Warm relaxed digital coax

Just got a new CD transport, the TEAC VRDS-701T, to plug into my Wadax dac, to access my 4000 disc CD collection. the price of this transport, $2700 list price, is very modest in the context of my Wadax dac (over $200k in it’s current config).

https://teac.jp/int/product/vrds-701t/top

Went 9 years now with just streaming. Last 2 days only CD.

i’m using the Shunyata Alpha v2 S/PDIF coax cable.

https://shunyata.com/products/digital-cables/alpha-series-digital-cables/alpha-v2-s-pdif/

Too digital sounding until I added my spendy Esoteric G1X clock, then it transformed into something very fine. so don’t blame the cable for the result, you cannot judge the cable and transport until they are optimized. if a cable tames a naked transport then it’s also covering up information and it’s opaque.

so 2 points. (1) The Alpha v2 cable is very, very good. it’s allowing the clock and transport to be special. is it warm and relaxed by itself? yes, it is when the music is warm and relaxed. it’s never strident.....with the clock in the system. this cable is not, however, a tone control if that is what you are asking for.

and (2) a great clock is way more significant than the transport or the S/PDIF cable.

this transport/S/PDIF/clock combo is worthy of a cost no object dac. and you likely don’t need a clock as spendy as my Esoteric to get a big boost.

@ghdprentice - touché may friend, touché. 

Thanks guys for replies.  It is definitely food for thought. 

@mikelavigne  Interesting observations and thanks for sharing.  I was a little surprised you were using SPDIF instead of AES/EBU or i2S as they seem to be the preferred digital connections but then took a look and saw the TEAC only has SPDIF and optical outs.  On the surface these seem like strange omissions for a transport at this price level, especially as the slightly cheaper Jays CDT2 Mk3 has both of those other connections.  Thoughts?

Thoughts?

@soix

i wanted (1) the new version of the VRDS transport, and wanted (2) a front loader for my rack. and (3) my Wadax Reference Dac does not have the i2S interface (it does have a proprietary Wadax interface, plus an option for an even higher level Wadax interface for uber spendy Wadax transports).

i’m sure that the Jay’s CDT2 Mk3 would have a similar level of performance.

my ’guess’ is that the effect of the clock dwarfs any other performance issue. and that the i2S interface advantage over the S/PDIF interface mostly has to do with better clock performance, but at a way lower level than what i ended up with. and ’guess’ my performance is right up there with any transport and any interface.....at any price.

i was astonished at the effect of the Esoteric G1X clock (which i had on hand from when i acquired it for my Esoteric T1 turntable). so did not have to add it.

my experience here indicates to me that once you get past the basic transport level.....it’s all about the clock. but i'm just one guy with one data point.