Aurender Music Server and CD Transport comparison


I am in the market for a CD transport and I want it to sound as good as my Aurender N100C. How far up the chain do I have to go to get sound that is equal or better than my Aurender? My choice so far is a Jay's Audio CDT2 Mk3 but could I go to an Audiolab transport like the 9000CDT? Should I go as high as the Jay's Audio CDT3-Mk3 I don't want to spend anymore money than I have to since the more I spend the more I get diminishing returns.

The system is Aurender, NAD M2 Digital amp, B & W 805 D4 standmounts.

blakcloud

A lot of you seem to be using products that have Oppo transports. Is it the same drive as used in the Oppo 103/5 203/5 blu-ray players?

If so I highly suggest checking out Oppomod.com as they sell a stabilizer plate mod kit for those drives. The improvement was pretty incredible with disc playback.

It’s a fully cnc machined kit that just bolts onto the top frame of the drive, which usually is easily accessible in most transports.

My experience is that a pretty decent CD player used as a transport only or a CD transport into a really nice DAC outperforms the servers into the same DAC.

I use the Aurender with my music burned onto the internal hard drive, listen to the same music streamed via the Aurender.  not much change at all.  But streamed via Qobuz sounds better.  However, when I use my CD transport into my DAC with the same music, it definitely sounds better.  match levels, play the same music and listen.  There are definitely differences.

Don't get me wrong.  The Aurender streamed into my DAC, sounds great.  The Aurender playing from the hard drive into my DAC ounds great.  The CD transport into my DAC sounds better. Depends on how lazy I am.  However, if I'm really not lazy, turntable into the phono stage sound best.

enjoy

wwe are an nad dealer the m2 was decent but nowhere as good as the newer models like the m33

as per a transport I would look at an Atoll dr 200 transport which uses a superbly built cd transport from Teac so parts are easily sourced

Digital signal isolation with a specific 1:1 transformer dedicated to S/PDIF and AES/EBU outputs.

  • Linear power supply for digital stages with a specific 30 VA transformer.
  • made in France.

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

NAD and atoll dealers