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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We each have a bias based upon experience.  My bias is based upon my purchase of an Audiolab 6000CDT, which isn’t anyone’s idea of the best transport.  I just didn’t like what I heard.  Fast forward to a major upgrade of DAC and the purchase of an Aurender N20 and my full CD collection now resides on the Aurender and the better CDs sound quite musical and really didn’t leave me wanting more.  So, my bias with regards to digital is to put the money into a great DAC and streamer/server.  That said, perhaps someday one of you will bring over a transport that puts my streamed files to shame.

’71’ is certainly the resident skeptic.  I know that his power cable skepticism comes from a decades old dealers PC comparison.  I suspect his bits are bits declaration has a basis in his experience.  So, @jasonbourne71 a true upgrade to ‘52’, what past experiences/events have you convinced that inexpensive transports provide, or can provide equivalent performance to more exotic offerings?

OP- You missed my point.  What's the truth, who knows... we all take the ride. That means you like whatever you like, who is anyone to debate you. If you want to buy a new transport and luv the sound... you gain from that. If you don't like the sound you can sell it and buy something else. No worries....

Whatever you see in my system is what I like, and I know 1/2 of a million fellow audio gurus will say it's junk. Who is to know? 

is seem quite good ,, what comparson with marantz 63 ot marantz 67  ,,, just wondered

Bogart99,

you got it right that is a load of twaddle, anybody that can't hear the difference between transports is got to have their ears examined and especially when they're using $16 transports doesn't say much about his system does it lol

Maybe he got the bargain of the century at $16. All I know is my CDT sounds better than one living in a Marantz CD player I have.