So we have a Spreadhead secretly plotting his parents demise in his lust for a reel to reel player? So typical. :p Seriously though the Oppo is a very solid unit and quite flexible. A good starting point for novice audiophile. Cheers!
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I like the two separate DAC’s, one dedicated for stereo output, of which balanced outputs are offered. To wit, I have balanced connectors and inputs on my preamp and my main audio medium will be digital. My stepfather has a vintage turntable and reel to reel that I secretly smile and wink at when I visit my parents and consider the empty space that they will fill in my system one day. Until I get to fiddle with those toys it’s my 300 disc collection and I like the looks of services like Roon. |
The idea of having a separate transport is to optimize and isolate each component, theoretically for better sound. The transport will take care of the mechanics, display, remote features, and retrieving the digital data from the the disc, however it needs to be converted to an analog signal before it can be amplified (preamp, integrated, etc.). Then there is the DAC (digital-analog converter). Having a separate DAC enables one to experiment with different designs and provides the proper analog source outlets to your preamp, integrated amp or receiver. In addition to the outputs that mattmiller listed above, some transports and DAC’s have AES/EBU (balanced), spdif (BNC) and AT&T optical. To complete the system you will need some type of single digital cable in the format of your choice. I think the best cable choice is AES/EBU (wire) and AT&T (optical), however this connection is rare to find. |
Actually, Jerry Ozment, the late digital designer, told me that most designers who have multiple digital inputs on their DACs will have optimized their design for one of those inputs, so while mattmiller may be correct as a general matter, it can depend on the designer as well. Toslink can be all right, but can be beaten by the other connectors if they are done properly. There's also the ATT glass output, which is generally regarded as a much better fiber optic link than Toslink. Also there's a bnc type of output which I believe is well-regarded--my old Forsell transport had that. Widespreadpanic, as for your question on a transport vs. a CD player, the answer is generally yes in theory, as the designer can optimize the design for a transport and put the money into that design rather than having to also deal with the digital to analog circuitry and power supplies in the confines of the single box. But there are a lot of CD players that work well as transports, and the advantage to that is that you can bypass the digital to analog circuitry in the player to get a better-performing DAC when you get the upgrade itch. |
Think of a transport as a CD player without an analog output. A transport will only output a digital signal, for which you will need a digital to analog converter (DAC) in order to get your music. A CD player with a digital output can serve as a transport, if you just use it to send a digital signal to a DAC. |
If you do purchase a Transporter (ideally the Ultra SE) you then owe it to yourself to purchase a better power cord (eg Atmosphere L3) and upgrade to Black or Blue fuses throughout (as I recall it takes 3 fuses) -- in other words you can end up spending a lot! If you really want to splurge .,. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8e3b9-synergistic-research-enigma-rare-see-photos-tweaks |
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Beams a person or item from ship to ship or from ship to planet and back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transporter_%28Star_Trek%29 |