Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 I2S pin definition

@charles1dad -Wonderful recommendations. Thank you.

Gerry Mulligan "Night Lights"-A great sounding CD. My partner was listening to it and said the sound reminded her of a great cheesecake-rich textures and complexity. I’m a big GM fan and just ordered this one. And the accompanists are awesome-Bob Brookmeyer is a favorite.

Have you heard "Bob Brookmeyer and Friends"? What a band- Stan Getz, Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, and a guest appearance by Tony Bennett.

Oliver Nelson "Nocturne"-Sonorous sax like Ben Webster, I love the Duke Ellington influences. Just ordered this one, also. I was reading that all of Nelson’s originals were destroyed in 2008 Universal Studio fire. Ugh....

Wes Montgomery "Smokin At The Half Note"-I have "Full House", which appears to be a companion disc to Smokin at the 1/2 Note. And based on how much I enjoy it, I just ordered Smokin’. And how about that back-up group! You have to be GOOD to play with those guys. He’s another musician who lost all his originals in the Universal fire. Thinking (writing) outloud-How many jazz (and rock guitarists) can trace their lineage back to Charlie Christian?

Looking forward to your impressions of your LPS.

All the best for 2022!

David

@wharfy 

Gerry Mulligan "Night Lights"-A great sounding CD. My partner was listening to it and said the sound reminded her of a great cheesecake-rich textures and complexity. I’m a big GM fan and just ordered this one. And the accompanists are awesome-Bob Brookmeyer is a favorite

Now she described  an excellent analogy . I've had "Night Lights " for years and with my first listen I was struck by the very well captured full and rich authentic tones of all the instruments. Very beautifully played music by superb musicians that is recorded well. What more could one ask?

I have "Full House" as well, I believe that you'll really like "Smoking At The Half Note" I will seek out "Bob Brookmyer And Friends", thanks. If you listen to "Finger Painting" I believe you'll like it.  Terrific playing and well recorded. 

I hope to have the LPS soon😊

Charles 

@wharfy 

I've have about 50 hours on my Fidelizer Nikola 2 LPS (Manufacturer said 200 hours for complete burn-in). Directly out of the shipping box with  the initial listening exposure a few things were apparent within the first few hours and have gotten gradually better. In my opinion the Pro-Ject RS2 transport sounds excellent with the standard wall wart power supply. If someone decided to stop there they'd have a top level performing CD transport. 

With the use of the Nickola 2 LPS there is not a "night and day" difference.  It did not cause the wall wart powered Pro-Ject to sound broken.  There are clearly noticeable improvements that elevate the sound quality from an already high standard. 

1 The sound presentation opens up and the 3-dimensional aspect is heightened.  

2 You are aware of distinct spacing and separation between the musicians.

3 Dynamic contrast is improved particularly lower level or micro dynamics,  the overall sound is more nuanced. The subtle and small details are more apparent. 

4 What's already excellent resolving ability is taken further. 

5 The very good organic nature of the transport becomes more  organic and the musical flow is just impressively natural. The antithesis of mechanical/electronic/canned.

6 The Pro-Ject straight out of the box with the wall wart has beautiful natural tonality of instruments and human voice.  This my top sonic priority. I was actually surprised that this was improved. Wonderful fleshed out harmonically rich and fully expressed tone and timbre. Increased instrument reverberation and a very tactile/palpable presentation. 

This is what I hear specifically with the Fidelizer Nikola 2 LPS. I suspect that other high quality LPS would do similar things. The Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 transport with a very good LPS similar to mine paired with a high DAC is going to provide "superb " Redbook CD playback sound quality. 

Charles 

@charles1dad 

Thanks for the update. That's terrific news about your Fidelizer Nikola 2 LPS.  I've been thinking about your description and am wondering if my following comments/observations are accurate?

A quality LPS lowers floor noise allowing one to hear the micro-details, increased resolution, spacing between instruments, dynamic contrasts and 3D presentation.

Depending on the LPS one buys it works as a filter to fine-tune sound from a warmer/organic to a neutral to an analytical presentation.

I've also been thinking about-soundstage. Do you think there is an end point where the soundstage presentation exceeds the actual size of the room in which one is listening to music?

Also, for a reference point, what is the rest of your audio system? 

BTW-I picked up a Bill Charlp/Tony Bennett CD-The Silver Lining-The Songs of Jerome Kern that is terrific. The Pro-Ject/Musutec 005 combination is perfectly matched for the music genre I predominantly listen to.

Happy listening!

David

@wharfy , This is my latest listening assessment at 100 hours that I sent last night to another Audiogon member and ProJect RS2 transport owner. It keeps getting better. 😊

@erictal4075d

I’m just past the 100 hour burn-in point with the Fidelizer Nikola 2 LPS. It is obviously evolving and continuing to improve its sound quality. Take what I wrote in my last post (50 hours) and honestly add an additional 10% improvement. As impressively good the Pro-Ject is with its supplied SMPS wall wart, the high quality LPS is simply the superior choice.

That is saying a lot but is the unadulterated truth. Given the progression I am hearing, I unequivocally recommend obtaining a good LPS. I wouldn’t try to go cheap here. Power supply quality is too important and vital to acquiring good sound. It will advance the Pro-Ject RS2 transport to its fullest sonic potential. The manufacturer told me 200 hours to achieve complete burn-in of this LPS, so I’m halfway there.

How much more is there to gain? I’ll find out. This Pro-Ject with LPS is a tremendous package. Truly stunningly good sound quality. An exceptional audio value if there ever was one.

Charles

Interesting that you mention pianist Bill Charlip. I hear him (Trio) in a local jazz club about 7 years ago. An intimate venue without the use of microphones, just pure and natural sound. I was seated at a table about 10 feet from the stage. What an absolute joy!

You can access my system page by clicking on my avatar. I named my audio system "SET Bliss".

Charles