SQ differences in DAC and nonDAC CDPs

atozguy

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I am a newbie to stereo music. I want to know the differences in SQ from a DAC chip incorporated CDP and the one without a DAC chip. I am planning for a dedicated cdp for stereo setup and narrowed on two models. i.e. Marantz CD6002 (used one as the same was discontinued since 2008) and CD5003. The seller suggested to go for (latter model) a new one, which is very much updated. My concern is that CD6002 has Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC chip, whereas the CD5003 does not have a DAC chip.

Can someone enlighten me the differences between the DAC and nonDAC version of CD-Ps in terms of SQ and features? This would help me finalise my CDP requirement.

Thanks
Gopinath J
 
I am a newbie to stereo music. I want to know the differences in SQ from a DAC chip incorporated CDP and the one without a DAC chip. I am planning for a dedicated cdp for stereo setup and narrowed on two models. i.e. Marantz CD6002 (used one as the same was discontinued since 2008) and CD5003. The seller suggested to go for (latter model) a new one, which is very much updated. My concern is that CD6002 has Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC chip, whereas the CD5003 does not have a DAC chip.

Can someone enlighten me the differences between the DAC and nonDAC version of CD-Ps in terms of SQ and features? This would help me finalise my CDP requirement.

Thanks
Gopinath J

How can a CD player work without a DAC?:sad: CD5003 also has a Cirrus logic DAC chip (don't know which version). But CD6002 has clearly a better performance going with the reviews out there. If you can afford, there is no reason why you must not choose 6002 between the two.
 
NO DAC chip? Really? Then how does the CD player has analog Left/Right RCA outputs? ;-)
The player may have a el cheapo DAC chip, but each one with RCA analog outputs does have it. :D
 
I want to know the differences in SQ from a DAC chip incorporated CDP and the one without a DAC chip.
No sound would come from a player without a DAC.

Please do not get confused by internal components. Buy the machine you like the sound of, or if you really have no chance to listen, but like the "look" of something.

Marantz is a good company, producing products at all price ranges. My CD player is a very old, entry level, Marantz, that was put back on the rack when something much more expensive failed. I just never bothered to upgrade again (and also discovered that I could very good sound from my PC ... but that is a whole other story)

Don't worry about DAC chips :)
 
I wonder how music would sound if its digital and not converted to analog. :D

However, if I am not mistaken(correct me if I am wrong), the optical output of a CDP can be used to bypass the internal DAC of a CDP when used with an external DAC such as DacMagic, V-Dac,etc in which case the CDP becomes a transport.

So, it would actually be great if there is a (very)cheap and sturdy CDP without a DAC if I want to use an external DAC. I am also not sure that, if I dont' bypass the DAC of the CDP and use an external DAC, am I feeding a bad source to the external DAC for it to perform at its best?

Am a noob too in stereo music and am trying to clarify my doubts.

Cheers
 
I wonder how music would sound if its digital and not converted to analog. :D

However, if I am not mistaken(correct me if I am wrong), the optical output of a CDP can be used to bypass the internal DAC of a CDP when used with an external DAC such as DacMagic, V-Dac,etc in which case the CDP becomes a transport.

So, it would actually be great if there is a (very)cheap and sturdy CDP without a DAC if I want to use an external DAC. I am also not sure that, if I dont' bypass the DAC of the CDP and use an external DAC, am I feeding a bad source to the external DAC for it to perform at its best?

Am a noob too in stereo music and am trying to clarify my doubts.

Cheers

If you are gonna use an external DAC, there is no need to buy costly CDPs. Get the one with a good transport with a good digital output.

Optical and Coaxial digital outs bypass the CDP's internal DAC. They give digitial output and need digital cable to connect to external DACs. There is nothing analog in the path.

BTW, You will not find a CDP without DAC. You can find one with worst of the DACs cheaper. Thats about it.

If you have external DAC though, you can just resuse your DVDp or Bluray player's digital out.
 
