Best ever made & sounding CD transport ?

I once had a micromega stage 4 that I used as a transport, but the counterpoint that I had put up for a while to me sounds better. I was told that one box players don't always cut it when it comes to dedicated transports. Also would like to get my hands on a pioneer 65 to compare to the counterpoint. They seem to go quickly. Good listening.

CEC transports are among the best.

Cec TL-0 MK2 is the best tansport in the world. Also Cec TL-1X is wonderful.

The Pioneer CD players should never be mentioned on this topic. Unless it was 10 year ago. Thanks.

For me, the Sonic Frontiers SFT1 and the Theta Pearl are very good for the money considering they sound really good and at the same time very well made!

i agree with ferdinand concerning the theta pearl. incredible musicality with that theta punch and soundstage. i ended up with the jade which has better resolution of inner detail and soundstaging. the pearl is an outstanding value though.

The CEC's are excellent transports. While somewhat dark at the topend they are very smooth and msuical. The Forsell Mk II is still the best in my experience, as musical as the CEC but better at the extremes (very airy at the top). Its not engineered as well as the Japanese transports but gets it right where it counts; the music.

I recently replaced a Sony XA7 CD player with a Levinson 37 transport. Until I heard the ML 37, I didn't realize that a transport could make that much difference. The Sony is good, but the ML 37 is definitely a step up. It has increased clarity and detail without being etched or analytical, and with a bit deeper more articulate bass; upper mids and low treble are very natural. Paired with the ML 360S DAC, the two made a dramatic improvement in my stereo system-- overall a smooth, natural, live presentation. Happy Listening. Craig.

The Sakura Fish player/d/a with the Sakura progression 47 d/a was the best digital sound ive heard to date better tham krell aacuphase theta and wadia any other opinions?

Audiomeca just released a "state of the art" CD transport called "Mephisto II" (a thoroughgoing redesign of the old Mephisto). It features a very large clamping mechanism for the CD (the largest and stablest I have seen) with a modified Sanyo lens. The upper CD platter/motor/lens is mounted in a triangular metacrylite block which is supended in an aluminum housing which is then mounted into metacrylite stand via four adjustable posts. The metacylite stand then narrows down to a smaller sub-stand below and then a platter. Its overall look is very sophisticated: in the same league as Goldmund or other Audiomeca products (lots of chrome and back metacylite). The electronics are (I am pretty sure) modified CEC electronics with "standard" and "direct" RCA outputs and an AES/EBU balanced output. The unit has a separate power supply connected via a 9-pin cable. There is also an unusual "tracking" regulator which helps to read bad or damaged CDs. I bought one of the first 500 Mephisto IIs produced in 1999 and it is by-far the best CD transport in the mid-price category (it costs about $3,500 in France) and even competes with the highest priced units in naturalness and musicality. It has excellent timing, transparency, and reproduces the original recording atmosphere and sonics with a great deal of competeness. With the right DAC it sounds amazingly close to an excellent turntable.

Audiomeca just released a "state of the art" CD transport called "Mephisto II" (a thoroughgoing redesign of the old Mephisto). It features a very large clamping mechanism for the CD (the largest and stablest I have seen) with a modified Sanyo lens. The upper CD platter/motor/lens is mounted in a triangular metacrylite block which is supended in an aluminum housing which is then mounted into metacrylite stand via four adjustable posts. The metacylite stand then narrows down to a smaller sub-stand below and then a platter. Its overall look is very sophisticated: in the same league as Goldmund or other Audiomeca products (lots of chrome and back metacylite). The electronics are (I am pretty sure) modified CEC electronics with "standard" and "direct" RCA outputs and an AES/EBU balanced output. The unit has a separate power supply connected via a 9-pin cable. There is also an unusual "tracking" regulator which helps to read bad or damaged CDs. I bought one of the first 500 Mephisto IIs produced in 1999 and it is by-far the best CD transport in the mid-price category (it costs about $3,500 in France) and even competes with the highest priced units in naturalness and musicality. It has excellent timing, transparency, and reproduces the original recording atmosphere and sonics with a great deal of competeness. With the right DAC it sounds amazingly close to an excellent turntable.

Take a listen to the new Accuphase DP-75V 24/192. Then listen to the Sony or Marantz SACD players.