Jay’s Audio CD Transport

@mbmi  Thank you for your reply!  I appreciate you sharing your additional thoughts regarding the CEC transport. I’ve read some great things about CEC.  Oftentimes, people commenting on the “analog” nature of its sound.

Although  I have also read some people feeling that it might soften the transient attacks of the notes and smoothing it out too much. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on that. 
 

What other transports have you compared with the CEC?

I would say, the Jay’s, CEC and Teac (in no specific order) are the only ones on my radar at the current moment.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me. 
 

Bedt wishes,

Don

I just picked up the Teac VRDS 701t Transport and it is great.    Top loader was a no go for me .  This machine is really nice, easily the best CD spinner I have owned. Solid build , super quiet , and sounds great.  There are only a handful of really good transports that are good and affordable and the Teac is one.  Its not cheap, right around the same as the Jays but definitely should be on anyone's short list.  

Don....I have not heard the Jay’s Audio unit But I have owned a CEC TL-5 now for almost 3 years.The BELT drive is just like a turntable) I believe it is superior to a direct when it comes to motor noise and rumble. This is the quietest transport I’ve ever heard. Quiet Black backrounds are eerie in the way they present music. There is a magic there!....Just my opinion and I have never had to replace the belt yet. .. They give you an extra one)

I have a PS Audio Perfect Wave Memory Player, which I was able to acquire for a very reasonable cost as a used sale item.

I was quite new to Digital as Source when this Transport was purchased, and can't say how it performs in comparison to other Transports of the reputation discussed in this Thread.

A HiFi Dealership is based approx' 20 miles from my home, who as part of their product line, offers Jay's Audio Transports. I have been tempted on a few occasions to pursue the experience of Jay's Transports but do not see myself as a buyer, so did not want to Tyre Kick. Maybe I should be more open minded and present myself as potential future customer, the impression made from the experience might just create such a mindset.

As for the PW Transport, there is plenty of guidance that is discoverable, that directs an individual to successfully exchange the Transports CD Drive as a DIY Task. Spare CD Drives can be bought for back up for reasonable monies. 

@8th-note I love your moniker 👍

 I truly appreciate your comprehensive reply!

It's interesting that you described the black finish as having a navy blue hue vs charcoal black. I haven’t heard that before. Regardless, as long as the finish is top notch, that’s what I’m looking for.  Does the navy blueish finish look out of place with your other black components?

I loved reading your comparison of the Teac and the Jay’s.  It’s interesting that there is not much of a sound difference between the two and that you find the dac plays a much larger role in the sound quality.  This makes me wonder if there would be much of a sonic improvement of using the Jay’s over me just using my vintage Rotel 955ax cd player as a transport?  I know this might be received as a silly question, but I’m just being honest and I admit that all of this digital stuff is new to me.  
 

Another sincere question… I have ordered a new LTA AERO dac.  It’s a NOS with no filters that I’m aware of.  Will my new Aero dac reap any sonic benefit by using the Jay’s 176 upsampling?

Thank you again for your comprehensive reply and sharing your very valuable thoughts and experiences with me!

Best wishes,

Don
 

@mbmi Hello and thank you for your reply.  I’m curious why you say to go for the CEC TL-5?

Have you compared the CEC with the Jay’s Audio transport?

What is it about the CEC that betters the Jay’s?

How do they differ sonically?

I actually am very open minded and I genuinely want to understand everyone’s opinions. 
 

Thank you and best wishes,

Don

@iflyhd Thank you for your reply!   It’s awesome to hear that you feel the black finish is great!   I think I will also choose the black as well.  
 

You had mentioned that even though the I2S works great, you actually prefer the aes output.  I’m curious if you had an opportunity to try the coax output?

Do you think that the quality of the cable is possibly more important than the actual digital output being used?  I’m just wondering 🤔 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with me!

Best wishes,

Don

@jackd  Thank you for your reply!  It’s great to hear that you love both of the Jay’s transports even though you feel the CDT3 is better. 
 

Would you be able to share with us what you like better sonically about the CDT3 over the CDT2?  
 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me!

Best wishes,

Don

@baylinor  Thank you for your reply!  I’m very excited to hear that yours has been trouble free and that you’ve been enjoying it so much!  I bought Acoustic Zen’s top coax cable the copper foil Absolute 75ohm 1.5 meter.   I use the AZ Absolute cables throughout my system and have really enjoyed what they do, so I’m hoping the digital coax will be great as well 😊

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me 👍  It helps push me in the Jay’s direction.

