I recently bought a Pioneer DV-525 in pristine condition for the price of a coffee, which I connect via optical to the smsl m500, so it's a pure transport.
I started buying CDs again mainly in an attempt actually own the music and support the artists I like and I have been enjoying being able to actually touch it and not having to go to the internet to, for example, check the lyrics to a song. As the process is more involved you dedicate yourself more to the listening experience, yata yata, but this part you heard already.
The Pioneer was for sure an upgrade over the external DVD-R drive from LG I mostly because it's completely silent, the external drive was noisy AF and from the moment I put the disc in to the moment I could actually listen, at least in my machine, there were several steps and took some time really. With the Pioneer I just need to change the input in my dac and put the disc in. It also matches my onkyo tape deck in that late 80s early 90s aesthetics, one in each side of my desk, but that is a marginal point.
Ah, and ofc I did compare the RCA outs directly to my amp as to using the m500 as a dac, but the result is just as expected.
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