$150 Transport anyone?


I have developed a $150 CD Transport which I am trying to determine if there is enough interest for me to make it available for purchase. The unit is a true Transport with nothing more than a digital output in one of the 3 popular forms XLR, BNC or RCA. The unit is a small metal casing with a CD-ROM drive inside controlled by an IR remote control or by the buttons on the unit iself. It comes with silver wiring inside and a Canare or WBT or Neutrik output jack. The internal power supply is quieted by Ferrite beads and the output wiring is done with pure solid silver wire. This unit has got it where it counts no cheapo 10 cent output terminal or inexpensive wiring. The wire costs $2/foot and the casing is made of metal. The compact unit weighs about 10lbs while only being 9.5" wide by 11" deep and 2" tall. Solid construction with internal vibration dampening and a cooling fan. Is anyone interested or should I just keep making them for my friends and family???
orbeck
When you figure out your return policy and can post a picture of the unit ( preferably front, back and internals ), let us know. You should also think about accepted forms of payment and how you would go about issuing refunds should such an occurance become necessary. Having your account / membership information verified by Audiogon would also be a step in the right direction taken from the point of view of a potential customer.

From one business owner to another, good luck and be prepared for the worst : ) Sean
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Sean..That last sentence is probably the best advice you have ever given!

Orbeck...Good luck; and keep good records in case the tax man comes knocking!! (Being a CPA, I think of such stuff.) Also keep your original prototype in good condition. If it is big hit, you'll want it for your megabuck company's lobby museum case!!
I'm interested. However, I don't like throwing stuff away and value longevity / repairability (for environmental reasons more than economics). How much would it bump the cost to put a really good quality CD mechanism in there ? I like the philips CD pro mechanism, but transports containing such a mechanism cost obscene amounts. I've had bad experiences with cheap Sony transports.
Seandtaylor: I think that if you check with someone that does repairs on a wide variety of cd players, you'd find that the Sony mechanisms are FAR more reliable and adjustable than the Philips mechanisms. I have had far more reliability problems with Philips mechanisms in a shorter period of time than i have ever had with Sony based mechanisms over a long period of time. Most Pioneer mechanisms are also of very high reliability. Their biggest problem is that the lens on the laser tends to work loose and must be re-glued. Sean
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I havent tested it for temperature yet but the casing just happens to have a fan on it. The drive itself is in an internal metal casing so I dont think that much dust will be getting inside unless you live in a very messy household then I might have to add a cotton filter to prevent the dust mites from taking up residence in my transport. I dont think that the drive actually generates much heat at all.

Marakanetz if you would like a beta version you can place a $70 deposit and I will build one for you so that you can test tinker and play untill you turn blue. I have already taken in 2 orders for beta units.

I will take pictures of the unit later on this week. I will also prepare a word document that gives all of the features and such for comparison sake.