A while back I got a Hitachi DA-1000, one of the first CD Players put into production, and the basis for a good number of the earliest CDP designs.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...1168#post41168

What is intriguing me, and what I've not been able to find via Google, Wikipedia etc, is how the early 14 bit DACs work. Wikipedia says that Philips developed a 4 x oversampling process which gave 16 bit performance from a 14 bit DAC. Is that the difference, and what exactly does that mean?

I have been pleased with the performance of my DA-1000 but haven't had the chance to properly put it head to head with my Sony CDP. I expected sound like some of the very poor budget players / portables from the early 90's, but it's nothing like that, so must be doing something right.

I'd be interested in hearing what those of you with experience of these early machines have to say