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A phenomenal new CD transport-Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 transport

I have had in-house for the last week Pro-Ject's new CD Box RS2 transport to review for the website Stereo Times. I was very curious to assess its performance because it uses the Pro 8 drive with the Blue Tiger CD-84 servo card. This drive was developed and built by StreamUnlimited a company started by the original Phillips designers that historically built the finest CD mechanisms. Only two other companies use the StreamUnlimited 8 drive and Blue Tiger CD-84 servo card, their pieces cost $16,000 and $39,000 compared to Pro-Ject's sane price of $3,000!

My reference for the last two years has been the excellent Jay's Audio MK-II transport that had out-performed much more expensive highly regarded transports in my system. Well, across every sonic parameter  (transparency/micro-details-overall dynamics/bottom-end extension/purity of tonality- a much more airy sound-stage with wonderful 3D imaging) compared to the Jay's Audio transport.

That's way I titled this thread a "phenomenal new CD transport" because while not inexpensive, it just might be a bargain based on its performance. Mind you, this superlative level of performance is based on using the switching power supply that Pro-Ject ships the transport with. I have shortly coming a custom 20 watt 3 amp linear power supply from Linear Tube Audio and Pro-Ject's own upgraded power supply to see if the RS2 transport performance will even go to a higher qualitative level of performance.

I'll be writing a full detailed review for Stereo Times in the near future. However, I wanted to share this information to GON members who still spin CDs. I have had numerous CD transports in for evaluation and this just might be the best sounding of all of them.

Teajay (Terry London)




amorstereo
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riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
981 posts
 
   Well like you said....you dont know BUT your certainly entitled to your opinion of me which doesnt matter to anybody but yourself. I will call BS if I see it. He might think he knows everything about audio equipment but when it comes to the actual music he obviously is completely clueless as to its origins in the studio/mixing/mastering area. Whats available NOW vs What was available before. He probably isnt even aware of the massive fire that destroyed thousands and thousands of the actual Master Recordings more than a decade ago in California. He thinks whats currently available in the streaming world is the ULTIMATE in sonic reproduction that has ever been. Thats a TOTAL Lie.

ESSRAND....Your aware that PS AUDIO no longer has a Dealer Network right?  So the chances of ANY dealer (former PS Audio Dealer or otherwise) telling somebody to buy one of their products over another is highly unlikely. Can you provide your dealer source??  For a Few thousand dollars more you can buy an Esoteric Spinner with a NON CHIP DAC that will smoke anything that PS Audio could ever produce.
jriggy's avatar
jriggy
560 posts
 
How noisy is the transport mechanism when running? I read a comment on a YT vid saying it was noisy and audible from 10ft away. The statement was from 2019, so maybe they’ve changed it? 
amorstereo OP
64 posts
 
Hey jriggy,

The one I have in for review is totally silent and has performed perfectly in all its operations.
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,764 posts
 
Riaa we did shootouts with esoterics vs ahigh end server 

Ther will always be read errors with optical no mater the transport You are shooting a laser beam off of a piece of plastic 
Vs loading a bit perfect  copy of the data and loading that data into a ram buffer and precisely sending that data via usb to the dac


riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
981 posts
 
Bit perfect copy of overly compressed/crappily remastered recordings that are currently in the record labels possession. NOT the music that was originally recorded back in the day by the master engineers/producers/mixers. We get it. Sad that you will never realize that the CD’s you purchased back in the 80’s are in most cases better digital recordings than what you are being offered on your streaming services. Do your homework. There is a reason the 1st pressings (Or the best pressings) can go for Hundreds of Dollars each....Just like Reel to Reel tapes do.
I will also wager any Esoteric you claim to have used was one with a DAC CHIP and no master clock hooked up to it.
Do us all a favor so you can stop embarrassing yourself. Go buy something like the recent Doobie Brothers Quad Box Set, or a Tull Steven Wilson mix....play those Discs on some Mid-Fi OPPO Spinner or comparable low end universal spinner.  Those mixes from the ORIGINAL Master Tapes will sound better than whatever files you have on your preferred music server.  I realize this will take you away from your nightly Barry Manilow listening session so I apologize in advance for infringing on your time.  Copacabana will still be there for you tomorrow....albeit a crappy recorded version of it where your missing instruments from the original recording cause they have been compressed out on the recording thats available to you on Tidal/Quobuz
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