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CD Transport VS Streamer

I recently purchased, and returned an Audiolab CDT 6000, because compared to my Bluesound Node 2i, the highs were rolled off and the bass wasn’t as strong.  Im comparing 16/44 tracks to a cd.  I figured it was just the Audiolab CDT 6000 so I returned it and bought a Cambridge CXC instead.  Well, it appears that the CXC is doing the same.  
To clarify, I am using the same dac and the same digital coaxial cable.  I am actually unplugging the digital cord from one device and then plugging it into the other.

The high hats and cymbals seem pretty set back and harder to define on the transports vs the bluesound.  The bass isn’t quite as full on the transport either.

I don’t think I would have ever thought that the CDT or the CXC sounded inferior until I switched back to the bluesound and noticed a difference.  The bluesound really puts forth these high frequencies and allows me to really hear high hats and cymbals as well as putting a pleasant sheen on vocals.  The bass is slightly fuller on the bluesound as well.  The sound through the CDT and the CXC is slightly dull.

This is a bit disheartening because I figured that a $600 transport playing hard copies of an album should match if not surpass a $500 streamer / dac playing files from wifi.

Has anyone else experienced this?  Im to the point where I’m questioning if the transport needs to be burned in or if It is possible that streamed files (cd quality, not high res) just actually sound better than cd’s.

My only reason for buying a transport and buying cd’s is because I don’t want to be reliant on an internet connection or my phone, in order to listen to music.  If my internet goes down while in a listening session or if I ever lost my phone for an evening, I’d have no music.  But, and this is a big BUT, I don’t want to spend $600 on a transport and hundreds on CD’s in order to end up with something that sounds inferior to a $500 streamer streaming music.

Any shared experiences with this will be helpful so Thank You ahead of time!

-Bruce

128x128b_limo
b_limo's avatar
b_limo OP
2,288 posts
 
I’m going to be doing a lot of listening a/b comparing today but it isn’t looking good for the cxc.

The transport / cd should def sound better than the bluesound so I don’t know whats going on here.  The highs on the cxc (and the cdt) are rolled off in comparison to the bluesound.

a quick rundown of my setup...

-Cullen crossover pc into an Anthem I225 with SR blue fuses

-Cullen gold into a schiit gungir multibit

-fritz carrera be on sturdy dyn stands

ap solo crystal speaker cables, ap solo crystal xlr’s
-treated room

-amazon hd (only comparing non high res tracks.

Im at a loss here. I want to have another source besides the bluesound but it can’t sound inferior.  I started a thread awhile back about vinyl vs cd and decided to go cd mainly because of the cost of lp’s...  

not sure what to do here.  I don’t want to spend $600on a transport that just sounds decent.  I could grab any $200-$300 cd player with digi out and achieve that.

ona side note, you can not get the cxc for $400 anymore.  That was v1.  All v2’s are $600 and to my knowledge are only aesthetically different from v1.  If this transport were only $300 I’d probably just keep it.

I’m seeing higher grade transports for $600-$1200 used but am concerned about how long they’d last being that most are already 5-10 years old.

I was thinking Bluesound Vault but the comment about reliability has me concerned.

Are there any transports used, in the $800-$1200 range that are going to be a step up from the cxc that have parts readily available if something happens?

Thank You everyone for your help with this.  Its much appreciated!
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
The transport / cd should def sound better than the bluesound so I don’t know whats going on here.  The highs on the cxc (and the cdt) are rolled off in comparison to the bluesound.
Rolling off the highs??? this is strange Bruce, maybe it's the Spdif rca input on your dac or the CXC.
Why don't you give the Toslink Optical a try from the CXC to the Dac.

Cheers George
b_limo's avatar
b_limo OP
2,288 posts
 
Hi George, 
I just tried a toslink... wasn’t that.

I’ve actually been using the same cable and power cord between the node and the cxc so now discrepancies there.

Is it possible that the signal coming from Amazon (Or any other service, tidal, qobuz) is of better quality than a cd?  I’m not talking high res, which is superior, but regular cd redbook quality tracks on Amazon being better than the actual cd?

I thought I remember reading that ripped cd’s can sound better than the original cd, which makes no sense at all to me.

But yeah, the difference between the cxc and bluesound is pretty big.  The bluesound has far more bass as well.  More of a smiley face eq’d sound.  The Bluesound eq is off by the way.
The cxc may have better mids or it may just be my brain convincing me of this because the cxc should sound better.

I have a cheapo cd player that I have put in rotation a few times just to see if that transport sounds different and it does.  The highs aren’t as rolled off but the soundstage isn’t as good and the sound is harder and thinner.
I’m actually a bit surprised that ghe transport link in my chain is making such a noticeable difference.  I would have thought they’d all be closer in terms of sound considering that I’m using the same dac and cables between everything.

I’ve had the cxc on play non stop for 2 days now hoping that whatever caps are in the player just need to open up soundwise but I can’t tell any difference yet.

I’m sitting here listening to the cxc right now and it does sound good but then I go to the bluesound and it goes from good to great.  
I hope next week I’m not raving about bose, sonos and cheap ear buds.  Maybe my hearing is going


georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
No ideas left, except maybe it’s a faulty CXC. As I found the opposite to what you hear between A/Bing streaming and a cd transport.

A real guru on digital hooking up was a guy named Joko Homo a telecommunications genius, who is also an audio nuter, a real pita with attitude that had him banned from many forums including diyAudio. He said bad "jitter" introduced from spdif outputs and/or inputs, and cable impedance, type of connection also the length linking the two, it’s important to get the impedances right of all three or you get digital reflections that cause the "jitter" and manifests itself in sound by softening and rolling off the highs.

Cheers George

mahler123
3,415 posts
 
If you like Bluesound, then just stick with it.  Many people prefer ripped files to files actively extracted from a spinning CD.  I would avoid the Vault2 and just stick with the Node.  That way you won’t lose your files when the Bluesound units die.  Also, if you decide eventually to get a costlier and better sounding streamer than Bluesound you will find it easier to move your files if they aren’t stuck on the Vault.  If your Node does dies after a few years And you really want another you can pay for it with savings achieved by buying the Node instead of the Vault
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