Schiit URD CD Transport SOON?

The Urd is listed on Schiit's site as of this morning, 7/12/23.

I was considering picking one up, however the list price is $1299, which is $1000 more than I was considering worth spending considering the amount of CD playing I do. It also has many functions related to USB which I personally do not find use for. 

https://www.schiit.com/products/urd

audphile1

There’s no planned release date. It was on display just for Schiits and giggles. 

Any yet, now, it's available for purchase a mere 18-days after your insightful comment.

As of this evening, their web site says it ships in five to seven days.

I wouldn't need the usb feature so it doesn't interest me. It's been in the works for a long time w/ supply chain problems, especially the transport mechanism they use.

I wonder if this product will eventually go the way of their SOL turntable. As a small company, I wonder if mechanical products is their forte.

Yes, the URD is out! One of the reasons for the lengthy development period (maybe a GOOD thing to work out bugs) has been covid, and material shortages. I believe that SOL went away because of high assembly demands and issues with the sources of machined parts (Schiit does not do machining). And Schiit has had some delays getting the drive mechanism. The mechanism and support electronics is made by Stream Unlimited, who make the best CD drives short of very expensive ($$$$) custom designs. So this transport will not go away because Schiit is a small company, or because they are lacking in mechanical ability (the drives are made elsewhere). If it does go away, it would likely be due to poor sales or sonics that fall short (from Moffat???). In addition to having the Stream Unlimited drive & electronics, the URD has 2 transformers, linear regulation, (4 !!!) 32 bit microprocessors, and a proprietary Unison USB output solution, as well as USB hub functions. The URD is easily the least expensive CD transport to use the Stream Unlimited drive system. It may turn out to be a bargain, and with a 5 year warranty.