Best wishes,

Don

I have the CD3 Mk3 in black and the finish is first rate. I would describe the color as a deep navy blue, almost black. I have other black components that are more of a charcoal black. As mentioned above, the drawer is a pleasure to use and the fit and finish are excellent.

I also have a Teac VRDS 701T transport and I'll take this opportunity to give a brief review of both. I'm running two DACs - a Berkeley Alpha Reference MK II MQA and an Audio Mirror Tubadour IV.

The CD3 has several outputs including I2S which is a nice feature. I have it hooked up to my Berkeley with the AES output and I use the I2S output for the Tubadour. The Teac only has a Coax output so it is more limited if you are running more than one DAC.

The CD3 upsamples 4X (176) which allows your DAC to use a better filter. I run it at the upsampled rate all the time. If you don't use oversampling the CD3 uses dither which obscures the first bit of resolution. This would be fine except that it won't decode an HDCD. I collect HDCDs (I have over 100) and this format is one of the main reasons I bought the Berkeley.

The TEAC will pass the full 16 bit signal at no oversampling so it will allow the Berkelty DAC to decode HDCDs. It will also handle MQA CDs which the Berkeley will also decode. I've bought about a dozen MQA CDs and in some cases they are clearly better than their standard counterparts and in other cases I can't hear much of a difference.

Both transports are a pleasure to use and I expect them to last forever. Replacement drives are available for both but I doubt I'll ever need one. Regarding sound quality, I wish I could say that one is clearly better than the other but I doubt I could tell them apart in a blind test. My digital rig has made it to the endgame stage and everytime I play a well recorded CD I marvel at the sound.

The two DACs have more of an identifyable character than the transports. They are very close and one does not sound clearly better than the other but they are a little different. If I had to only have only one I would keep the Berkeley but I like having both to mess around with.

I bought the CD3 to replace a PSA PerfectWave transport which was a piece of junk. They used the cheapest $15 computer grade drive they could find in a $4000 transport! It felt cheap and I stressed out every time I used it because I was afraid it wouldn't work. I went through 3 drives until PSA wouldn't support the unit anymore. I mention this because the Jay's audio and the TEAC are magnitudes higher quality than the PSA unit for similar or less money.

Go with the CEC-TL5......

I own the CDT3 in Black and yes it is built like a tank (and the finish is up to the same quality). I agree the slide top is as smooth as anything I have ever used. If you tilt the front UP more than about 5-7 degrees the top will open.

I have used both of the I2S connections (HDMI & RJ45) with great results, but my preference is still the AES.

@no_regrets 

I enjoy them both and as previously mentioned they are built like a tank.  Unfortunately the CDT3 Mk3 is noticeably better but for the price it should be.  With equal source material it still bests my Auralic Aries G2.2 streamer.  You would be happy with either one. 

@no_regrets 

I have had the Jay's cdt2-mk3 for probably over two years. It has always worked flawlessly. For the future I also bought a backup CDM4/19 Phillips module so it will last me a lifetime. It is built like a tank and feels like one. The smoothness of the sliding top cd cover is amazing. I can only highly recommend it. I first used it with the I2s connection to my Gustard X26 PRO with excellent results but since then I switched to the AES connection once I used the I2s for my streamer. Went with the Snake River boomslang AES cable and the sound has a little more weight (slam) than the I2s with nearly equal clarity. I imagine a high quality coax would do as well. The display is no issue since you can opt to turn it off with the remote. In the end, I2s would be best with a darker sounding system and coax/AES with a brighter one. Of course it all has to do with the room acoustics too. Buy it and try different connections, they will all be satisfying.

@jackd "I own both a CDT2 and a CDT3 both in black and the finish is first rate."

Thank you! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear!

How have you been enjoying yours?

Best wishes,

Don

@tony1954  Now that's a great picture!  Thank you for sharing that with me.... As great as the silver looks, I think I would opt for the black to keep in fitting with the rest of my system.

@baylinor I appreciate you comment very much!  How have you been enjoying yours?  

How does it compare sonically with other transports that you might have experience with?

I would be starting out using the coax output.  Which digital output have you been using?  How would say the sound utilizing the coax output is?

I keep reading how the Jay's Audio transport is built like a tank!  I wonder how the display holds up though?  Any issues with the quality of the display at all?

Thank you and best wishes,

Don

@no_regrets 

I own both a CDT2 and a CDT3 both in black and the finish is first rate. 

Looks mighty fine in black.

The silver one being such a beauty on my rack, I can't imagine the black one being anything less, black being your thing.