CD transports; do they really matter

@charles1dad I got a LPS about 5 or 6 weeks ago and its just improved to silly good level.

At this price point I’m quite disappointed that Pro-Ject does not include an internal linear power supply.

Should there be disadvantages with this approach I must have blinked.

What pearls of wisdom did you discover in your recent LPS research and adventure? I know very little about the nuances of external LPS units, so another learning curve I guess.

And now I see that Terry London has written about this error of judgement in his review, but doesn't quite get to mentioning internal PS.  

I'm currently trying to digest his word block, deliberately designed to make my three neurons fight with each other.  And I'm not even dyslexic.

Yes the cd transport matter. If it is made proper it does not matter if it is a top loaded transport or not. Some of what i have had in My own system:

Oppo, Cambridge, Lyngdorf, Playstation, C.E.C TL5, Simaudio Moon Neo 260D,Jays Audio mk2, Denafrips Avatar, TASCAM CD-9010

Have had a trusted friend test the Pro-Ject rs2 t against the TASCAM CD-9010 Used as a transport only.

Now i have the TASCAM.

In My opinion you get a ok value for your money from the newest transport from Jays and Pro-Ject is better. Compared to what has been made the last 10 years of cd transports you get more than you Pay for with Theese 2 transports

The Discontinued Avatar transport from Denafrips was a good transport but service was.......

Just my opinion. 

Regards

@noske

 At this price point I’m quite disappointed that Pro-Ject does not include an internal linear power supply

With all due respect I believe that you are missing the value/performance ratio of the Pro-Ject CD Box RS2T. At this juncture there are only a few manufacturers who have adopted the Stream Unlimited CD Pro-8 and Blue Tiger servo-84 unit.

Aqua Hifi La Diva II (9,000.00),  Accustic Arts Drive II (18,000.00) and the Gryphon ETHOS CD player (39,000.00).  These companies felt the CD Pro-8 was the best choice for their flagship CD transports/players.

Pro-Ject ofers the consumer this latest drive technology at roughly 3,000.00. This is very much worth acknowledging. Yes it is physically scaled down compared to the more expensive alternatives. It comes with a wall wart power supply whereas the more expensive alternatives have LPS as standard.

So Pro-Ject is providing a reasonable cost entry point to obtain the latest Stream Unlimited  CD drive mechanism technology.  I do not mind the smaller form factor at all. As Terry London noted in his review,  even with the supplied SMPS wall wart it still outperformed his Jay'sAudio CDT2 MK II, MBL CD transport, CEC, Accustic Arts transport (Not the current Drive II)and  so on.

I can understand his conclusions as the wall wart powered Pro-Ject outperformed my P.S.Audio PWT with has a LPS. So it seems to me that the Stream Unlimited CD Pro-8 and servo unit are likely the dominant factor as to why it sounds so terrific.  Pro-Ject went with a wall wart power supply to lower the price entry point. They do offer a LPS upgrade option.

@bigkidz who is a manufacturer of custom high end audio components and said the diminutive Pro-Ject outperformed his highly regarded Metronome CD player and his CEC. Again accomplished with the wall wart power supply.  So in my opinion the Pro-Ject RS2 transport offers superb  sound quality at its asking price. 

The cherry on top is one can further extend the sound quality if they decide at some point to add  a LPS. This is a splendid scenario as far as I am concerned.

Charles 

From the review by Mr London -

An audiophile who will spend $3,000 on a dedicated CD transport would be very motivated to spend a bit more to get the maximum performance out of the Box RS2 transport.

.....I contacted Mark Schneider, owner of one of my favorite companies, Linear Tube Audio,......They also make very high-quality linear power supplies that can be customized for other companies’ gear. I had Mark take their LPS+ linear power supply and change it from a 12V/3Amp to a 20V/3Amp to match the Box RS2 transport input level, along with building a DC umbilical cable. Total cost, $645.

This for a custom made external LPS. In my experience custom made are much more expensive (and not just in $ terms - yours and my time to research and talk and research, perhaps travel, etc. It adds up) than a supplied component due to one off tooling costs and so on.

And after all that, it is still external. I maintain that it is false economy to not include an internal LPS. Like saving pennies on an heirloom.

Still, well within comfort boundaries compared with the prices of other technologically comparable units - those prices are so far away as to make any comparison like apples to oranges.

The Pro-Ject engineers would design one that is optimal for the transport. I would suggest that this would be "better" than a generic one that is designed to fit around the product rather than specifically for it.

So, we agree -

The cherry on top is one can further extend the sound quality if they decide at some point to add a LPS. This is a splendid scenario as far as I am concerned.