Old used high end transport vs new same price ?

I personally would err on the side of a very high quality older transport like the 31.5, Jadis, CEC, Oracle etc if I were you - as long as it is not from the very early stages of digital. Just my $0.02, but the concepts of a well-isolated CD transport were pretty well established including attention to power supplies and jitter, though both have improved. I would go for the typically higher build quality and tweak from there. In that range, you should do pretty well either way, though. I would suggest that you talk to people as you narrow down the list to particular units, though, since there are a few to avoid from rumors...

I'm sure people will have a bunch of specific transports for you to consider...

Best of luck!
Jacob

Hello Ulf, I would have to assume your incoming Audiomeca DAC is an Enkianthus IIX. Is that correct? If so, you may want to consider staying with an Audiomeca transport. The Mephisto transport is a gem. Especially with the outboard power supply and upgraded cable. Pierre Lurne utilizes the Anagram dacs in his own special manner. There are several manufacturers using the Anagram/Analog Devices dacs, but, Pierre designed his DA circuits in a manner that maintains extremely low jitter. He really did one hell of a job. He is a brilliant designer.

I fell in love with the Enkianthus in just a few short days after break-in. I simply could not give it up. And that was after auditioning several of the newer 24/192 upsamplers. My problem was with the total investment. I really could not afford the Mephisto/Enkianthus combination. Nor could I fit a top loading transport into my system.

I opted for the Audiomeca Obsession II player in conjunction with the Enkianthus DAC. This option still allowed me a two box solution to keep dac vibrations to a minimum. I am running full balanced right through to my amp. The Obsession transport was less than half the price of the Mephisto, provided me with front loading so I could now fit it in my rack, and works great in unison with the Enkianthus.

I have always firmly felt that it was important to use a transport/dac combination from the same designer/manufacturer. There is a certain synergy created by that designer between both components. Also, matching digital circuit designs will generally always maintain the lowest jitter levels especially when using a balanced digital interconnect.

Best of luck with your decision. Happy Listening.

I just received an Accustic Art Drive I. At first it sounded laid back and the bass was fat. It is now on about hour 36 and it is improving beautifully. Lower frequencies are extended and taut. It is now lively but not bright. It has enormously improved the coherence of the music. Realize that I was using a Sony DVD player, prior. The Drive I is exceptionally well built and looks somewhere in between funky and cool. Try one. If you do not have a dealer near you, call Jay at Tri-Cell. He told me that they have a loaner that they send out to people who cannot otherwise hear one.

Dont waste your money on old technology. Get a good recent DVD player and get it modded. The Sony's or Philips with dual-laser are superb tranports. The mechanisms and control systems are far superior to any CD-only transport. you ge tthe best of both the DVD precision and the CD-optimized read laser.