@Soundmachine

For 10 CDPs manufactured, may be only one has a digital output.

It makes sense to go with CDP- > DAC route only if
(i) you already have an expensive DAC and/ or
(ii) you have a equal no. of collection of music in CDs and Files.

If you have music mostly on CDs, then there is no need to go for DAC. Just get a decent CDPlayer.
 
Probably what the OP means is a CDP which can also be used to plug in an external digital source, say through S/PDIF coaxial or optical TOSLINK or USB, then output analog audio.

A rare creature indeed.
 
Then you can go for a good DVD player, which also will have a good transport (as good as abudget CD player), but whose dac will be really cheap and hence you wont be paying for something you may not use. it will have co-ax out.
 
How can a CD player work without a DAC?:sad: CD5003 also has a Cirrus logic DAC chip (don't know which version). But CD6002 has clearly a better performance going with the reviews out there. If you can afford, there is no reason why you must not choose 6002 between the two.

Pls visit the link, which clearly indicates that CD5003 does not have a DAC.
CD5003 technical specifications | whathifi.com
 
@a2zguy, What they probably mean is that the CD5003 cannot be used as a DAC (= does not have digital input).

A CD "player" without a DAC is called a transport. In this case, only the aspect of reading digital data takes place. This digital data is sent to an external DAC, which converts the digital data to analogue data and then feeds it out though the analogue outs (usually RCA outs).

If you get analogue signal out of a CD player, it has a built-in DAC. It just so happens that the transport and the DAc are in a single box, hard wired to each other. The digital data is read off the CD, converted to analogue data by the DAC section and then fed out though the analogue outs (usually RCA outs).
 
Pls visit the link, which clearly indicates that CD5003 does not have a DAC.
CD5003 technical specifications | whathifi.com

Hi,
Taken from the review page that you have posted "Under the new exterior it's progression rather than revolution, with the CD5003 using the same audio circuit and DAC as the outgoing '5001, but there has been some purposeful tinkering around the edges and the resulting performance is a similarly sedate evolution of the CD5001 sound."
It has an inbuilt DAC. It not mentioned in specifications might be a oversight
Abhijit
 
Pls visit the link, which clearly indicates that CD5003 does not have a DAC.
CD5003 technical specifications | whathifi.com

Every CD player has a digital to analog conversion chip. The data read from the CD media is a digital data of 1s and 0s, which must be converted to the equivalent analog waveform for one to be able to hear it.

What the link given by you means is that the CD5003 cannot be used as an external DAC - meaning you cannot feed it a digital input from an external source (like a CD transport, or a PC whose sound card has digital out, or any other digital source), to get analog output.

BUT, you should be able to get S/PDIF digital coaxial output and Toslink optical output from the CD5003. This means you can feed the digital output of the CD5003 to an external DAC (in case you don't trust the CD5003's DAC stage).

Hope this clears the doubt.
 
@Blasto and Santy: Thanks for clarifying my doubts.

@atozguy: Can you share with us as to where you are getting these two models?
 
Atozguy reminds me of manu4punjab who used to bombard the forum with flurry of threads with different queries. :)
 
So, it would actually be great if there is a (very)cheap and sturdy CDP without a DAC ...

It's called a Personal Computer!*

You may then choose between a whole host of permutations of internal/external/independent devices.



*well, it's extremely cheap if you have one already that you use for other things...
 
Hi all,

Pl find the quote from wikipedia :

Applications
Audio
Most modern audio signals are stored in digital form (for example MP3s and CDs) and in order to be heard through speakers they must be converted into an analog signal. DACs are therefore found in CD players, digital music players, and PC sound cards.
Specialist standalone DACs can also be found in high-end hi-fi systems. These normally take the digital output of a compatible CD player or dedicated transport (which is basically a CD player with no internal DAC) and convert the signal into an analog line-level output that can then be fed into an amplifier to drive speakers.


Hope this clears the Op's doubt.

N.Murali
 
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