RCD-1072, Bel Canto Dac2 or Cambridge Audio?

[nikos]

I currently only have the oppo 971 player and my 1057 Dacs...

Would i be better off investing in a DAC instead of trying to get a 1072 in my system?

Does anyone have experience with the way the 1072 compares to the 640 and 740 players from cambridge audio?

for 750 or so i could be in DAC2 territory....

I have no experience what so ever with dedicated DAC...


(I also through my home network feed music to the 1057 through my xbox running media center... could that also benefit from the DAC2,even though I'd have to manually unplug/plug the optical cable?)

Thanks,
Nikos

[bigburner]

Hi Nikos,

I obtained an external DAC to improve the sound quality of my Oppo 971 when playing music DVDs. However I now use my Oppo for listening to CDs too, instead of my Rotel RCD-855. The RCD-855 still sounds good but the Oppo + DAC sounds better.

I predict that the trend over the next few years will be further improvements in picture quality. The Oppo is a great example this trend. I might therefore upgrade my Oppo long before I feel inclined to upgrade my external DAC.

Another thing to consider about an external DAC is its ability to handle multiple inputs. A good example is using the external DAC in conjunction with a PC or laptop. Benchmark have recognised this and have provided a USB input on the latest version of their DAC1 device.

Nigel.

[PewterTA]

To me, the CA 640v2 sounded very close to the 1072 when I demoed them. Now with that said, they both sounded different. To me the CA was brighter and the Rotel was softer in the Highs. The mid range and low end to me sounded very similar. I also (after picking up the 640v1 - my old player) tested the benchmark dac1 and found that I did like it and while sounding better than my CA 640v1, it didn't sound light years ahead compared to the price difference. So I ended up picking up the CA 640v2 and I have to say when compared to what I "remember" that Benchmark as being...those two are very similar. I'd still like to test the two side by side, but I think I'm good without it and save myself some money towards other things.

Best thing to do is test an external DAC for yourself, Benchmark gives you 30 days I believe. See how you like it.