cd player questions

[rayray8]

got a few questions about cd players as i am getting into music now on my theatre setup. what is the best way to connect a cd player to a receiver? rca,digital coax,or optical? i noticed there are alot of high end players out there, just wondering what the differences are between them and cheaper cd players?

[Kryptonic]

Depends on if your receiver or CD player has the better DAC. Generally, just connect with digital coax or optical. There's little difference between the two, though I prefer digital coax as I find it to be a little more reliable and natural.

[Intamin]

I'd say it depends on what cd player you get and what receiver you are using. If you buy a high end cd player and connect it to a low end receiver, use rca and bypass the receiver's dacs. If you do the opposite, use digital out and bypass the cd player's dacs. If both are of the same quality, mess around with the with digital and rca and see which one you prefer.

Oh, and to answer your question about the differences between cd players. A lot of it is dacs. Another part is dampening, power supplies, and components. You also can have better tracking of the disc with higher end cd players.

[Big Daddy]

Buy the Playstation one on Ebay for around $10 to $20. In the opinion of many audiophiles, including the Stereophile magazine, it is an outstanding CD player. If you don't like it, you can send it to me or give it to Salvation Army.