Looking for comparisons between CD transports
I'm still a disc-spinner, having a pretty large collection of CDs across a range of genres, though mostly classical. About 2 years ago I bought an Audiolab CDT6000 and lived with it for about a month before deciding it wasn't my cup of tea and selling it off. While its clarity and soundstage were impressive, there wasn't sufficient heft to the music, and it seemed to favor the music's component parts rather than portraying a cohesive whole.
I'm considering the Audiolab 9000, the Schiit Urd, and possibly the Primare DD15. That's the budget range I'm comfortable with. (Despite the glowing reviews, Jay's Audio is kind of out or range for me at this point). I'd be grateful to hear opinions on how these transports stack up against each other from those of you who have heard one or more of them. It will be running through a Sonnet Morpheus DAC, if that info is helpful. Thanks!
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- 21 posts total
The CXC does not have an AES/EBU output, so that sounds like a non-starter. I may have overlooked that in your previous posts. FWIW, I had the Urd during trial period because it had AES/EBU output, along with a USB-C input, and I liked the idea of running my Aurender music server into the Urd, and then going from the Urd to my DAC (Musutec 005) via AES/EBU. And through the AES/EBU the Aurender sounded really good. Since the rest of my system is ARC and ProAc, it's possible the revealing sound qualities just didn't mate well with the Urd, which is why I thought it didn't have resolution and detail I look for. I'm sure you know that Schiit has a trial period, giving you the opportunity to try it out in your own system. David
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I thought that, at this point, it might be helpful to list the rest of my system in hopes that it may provide some insight into which player(s) would best complement it. Modwright KWI 200 integrated Ryan R610 standmount speakers, REL S/2 sub Sonnet Morpheus DAC Cambridge Audio CXU Power conditioning: Furman Elite 15 PFi, Core Power Technology Deep Core 1800 Audience AU24 SE speaker cables, Audience Studio 1 jumpers, Cerious Technology Graphene Matrix XLRs (DAC to amp). Hope this is useful. |
I took a look at your Sonnet Morpheus DAC and noticed it doesn’t have a HDMI i2s input so you don’t need a CDT that has one. Knowing that, I’d like to refer you to this Audiophiliac video from Steve Guttenberg,
He goes onto say that comparing Coax and Toslink of the TEAC to a Jay’s Audio CDT2 Mk3, it was a toss up and only when using the Jay’s HDMI input did the Jay’s pull way ahead. It does cost more than the SMSL I mentioned earlier but Steve feels it's a very well made CDT. Hope this helps and good luck with your search. All the best, |
Stating the obvious in such cases can’t hurt. The most reliable way to determine what you prefer in terms of sonics is to listen for yourself, in your room. There are a number of online vendors that offer home trials /return policies, such as: https://www.safeandsoundhq.com/products/teac-vrds-701t-70th-anniversary-cd-transport
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- 21 posts total