New, Very Interesting CD Transport


On John Darko's website today we learn of the brand new Shanling ET3 CD Transport. And for $729 USD it looks really capable. Top loading with Philips SAA7824 drive. AES/EBU, coaxial, TOSLINK and I2S digital outputs. Plus Wifi and Bluetooth. USB to connect to a external HD and built in upsampling, too. It even will output digital to USB for connection to a DAC but not with upsampling.

Here's the skinny:

https://darko.audio/2023/06/shanlings-et3-cd-transport-comes-with-two-twists/

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A cd transport has no dac, so only digital outputs needed. My transport only has usb and optical.

Why waste money? I just ordered from eBay a Samsung DVD-HD841 to use as a transport. $16 including shipping and tax! All CD/DVD players have to conform to protocol and output the same digital bits! That's the difference between a digital device (transport) and an analog device (turntable). Turntables are inherently sonically colored while digital transports are not! This is the reality that the "golden ears" crowd prefers to wish away!

I already have on hand a Denon, a JVC and two Sony's (DVD and Blue Ray) players for use as transports. After an Agon member recommended the HD841 I went looking for one on eBay. I expect it will do fine!

@secretguy : If someone wants to blow a wad of cash and drool over a CNC-machined-out-of-billet aluminum transport go right ahead!