Transport Recommendations

It's a little above your budget but I would recommend that you consider a TEAC VRDS 701. I have one and I like it very much.

I had a horrible experience with a PSA PerfectWave transport that used a cheap computer grade CD drive and I vowed that I would never buy another transport from a manufacturer that didn't specify the origin of the drive mechanism. There are only a few reputable drive manufacturers - Phillips, TEAC, Marantz, and a couple others. I would strongly suggest that you go with a transport that uses a CD drive from one of the big three. The Phillips drives are out of production but there are several manufacturers who are using NOS drives - Jay's Audio being a good example.

I own two transports; a Jay's Audio CD3 MkIII and the TEAC. I also own a Marantz KI Ruby SACD player that has a coax output so it can be used as a transport. I'm running a Berkeley Alpha Reference II MQA DAC plus an Audio Mirror Tubadour IV DAC. I've compared all three transports through both DACs and they sound essentially identical to my ears.

One option would be to buy a used Marantz SACD player, such as an SA 8005, and use that as a transport. This would likely be a better transport than buying a new transport that uses a cheaper CD drive. I had two Marantz players over fifteen years (and thousands of CD plays) and I never had a drive fail. My PSA PerfectWave transport had three drives fail in 5 years.

In another thread I commented that anyone who plays CDs regularly should buy the nicest transport they can afford. It's the component that you most interact with and it's the component that is most prone to breakdown. When you operate a transport like the TEAC, Jay's Audio, or any of the Marantz SACD players, you can just feel the quality. The drawer is quiet and moves smoothly. The mechanism is absolutely silent. When you compare that to a transport that uses a cheap mechanism the quality difference is obvious. Everytime that cheap plastic tray noisely sides out and goes "clunk" and then loudly slides back in and you hear the motor spin up, you will wish you had spent more money on a nice transport.

Thanks for all the feedback thus far.

Regarding the Audiolab CDT 6000 - I too have read some articles referencing the slot load scratching CD's. Anyone actually have this happen? Seems hard to believe that a reputable manufacturer would allow a product that causes damage to remain on the market...

The Alpha Audio (Dutch reviewer) recently did a shoot out of 7 or so transports, they have a video of the whole thing on their YouTube channel. There’s probably a written summary on their website too.   I like their reviews, very thorough and often using a panel of listeners, as in this case.

TMR wants $2044 when shipping costs are included and a 3-month warranty versus buying a brand new one with a 12-month warranty for $2498.  I don't know about you, but I am willing to shell out the extra $454 for a brand-new unit with better warranty.

@jetter makes a good point.  I actually assumed the CDT2 was discontinued when the CDT3 was introduced but that was incorrect — thanks jetter.  The only reputable place I found that sells it new is this one that’s linked through Jay’s website.

https://www.beatechnik.com/product-page/cdt2-mk3

Although saving upwards of $500 isn’t insignificant, I tend to agree with jetter that in this case buying new might be money well spent.  Frankly, and although $2k does seem to be the going market value for a used CDT2, I’d think around $1500 is much more reasonable and has sold for that amount in the recent past.  Not sure why the discount for a used unit is so little these days.  Anyway…

Tweak1,

The ET3 has I2s (HDMI) output, but doesNot do SACD for lack of license, but are working on it.  Here's a Darko review: