Why use CD Transport instead of computer source

Long ago I learned that cd servers sound quite different as do cd transports. I think most have had the experience I had in listening to redbook even lossless originating from my hard-drive. It was quite poor music reproduction. Early on I heard a cd server. It too was quite poor. I have owned many different players, mostly universal or sacd players. Computers, of course, cannot deal with dsd. Until recently, I had little interest in cd servers, but the CES recently caused me to change my mind.

Twice I heard a cd of mine first played on a quality transport through a dac. Then the cd was ripped to the drives and replayed from it. In both cases, the Blue Smoke and Exemplar servers, the reproduced sound was quite superior. I suspect it is the read until write capability of the rip avoiding read errors made as the transport cannot continue to read until right as the music is playing.

I do not, for one minute believe that bits or bits. Reproducing what lies on the disc correctly yields better music. I have ordered the Exemplar server.

TBG- what does the Exemplar server do differently? I had always felt that if one separated the computer into two components; one for power, disk drive, Chip/Fan and the other for CD reader, low power electrics ,Clocks and connections, Sound could improve. Even perhaps a belt drive CD such as with the Cec might help.

I am not sure that all it takes is avoiding read errors. If that is so, why does different digital cables sound so different?

I looked at you current setup and it appears that you have spent considerable time and money on your setup. Your Acoustic Arts DAC + Transport are great. So when you say that a server sounds better than that, I am quite curious to hear it for myself.

To date, I have not found high resolution 24/196 recordings via my computer sound as good red book CD via CEC transport bud AA tube Dac. I look forward to hearing your evaluation in your present system.

Richard

Hamburg, I have sold the Accustic Arts Dac and Drive One and presently use an Exemplar/Shanling SCD-3000. This was largely the result of wanting to play my many sacds.

All that I really know is that my FIM K2 sampler sounded far superior on both cd servers. I also spent a good deal of time listening to cds that I was familiar with on the Exemplar server in the FIM suite.

It is both John Tucker of Exemplar and the guys from Blue Smoke who suggest the read error explanation as well as the need to avoid normal sound cards and USB connections to the processor. They also both think that one needs to separate the dac from the processor, and in Blue Smoke's case the hard drive from the processor.

You rightly point out that digital cables sound different which to me would suggest that there might be multiple problems with optical based transports as a source.

I will be keeping my sacd player, so I will be able to detail what I think is better using a server.

My question right now is whether any of the tweaks I use on my cds would show up on a server.

If your not comparing the same CD to the same CD ripped lossless - high bit rate, with a low jitter server such as SB3 or Transporter, then your comments on this question will not be valid. You can still share your experience, though.
I've compared my Sony dvp7000es transport with my SB3, both feeding a Benchmark dac1 and the differences were very neglible. Slight differences but hard to nail down and I liked the streaming better - more open, bigger soundstage. Granted the Sony 7000 is a real world decent transport but not a real high dollar cd transport. With a better streaming transport like the 'Transporter' then the jitter levels would be even lower streaming than optical read with a cd transport.

I did compare the same cd with a ripped lossless version, but I know nothing about SB3 or Transporter. Neither used a Benchmark dac but the Exemplar uses the Benchmark board. Neither uses the USB connection nor any sound board. I don't know what the transport was for Blue Smoke but in the case of the Exemplar a stand alone cd player was used. It is the Exemplar modified Shanling CD-3000. I have much experience with the SCD-3000 with the same mods. A much better clock is used in both.

The differences were not at all subtle. Everyone in both rooms immediately heard the differences. I like the convenience of servers but never before heard one I would own.