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looking for the best cd transport only, without dac

I have a Hegel H160 with inbuilt DAC and I'm looking for cd transport recommendation for $1000 or so. I have Harbeth SHL5 + and like an open and transparent sound. I've considered PS Audio PWT and other used options. I'm currently using my $75 Sony bluray player for transport and surprised how good it sounds. I've auditioned transports like Marantz and Cambridge. Options like Primare and Audionote I have't been able to listen to, the latter ones used to get closer to price point. There is also the Oppo 203, but wonder about quality of sound sacrifices in jack of all trades box? When I have compared the few transports I've tried the sound quality differences were quite subtle. So have people here done some serious comparisons of sound quality of just transports and have any great recommendations? Thanks
ckharbeth
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Hi Itzhak,
You are itemizing the the different factors in CD transports which I understand. Essentially we're making the same salient point. Transports very effectively impact sonic quality and character of an audio system. For better or for worse.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
It would seem to me that the transport *shouldn't* matter because the myriads of high end dacs out there do their own jitter correction and clock management. I think they apply that functionality regardless of how "clean" the data is to begin with.

That said, does someone now mean to report as fact or imply as probable that certain transports may not send *all* of the data? That would be a different story and if true would mean that the transport matters.
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
Yes, no mechanism by which transports could affect sonic quality and character of an audio system has been identified.

Nor are there any valid listening tests showing that they do.

So, I suggest the OP try 2 of them in a blind test and see how often he can pick one vs. the other in 20 trials.

Or... just get the Cambridge and forget about it.

Or... RIP IT


Into Shape.
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
BTW, speaker cables can alter the complex impedance, and that will alter the sound of some speakers (not Maggies, but the conehead types).

For DACs, it seems that loop currents are a major factor

also, there is RFI

...not that any of the above matters much relative to different speakers; and room treatments.
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 

How about this one from Woo Audio? 


http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WAWTP1

I have no personal experience with this unit but if I was looking this one looks interesting.

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