Aqua 'La Diva' ($9k) or Gryphon 'Ethos' ($39k) versus. Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T ($3k)?

Seriously? What is the point of buying a Porsche when you could buy a Volkswagen.

A worn out cliche and stale default analogy. The transports under discussion share the essential and functioning guts that’s fundamental to excellent Redbook CD playback. The actual drive mechanism and servo control card, namely Stream Unlimited CD Pro-8 drive and Blue Tiger -84 servo. Acustic Arts has also chosen this dive unit for their flagship (18K) CD transport

Despite the wide variance in price point, the same drive mechanism was selected and for good reason, it’s the latest technology top loader unit available. I don’t know of an instance where a complete Porsche drivetrain is used in a Volkswagen (Correct me if I’m mistaken). I cannot say that these transports sound the same . Certainty there could be additional efforts toward fine tuning and tweaking with the expensive level transports/players.

There could be more extensive attention paid to isolation and vibration/resonance management etc. A higher level of aesthetic appeal and beauty. The CD Pro-8 drive seems to be the distinguishing feature that contributes greatly to the sound quality. No coincidence that these companies specifically chose this mechanism unit to build around.

I’d have to believe that for the very substantial cost increase these transports could very well surpass the Pro-ject RS2T in performance (You would think). That does not however diminish the significant achievement of the modestly priced (Relatively speaking) Pro-Ject, it is "superb" sounding and I mean superb. The reviews and forum testimonials from many are right on the mark (And they continue to grow in number).

Their decision to go with the truly excellent CD Pro-8 and place it in a CD transport with a price accessible to many music lovers is admirable and deeply appreciated.

Charles

Well said, Charles! Spot on.

I will not be overly surprised to see China’s Jay’s Audio, sooner rather than later, come ’round to the realization that, as word of the Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T spreads ever wider, they will have to relent from their current stance and start building their CDT2-MK3 (or its as-yet unnamed successor) around the latest and greatest top-loading transport mechanism used in the CD Box and elsewhere.

If Jay’s Audio continues on its present course, my guess is they will soon find themselves left far behind in the sales dust as customers in the know no longer will voluntarily settle for their beautifully-made CD transport, but one unfortunately handicapped by its technologically obsolete and no-longer-manufactured top-loading CD mechanism. This outcome is all the more likely because the Jay’s in its present form is priced so closely with the CD Box RS2 - and also because nearly everyone agrees that its sound is no match to the CD Box’s.

@erictal4075

Thank you.

I feel that you and I just want fellow Audiogon members (Who still enjoy Redbook CD playback) to be aware of this affordable and "marvelous sounding" transport. True High End audio performance and refreshingly obtainable (Which is not always the case) is worth celebrating !😊

Charles

Charles dad criticized the Porsche-VW analogy as old, but that doesn’t make it less valid.  Both vehicles have the essentials required to get a passenger from Point A to Point B—4 tires, internal combustion engine, battery, brakes, etc.  Just because all 3 transports have the same disc tray doesn’t make them all equivalent.  They probably differ significantly in the other areas.

  To be clear, my sentiments are with the OP.  I’m not cashing a few IRAs to spend $40K to hear the slight improvement that such an expenditure might obtain.  However, it isn’t hard to detect the envy in his post.  He seems offended that (admittedly ridiculously priced) gear exists, that there are people who can afford it, and I also sense a bit of frustration that as good as his system is and as reasonable as his suspicions are about the price to performance ratio of the stratospherically priced gear, he will probably never really be able to verify his well founded suspicions that the higher priced stuff is not money well spent.

  I am glad that my system is so much better than I ever would have imagined it could be.  Hell, even my 2 mid Fi systems are worlds better than what I could have imagined owning 40 years ago.  
  Another old argument that rings true is that the mega bucks spenders allow for the development of technology that ultimately trickles downstream.  Let those early adopters pay the R&D costs.

  Inequality will always be with us.  Even societies that attempted to force equality at the point of a gun had elites.  At some point you have to look at the stuff that you have, ask if it makes you happy, and if the answer is yes, stop giving a rats a** about what your neighbor might have