2. digital
  3. 125081-7564

Considering buying a CD transport

My current disc spinner is a Cambridge Audio 751BD which I'm now mostly (except for SACDs) using as a transport, as I vastly prefer the sound of my Bryston BDA1 DAC to what comes through the CA. Even through the Bryston DAC, CDs can sound shrill. The CA works extremely well for DVDs, Blu-ray discs and SACDs, but I don't think I'm enjoying my rather extensive CD collection as I should. Would a separate transport make enough difference to be worth considering? I've been reading reviews of the Cyrus CDt which are tempting, but I'd like to hear some real-world opinions first. Unfortunately, there are budgetary constraints, so I would like not to exceed about $2K.

The rest of the system: Hegel H200 integrated, Proac Response D2s, REL S2 sub, Clarus Aqua analog interconnects & speaker cables, Nordost coax.
cooper52
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
It looks like you are using Coax from your transport to your Bryston DAC.
Have you tried different cables? Different brands and length of digital cables can impact the sonics dramatically.

And I think you may get better results if you were using a CDP and not a universal player.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,418 posts
 
Thanks infection. I made a revision to my post.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,381 posts
 
How many CDs do you have, and have you considered a network-based approach instead? Yes, I am suggesting going a number of moves ahead, but you might end up there eventually anyway. 
Many of the best sounding digital setups revolve around:
- the music on a shared network drive aka NAS (Network Attached Storage)
- a router to distribute through your home via ethernet cable, wireless wifi, or through power line adapters plugged into a/c outlet
-  a network-based player which can be a specially purposed device, mac or pc, a dac
- wireless device to use as remote(i.e. tablet and/or phone).

The advantages are numerous and arguably provide additional flexibility in the future. Within your budget you could leap significantly in sound quality and gain elegance & simplicity in user interface. I'll shut up now. Cheers,
Spencer
cooper52 OP
187 posts
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I was hoping to avoid going the music-server route at least for now even though I know it's the wave of the future (if not the present) and may very well give me the quality I'm seeking. Since I'm a former managing partner in a local CD store, I'm still pretty attached to the physical objects, and I think my collection approaches 1200 discs. Also I'm at that point in my life when I'm getting resistant to having to learn whole new technologies. I'm aware of the PS Audio PWT and how good it is (from the reviews, at least) but even in the used market, it's over budget.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,381 posts
 
If that's the case, I'd suggest that it wouldn't be worth it to upgrade the transport alone. I'd rather see the money go into a dac if yours wasn't up to snuff, but I don't have any experience with the Bryston and know it's got plenty of fans around here. 
An in-home borrow or demo would be the way to go for sure. Cheers,
Spencer
More to discover