I am not really a Newbie to this in that I have been dabbling in high end audio for 16 years but I am supremely ignorant on one subject; DACs. I know nothing about them nor am I clear on the benefits. So here is the deal.
I have just rebuilt my system and am putting the finishing touches on at this time. Here is what I have:
Marantz AV7005 Pre/Pro
Marantz MM8003 Power Amp
Marantz CC4003 5 Disc Carousel
Carver TDR 1550 Cassette Deck (Legacy from my old system)
Rega P3-24 w/ an Elys 2 Cartridge
Sunfire HRS SAT4's, Center and Bip's for 7 Speaker Surround
Sunfire HRS 12 Subwoofer
Sony PS3 Slim as my Blu-Ray player
I listen to music primarily in 2.1. I just replaced an old Carver CD player that was exceptional but the tray was opening and closing on it's own. I have not noticed a difference between the Carver and the Marantz and have it linked using analog cables.
I am not at all displeased with the sound the system is currently producing but am always looking to make it better. So I was wondering about a few things: will the Pre/Pro's DAC be supperior to my CD player? What level of external DAC would be superior to the Pre/Pro? Would any additional money be better spent on a nicer Blu-Ray?
Maybe a better way to think about this is what are the benefits to an external DAC vs. the on-board DAC's in my Marantz equipment? Also, any broader notes on why an external DAC vs. on-board DAC would be helpful in that I just nneed to understand the "why" behind things.
Thanks in advance.
I am not really a Newbie to this in that I have been dabbling in high end audio for 16 years but I am supremely ignorant on one subject; DACs. I know nothing about them nor am I clear on the benefits. So here is the deal.
I have just rebuilt my system and am putting the finishing touches on at this time. Here is what I have:
Marantz AV7005 Pre/Pro
Marantz MM8003 Power Amp
Marantz CC4003 5 Disc Carousel
Carver TDR 1550 Cassette Deck (Legacy from my old system)
Rega P3-24 w/ an Elys 2 Cartridge
Sunfire HRS SAT4's, Center and Bip's for 7 Speaker Surround
Sunfire HRS 12 Subwoofer
Sony PS3 Slim as my Blu-Ray player
I listen to music primarily in 2.1. I just replaced an old Carver CD player that was exceptional but the tray was opening and closing on it's own. I have not noticed a difference between the Carver and the Marantz and have it linked using analog cables.
I am not at all displeased with the sound the system is currently producing but am always looking to make it better. So I was wondering about a few things: will the Pre/Pro's DAC be supperior to my CD player? What level of external DAC would be superior to the Pre/Pro? Would any additional money be better spent on a nicer Blu-Ray?
Maybe a better way to think about this is what are the benefits to an external DAC vs. the on-board DAC's in my Marantz equipment? Also, any broader notes on why an external DAC vs. on-board DAC would be helpful in that I just nneed to understand the "why" behind things.
Thanks in advance.