2. digital
  3. 176017-13640

Tonality of Jay's Transport?

Having demo'd the Pro-ject RS2 and compared it to my Sim260DT, I'm well aware that transports differ in terms of their capacity for reading data off a disc. 

I returned the Pro-ject (I found its small size and light weight impractical) before it was burned in and therefore garnered little sense of how it affected the overall tonality of my system. Furthermore, it was demo'd before I acquired my current integrated. 

Now I am considering purchasing the Jay's and am wondering if anyone can comment on its tonality. I'm particularly interested in how it might affect the mids in my system. 

Although my Aqua La Voce 2 DAC and Silverline SR17.5 monitors are typically regarded as warm, I've found my Hegel H390's neutral character has a greater impact on the sound of the system, overall. I often turn up the mids to 2 - 0 - clock on my Schiit Lokius and would not want a transport than would impart any sense of lean-ness. As I cannot return the Jay's, I feel a need for caution, here. 

Thanks! 

 

 

stuartk
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,249 posts
 

@mosler666 

What Esoteric unit are you currently using?  Some have described this brand's digital components sonic signature as leaning toward analytical and sterile while others say this is simply transparency and neutrality. Different opinions and experiences as one would expect. 

I've read that the current generation of Esoteric digital components are more organic and less sterile.  No doubt as alluded to in above posts, this is very much audio system and listener preference dependant. I'm not at all surprised that you're 'very happy with the Jay's Audio CDT2 MK III transport. This certainly would have been my choice if not for the existence of the Pro-Ject CD Box RS2T.

Terrific options are available for those of us who love spinning Redbook CD playback. 

Charles 

stuartk OP
2,655 posts
 

@mosler666 

Thanks very much for your comments, including the warning about its sound prior to burn in.

I don't have much flexibility in terms of speaker placement so I hope that's not going to be a sticking point. This is not an issue I've encountered in reviews of this unit or other transport threads here. Don't mean in any way to refute what you say-- only to say your observations in this regard are unexpected. 

Not sure how you define hi-rez. My Hegel integrated is pretty resolving but no-one would likely describe my my Aqua DAC as "analytical". 

stuartk OP
2,655 posts
 

@kingbarbuda 

"I don’t think it ads any color to the sound that I can tell. But there is a lot of factors at work here."

Agreed-- it's never merely about one component but how it behaves as part of a specific system. 

mosler666's avatar
mosler666
26 posts
 
Yes I should have quantify my observation that the Esoteric I was using is an older SA-50 clock linked with G25U as transport. Far from latest. It is in my humble opinion in my modest system that it’s more analytical and sterile. Latest and greatest ESO may and should sound different. Whatever you or I read here should be taken with a grain of salt. BTW, I will not quote anything that I have no direct experience with.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,380 posts
 

stuartk

Life is full of choices regarding DAC/Transport(s). Enjoy the music.

 

Happy Listening!

More to discover