How does a Transport effect sound?


hi guys,

Been wondering about this: How does a CD Transport effect sound?  Isn't it just reading the disc and sending the 1s and 0s to the DAC.  Shouldn't every transport sound the same?

Thanks! 
leemaze
How abour MSB's Data CD? They seems to take care of both the "read until right" (CDROM drive and memory buffer) and ”jitter/timing" (proprietary I2S connection by using ethernet network connection) problems?

MSB's "Pro I2S interface" is a good implementation, along with being a "computer" CD transport.  This locates the Master Clock in the DAC rather than the transport.  The Transport has a PLL that synchronizes to the DAC Master Clock. 

This is the optimum way to do the CD transport protocol. dCS does a similar method, but not I2S.

I2S is really not necessary when using this scheme, but it simplifies the DAC to use it.  I also put I2S inputs and outputs on my products, as does PSAudio, but they don't do the Master Clock in the DAC like MSB and dCS, with a clock cable going from DAC back to the Transport.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Sorry but it all comes down to you .You are the one who listens to the cd player more than anyone else.Get what you enjoy not what you read on the net .Get one that will make happy.But 20 grand are you Nuts .
But 20 grand, are you Nuts?

It is a question afterall.

This is precisely why you get an Oppo for $1000 and add a Synchro-Mesh for $599. People that have them will tell you it’s a no-brainer.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

@audioengr 

Have you ever directly compared the Canare LV-77s and Belden 8281F coaxial cables for jitter?


Jitter is an interface issue and will always be affected by the data stream no matter what cables you use. The detection of the clock timing embedded in the digital audio is always jitter prone - no matter what device is upstream.

The ONLY thorough solution is to accept interface jitter as a fact of life and use a DAC that rejects it. No matter how much jitter is reduced upstream there is still going to be jitter. Select a DAC that rejects interface jitter and then all that you will hear is the inherent jitter in its own internal asynchronous clock driving the DAC.