kay said:
Now the DAC stage is where things can get really fancy. Jitter has been proven to be a major factor in SQ so a decent player would include expensive buffers and re-clocking before it feeds the DAC's. Then there's the issue of the actual DAC chips - algorithms, oversampling.
Add to all that the chassis, proximity of signal paths, clean and sufficient power - it all adds up. So yes, I believe you will hear a difference between $100 and $1,000 machines, but probably not between $1,000 and $15,000.
Please refer to the conditions of the listening tests under which these observations are typically made. They are sighted, and thus, are highly biased. About as credible as loudspeaker cable reviews.
Jitter: I suggest you actually look for credible research actually
proving thst it is a major factor at the levels of jitter involved in a typical DAC. I'm aware of alot of audiophile opinions on the matter, but not ones backed by respectable perceptual data. Even a typical consumer player has
[1]lower jitter than is known to be audible in any perceptual test that even begins to resemble something with careful testing methodology, as opposed to the standard sighted[worthless] evaluations used to make points in the audiophile world. So far as other things, such as oversampling, that is a method to ensure a more precise anti-alias filter, and as has been a standard on virtually all equipment since the mid 80's. So far as proximity of signal paths to power lines, etc.; that equates to the noisefloor. If you have an audible noisefloor---well---that's obvious. Sufficient power: The device would not operate or would have serious operating errors if it was not fed sufficient power.
-Chris
[1]Theoretical and Audible Effects of Jitter on Digital Audio Quality
Benjamin, Eric; Gannon, Benjamin [Dolby Labs]
AES Preprint: 4826