BEST CD TRANSPORT

I bought the Audiolab 6000 transport.....Returned it.....Did not like it at all.....Then bought the CEC belt drive TL5 base model....WOW this is a fantastic sounding unit...No Jitter.....Belt drive instead of direct drive makes all the difference....It’s like a turntable for cd’s. With my Audio Mirror Toubadour IV......it’s live music.

@bigkidz 

While the Esoteric is a very well made component and it also sound really good the top ones on my list better it in sound quality. The Esoteric has less of an organic sound if that is what you are looking for. 
 

Agreed. Mirrors my listening encounters with Esoteric digital audio. Built like the proverbial tank people like to reference. In my opinion the sonic signature is analytical hifi more so than natural.  However, as noted it simply depends on what a specific listener is pursuing.

Charles

+1on the Audiolab CDT 6000. I am 90/10 vinyl to compact disc as far as listening habits but I can tell you the AudioLab takes the sting out of having to listen to CD when I don't have a vinyl copy. Very organic and an incredible value. Some people are down on the front loading feature but I have never had a problem with it and it has never damaged one of my discs.

bigkidz,

Agree with your observation on the Jay's CDT2 MKIII, and synergy. It sounded fantastic with my Denafrips Pontus II and a Musician Aquarius I had borrowed.....both being R2R ladder DACs.

To my ears it was too forward when connected with a Chord Qutest I had on hand, but then again I do not like Chord products (too fatiguing to me) in general......so there's that.

bigkidz,

I think you're wrong about the esoteric transport I have one and it sounds very natural and organic just depends what cable you use and what DAC you use with it, I use the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary DAC and according to one of the reviewers that put it up against his VPI turntable with the $5,000 Japanese cartridge he said it was every bit as analog sounding and I've gotten the same results, The esoteric transport beats everything on the market unfortunately they're so expensive now I have the esoteric P10 and it was only $2,500 back in the '90s their transports are crazy expensive now, they were so far ahead of everybody back then it wasn't even funny they were using OCC single crystal for the internal wire that's how smart they were, don't know about now because I haven't listened to this super expensive stuff.