Jay’s Audio CD Transport

Don.....I spent alot of $$ on a top of the line Marantz unit with a drawer. I've had it in for repair 3 times because the drawer won't open when a cd is in the unit or close ( I have to push the drawer in to close it.) The Top loader for me is the best. It also allows me to put a stabilizing disc on top of the cd and then the supplied "weight" goes on top of that. ( This is something you don't read about very often, but it changes the sound dramatically) ...If you love vinyl, the CEC will suit your taste very nicely. Good Luck to you.

@tekaudiospecialties1 Thank you for your reply!  I'm curious if the CDT2mkIII benefitted from the external clocking device?

Thank you for sharing you experiences with me!

Best wishes,

Don

@jackd Hello and thank you for your reply!  You have the unique experience of having been able to compare both the CDT2 and CDT3 side by side which is invaluable!  Thank you for taking the time to share your impressions with me and the others here.

Obviously, what you have heard are very desirable sonic traits to me.  On the one hand, trying to pony up the additional $2500 to get that is something to be considered and it's nice to know that if a person wasn't able to hear them side by side as you have that it is likely that person may be perfectly happy with the CDT2!

As I have mentioned.  I've been a strictly vinyl guy for roughly 50 years.  The thing that has kept me away from digital is that it oftentimes sounds hard and 2-dimensional to me. The performers have sounded like cardboard cutouts vs live human beings with flesh on the bones, so to speak.  Naturely, it is my hope that digital has improved greatly over the years, but if these are still the sonic attributes, it will be very difficult for me to throw much more money towards this medium.

I've have the LTA Aero Dac on order... should be here in about 3-4 weeks.  It is supposed to sound good for the $4000 outlay, some even say it punches above its weight class.  I have no idea... but I can say the fine folk at LTA are absolutely wonderful to work with!

So, I'm just trying to figure out which dedicated cd transport would be best suited for this dac.  Would the CDT2 be perfect for it?  Is this dac worthy of the CDT3 - meaning will it make much of a sonic difference spending the $5K vs $2500 on the transport?  Or would I need to have a much better dac to reap the benefits?

Also, taking a step backwards... will I notice a huge sonic benefit by having the CDT2 over that of just using my vintage Rotel 955ax cd player as a transport?

Thanks again for sharing you thoughts, experiences and any advice you can give me 

Best wishes,

Don

@pindac   Thank you for your replies!  Yes, I had also noticed said members discussion on another forum as well, regarding the Teac transport.  The external clock that he has used with the Teac cost multiples of that of the transport and just really doesn't make financial sense for someone looking for a relatively affordable cd transport solution.

Granted there must be more affordable clocking devices, but this is all so new to me that I wouldn't have a clue as to where to begin with this.  Ideally, I would just like to have an affordable cd transport that does it all without having to have multiple boxes or to have to spend multiple amounts of money.

Please share with us as you learn more as you continue on your journey!

Best wishes,

Don

@mbmi Thank you again for your reply!  I have also heard that a top loader may be more reliable in the long run and it certainly makes sense to me.  It’s interesting that you mention the stabilization and weight being instrumental in improving the sound as I have heard various Jays Audio owners make similar claims as well.  
 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me!  I’d love to be able to have a home trial of both the CEC and the Jay’s but I’m not sure that is even an option?

Best wishes,

Don