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Transport to replace my cd player

Hi Gang,I could use some advice on CD transports. I just bought a new audio-gd 7HE 2020 DAC and think the CD player I have been using as a transport may be a bottleneck in my 2 channel system. The CD player is a Cambridge Azur 851 with upgraded blue fuses and a Synchro-mesh reclocker which has been OK but I think I may get good improvement with a dedicated transport. What do you think? The rest of my system consists of a VPI Classic 4 TT, McIntosh452 amp, a McIntosh C2600 preamp and the new DAC. Admittedly I have no experience with a dedicated Transport but based on reviews only these are the transports I'm considering: Cambridge CXC, Audiolab 6000CDT, Primare DD15 and DD35, Denafrips Avatar, McIntosh MCT 450 and MCT500 and finally the JAY's audio current transport. Have you experienced any of these? Which if any would you recommend?Thanks in advance,Joe
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facten
2,881 posts
 
@donpepe

I am buying the Simaudio without having auditioned it; read some about it and decided to proceed.

Here's the contact for the distributor in the US for CEC  - he's quick to respond to emails about what models are available and pricing
Tom Kleinbeck
 816 875 65 19
 email -  tom@audio-union.com


georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
singintheblues

I really like what I see inside with the Denafrips Avatar. So much so I'm trying to get one. 
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/denafrips-avatar-looks-the-goods

Cheers George

soix
9,571 posts
 
I dunno.  Especially since you’re already using a Synchro Mesh I’m not sure you’re gonna hear a world of difference between transports.  I’d shoot an email off to the guy who designed and built your DAC and see what he has to say or recommend.  Personally I’d ditch the transport altogether and buy a streamer/server like an Innuos Zen Mk3, load all my CDs into it and enjoy them all from my chair along with a world of new music from Qobuz.  Best of luck. 
tweak1
3,668 posts
 
I would look first to the cables and PC connecting it to your preamp
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donpepe OP
30 posts
 
@georgehifi. Yes it does but wait time for the player is at least 3 months, if they were in stock, i would order one today. If only I was a patient man!
@Soix I looked up Innuos and the Statement looks and is reviewed as amazing but cost way more than a transport. I have a large collection of CD's and albums. So adding another toy to play them doesn't seem financially reasonable UNLESS it was sonically much better.
@tweak1 My wires are all pretty good my weak link i think, is the Claris digital cable which will be upgraded this week.Although the audio-gd 7HE is not fully broken in it sounds good with no digital glare at all in NOS mode. One issue I have is that the instructions are translated from Chinese and not easy for me to understand. I think I'm just scratching the surface of what this DAC can do.
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