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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
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

As for the timing of my product production, you need to understand that I wear a lot of hats.  I am essentially a one-man show here.  Because of this, my customers deal directly with me and I help them on an ongoing basis.  I also offer upgrades to most of my products over time, so they are not obsoleted.  My extended family sometimes interferes with my work.  Most of 2015 I was in another state remodeling my mother-in-laws house.  This was the timeframe of ozzys order, the end of 2015.  I had a lot of catch-up to do after 9 months away from the business.

I build everything to order, but I have boards in stock.  If I have a lot of orders backlogged, they are processed in order and this can cause wait-times for some customers.  If you ask about the lead-time, I will give you an honest prediction.  The majority of my customers are wiling to wait when I have a big backlog because my products are unique in the industry.  If you order a Ferrari, you will wait 2 years.

I recently received new speakers myself that I had on order for 3.5 years.  I waited 3.5 years for these.  I have them now and I'm glad I waited.  Sometimes the best things in life take time.  I have patience.  It's a good virtue to have.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

1graber2's avatar
1graber2
303 posts
 
Transports are NOT created equal due to differences in quality of the clocking, power supplies, and support circuitry.
-------> there are BIG differences in SQ amongst different transports

1. DEDICATED SimAudio CDP: excellent, clean clear dynamic sound with punch, fully fleshed out timbres/tones
2. DEDICATED Bel Canto CDT3: similar to the Sim above, but the sound is more like the Bel Canto house sound: clean and clear but slightly warm though highly resolving. just as dynamic as the Sim, but in a different way.
3. NON-DEDICATED Oppo 95: is the jack of all trades for $1000. IOWs, the transport electronics, power supply, clocks are much inferior to the Sim and Bel Canto above, who have DEDICATED electronics to do 1-2 things very well, rather than do several things .... mediocre like the Oppo. 

I have owned all these transports, fyi
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Transports are NOT created equal due to differences in quality of the clocking, power supplies, and support circuitry.
-------> there are BIG differences in SQ amongst different transports

No argument here.  The thing that makes all transports equal is a good reclocker added to the transport.

The things that make the jitter different from all of these transports is differences in the oscillators, power supplies, power delivery, implementation and design.  It's the jitter that is different for these reasons.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,459 posts
 
audioengr, Steve,

First off waiting 3.5 years for speakers is ridiculous and I don’t believe you.

Secondly, I read what you just posted and that is still no excuse for ignoring customers emails, phone calls and all the while you took my money up front with no means of communications for months. When I was finally able to talk to you, you were very RUDE like you had no time to deal with the little people.

Again I was hoping you have overcome those issues and now provide better customer service than you did for me. But, it looks like you still won’t accept your previous poor customer service, in your mind the customer is at fault.

Anyhow, you know how I feel and I hope others who deal with you do so with some skepticism.

and lets get back to the OP questions.

Transports IMHO are advantages because they specialize in one thing, sort of like having separate components instead of using a intergraded unit. With separation comes better power supply, less jitter, better isolation etc.

leemaze,

Again sorry I high jacked your posting.

ozzy
andreaudio
5 posts
 
Actually a neglected part of the audio chain between Syncromesh and DAC is the quality of cable you use. Firstly - always go for BNC. This is  unequivocally a superior connector, 

A friend brought around a Shunyata BNC 75 ohm BNC SIGMA. Now this is a very expensive BNC - $2500 USD.

I have to say that the syncro mesh performance has jumped up to a staggering level. The added dimension has a nuance that is hard to explain – truly off the charts. Goes to show how good your unit is. The SIGMA BNC brings additional detail and layers that I have seldom heard on any rig any price. I have a lessloss Cmark power cable (new Litz wire config) feeding a Sbooster which has a Furutech NCF riser EMF/dampening system supporting the SM. Feeder is an Argento Serenity Reference silver SPDIF cable. Youtube HD material rivals my NAGRA CD player now by a comfortable margin.

I haven't tried Steve's reference cable nor the Hynes Dynamo power supply. Not sure how it compares to the SBooster but I can say that the Shunyata shows how good this unit really is. 

Here is the lesson for me - often we look to upgrade equipment to the next level but unless you optimise the chain - you dont know what you really have in your hands. 
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