It was a pure audio CD player (did not even entertain the MP3s and unfinished CDs), and when I look back now, I feel that this player was grossly under-priced by TEAC (Rs.12,000/- towards 2004 end), struggling then to enter the "mid-level" audiophile market (eventhough its sister-brand TASCAM, and the TEAC Esoteric series were well known names in the high-end audiophile circles). This player had this "1-bit DAC" thing, together with a "16-bit, 8 times oversampling digital filter". The bass this player delivered was most authentic, close to that in the live performances I have heard. The overall resolution was very good, and a tad more than what the Philips DV-625K could deliver. However, this model was short lived in the market, and when the push-button for power on /off of the player broke, I could not get it repaired. For quite sometime, I was switching it on and off from the mains power switch, not willing to let go the player!
Then came a Pioneer DV-676A universal player, which boasted of DAD-A and SACD playing capabilities. I bought this, since I wanted to do away with the clutter of having too many players around. But I am sorry to say, despite the good reviews it was given, particularly in the Australian hifi magazines, everytime I connected this player as a source instead of the TEAC C-1D, I regretted, and reverted back to the TEAC. Once again, the Pioneer boasted of a 192 KHz/24 bit DAC. But its sound could never match that of Philips DV-625K, though the Pioneer was a much costlier player.
Recently, I acquired a Denon DCD 700AE. Denon boasts of several advanced features, such as "pure-direct" mode, a 192 KHz/24 bit Burr-Brown DAC, curve-shaping etc., found otherwise only in its very advanced models. The player sounded smooth, and I could make out the lyrics in some songs where the singer almost murmured, which I could not do with the TEAC C-1D. But that is it, and no more! I can honestly say, that there was no phenomenal sound improvement with the Denon DCD 700AE over the TEAC C-1D, or for that matter over even my old Philips DV-625K, not withstanding the "stellar" reviews the Denon got in some audio magazines! The build quality though, is very good!
My conclusion : Do not worry about how many KHz and how many bit DAC your CDP / DVDP has got. The way these technologies are implemented is more important that the technologies per se. Listening is believing. Concentrate only on the sound, and the build quality. Sometimes, depending upon the implementation, a Rs.3,000/- DVD player may sound almost as good as a Rs.25,000/- dedicated CD player, though it may not have the same build quality.
Couple of years later, I bought a Philips DV-625K. This was one gem of a player, although little slow in loading movie DVDs. There was a significant improvement in the sound quality, and I was using it as a source for my first serious audio system. Philips boasted that this had a 192 KHz/24 bit DAC, and hence the improved quality of sound. The build quality was not much to speak about, and back in 2003, the player costed about Rs.7,000/- (I understand that now, you can get almost the same thing for about Rs.3,000/-)
My next "upgrade" was to a TEAC C-1D (the "Distinction" series of TEAC). The player was well built with brushed aluminium facia. The internals were meticulously organized, and it had the centrally mounted, legendary, TEAC transport. It was a pure audio CD player (did not even entertain the MP3s and unfinished CDs), and when I look back now, I feel that this player was grossly under-priced by TEAC (Rs.12,000/- towards 2004 end), struggling then to enter the "mid-level" audiophile market (eventhough its sister-brand TASCAM, and the TEAC Esoteric series were well known names in the high-end audiophile circles). This player had this "1-bit DAC" thing, together with a "16-bit, 8 times oversampling digital filter". The bass this player delivered was most authentic, close to that in the live performances I have heard. The overall resolution was very good, and a tad more than what the Philips DV-625K could deliver. However, this model was short lived in the market, and when the push-button for power on /off of the player broke, I could not get it repaired. For quite sometime, I was switching it on and off from the mains power switch, not willing to let go the player!
Then came a Pioneer DV-676A universal player, which boasted of DAD-A and SACD playing capabilities. I bought this, since I wanted to do away with the clutter of having too many players around. But I am sorry to say, despite the good reviews it was given, particularly in the Australian hifi magazines, everytime I connected this player as a source instead of the TEAC C-1D, I regretted, and reverted back to the TEAC. Once again, the Pioneer boasted of a 192 KHz/24 bit DAC. But its sound could never match that of Philips DV-625K, though the Pioneer was a much costlier player.
Recently, I acquired a Denon DCD 700AE. Denon boasts of several advanced features, such as "pure-direct" mode, a 192 KHz/24 bit Burr-Brown DAC, curve-shaping etc., found otherwise only in its very advanced models. The player sounded smooth, and I could make out the lyrics in some songs where the singer almost murmured, which I could not do with the TEAC C-1D. But that is it, and no more! I can honestly say, that there was no phenomenal sound improvement with the Denon DCD 700AE over the TEAC C-1D, or for that matter over even my old Philips DV-625K, not withstanding the "stellar" reviews the Denon got in some audio magazines! The build quality though, is very good!
My conclusion : Do not worry about how many KHz and how many bit DAC your CDP / DVDP has got. The way these technologies are implemented is more important that the technologies per se. Listening is believing. Concentrate only on the sound, and the build quality. Sometimes, depending upon the implementation, a Rs.3,000/- DVD player may sound almost as good as a Rs.25,000/- dedicated CD player, though it may not have the same build quality.
Last edited: