Cd Player/DAC recommendations?

[hal55]

This will be one of those questions where I'd better list the gear I've got first, being

WD25T Excels
Music Angel valve pre and Jungson JA99C Class A amp
Pioneer Dv676A CD/DVD/SACD player and Lite DAC 60
Luxman T105 tuner
Cabling by Mogami, speaker cables Ortofon SPK 200

Overall, the sound quality is very good indeed but I'm finding that CDs seem to be majoring on detail, composure and insight whereas the ancient, mid 80s Luxman tuner is musical as hell and with air and atmospherics (dreadful pun not intended) that CDs lack. In this respect it's like a Nak RX202 cassette deck and Heybrook TT2/Grado combination I used to own, there was a vibrant, free flowing musicality about them that isn't quite there with most of the CDs I play. DVD-As and SACD are much better but they represent only a small fraction of my music collection.
Any recommendations as to a DAC or Cd player that will press the musical button I'm after? Just want to get some flair and enjoyment into CD playback.

I suspect someone will probably say "get a turntable again" and I do have a Technics SP10 that will be an end of year project to get going but it will always be a secondary source.

Re budget, I'm not looking at Chord territory but I do have a DAC to sell and am more than happy to buy secondhand.

Cheers,

Hal55

[alnewall]

whereas the ancient, mid 80s Luxman tuner is musical as hell and with air and atmospherics (dreadful pun not intended) that CDs lack.

I think you may have partly answered your own question.
CD does sound different. Whether tis right to strive to make CD sound like vinyl, i'm not sure. Why not just have the choice of both.
Your CD playing arrangement is similar to mine, and i suspect you will find other players that sound very different, but maybe not much better.

Try playing with different input caps on your DAC(assuming it has one). These are largely responsible for what comes out the other end.
If you don't already have a BNC socket on your CD player, in place of the digi out phono socket, then fitting one is worthwhile.

[Really Aardvark]

Sorry Hal - but Dac64 was the only way to go for me. I was in exactly the same boat a few years ago. I just wasn't listening to any CDs, always heading for the turntable. So I took myself off to the shops to hear what was on the market. At the time I was using (well not using) a Cyrus dad3Q+psxr. While all the detail was there it just didn't sound like music (and I play bass myself). The only thing that floated my boat was the Chord DAC64 - not cheap - well bl***y expensive actually. 3yrs interest free credit sorted that. To my ears there really isn't anything to touch it even now. They're discontinued now but if you could find one and some credit I would recommend making sacrifices for it.

[hal55]

Oh dear...... Ebay search term duly listed but this will be a stretch even secondhand. I suppose I could sell the SP10, ther're going for good money at the moment, but I'm loath to do that.
Thanks for the input, funny that the one brand I listed as out of reach looks like being the one I need.

Cheers,

Hal55

[Really Aardvark]

Well - its only the route I took; it may not suit you. What the Dac64 does is very different to the mainstream alternatives I heard including Meridian G08, MF Trivista, Cyrus DacX. I don't think its a universal CD panacea. I'd get out there, if you've the time, and make a pleasant nuisance of yourself at all your local dealers!

[hal55]

How I miss Hifi shows, even if the surroundings were far from ideal they gave a clue anyway as to what may suit. They are a dead breed in Australia - count youself lucky that in the UK you still have them.
Also the odd bargain to pick up which was always a bonus as well.

I'll be in the UK from the 17-24 May (London/Oxford). I don't suppose there is a regional show on anywhere in this time. Would have loved to have seen one of the big shows like Penta but it didn't fit in with the Chelsea Flower Show, which was about the only way I was able to talk my wife into the trip.

Cheers,

Hal55

[Ali Tait]

How do you find the Jungson? I was going to buy one earlier this year,for av type duties.Ended up with a Musical Fidelity A370 instead.

[hal55]

"I love it" would be an understatement. I had a Meridian 556 before and the Jungson is easily a match for it - plus the bonus of being deathly quiet in operation, unlike the 556 which buzzed away merrily. I'm assuming that you've read David Price's review of it, I agree with everything Price said and did notice the slight sting in the treble, this took a good month or two to disappear but it's totally absent now and the amp really is glass clear and tonally involving to the extent that CD digital is now showing some of it's flaws in comparison to analogue.
One evening I remember vividly was a FM broadcast of the semi finals of the Sydney International Piano Competiton, complete with Sydney Symphony.
"You could hear every note being played, and every key being struck" is the only way to describe it - literally like being in the fifth row.
Really only comes on song after half an hour (not that it's bad before that) and really hits it's stride after an hour when the casework gets so hot you almost feel you'll burn your hand on it. Also, maybe not that brilliant at low volumes, it really fills out and gets into it's swing with the volume tickled just a little.
And finally, Meridian Australia wanted $900 just to supply ONE 556 replacement output board, and I believe the price is now over $1000. The Jungson, all 26kls of it, was shipped from China straight to my door for LESS than one lousy board from Meridian. One of the reasons that I won't rubbish Chinese hifi, it's a good price and, when it's good. it can be very good indeed.

Hal55

(and David Price, self confessed tragic follower of fashion, was dead wrong, the amp does not look as though it was made by a big bloke swinging a hammer!)