The 'let's talk about/suggest transports' thread

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ls35a, Apr 19, 2018.

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  1. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    Here's a nice one. Not too expensive, not too cheap. Has great looks and is somewhat compact. Nice remote.
    I think if I wanted a transport deck this might be it:

    Marantz US | HD-CD1

    [​IMG]
     
    displayname and sturgus like this.
  2. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    I'll throw in a Genesis digital lens plus (mostly) whatever one prefers from a tactile perspective. I had one paired with a Theta Data II for years, and now pair it with a Slim Devices Transporter. If I was feeling fancy, I'd get one of those old Sony ES players with the fat drawers and a puck, but I don't end up spinning discs anymore.
     
  3. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I have been considering a Cambridge Audio CXC. I'd love to hear from any SH Forum participant who has one.

    Regarding jitter reduction, I use a Mutec MC-3+USB and think it focuses the sound nicely.
     
  4. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I own one. It's good. Paired with Cambridge DACMagic Plus it sounds superb - the best CD rig I've ever had. However, reliability leaves some to be desired. The optical unit went bust in the first four months - it started skipping mercilessly. After warranty repairs, that took an unhealthy five weeks (!), it has been working flawlessly again, for probably close to a year now. It's a good unit for the money, but CA could use more stringent QA, IMO.
     
    displayname likes this.
  5. Humbuster

    Humbuster Staff Emeritus


    I had one. Purchased new from authorized dealer (Audio Advisor). Died after 18 months. Was repaired under warranty (not replaced) after many , many e-mails and phone calls with Audio Advisor and Cambridge Service Center, who were largely unresponsive, was returned to me. Promptly sold upon receipt. Did not trust for longevity. YMMV.
     
  6. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
  7. Humbuster

    Humbuster Staff Emeritus

    Replaced with a SimAudio Moon 260 DT transport. Significantly more expensive than
    the CXC, however worth it if you still have lots of silver disks.

    Sounds superb through my D100 DAC.

    FYI, there is a used one for sale at a great price on AudioAficianado forum.
     
    Bert Oz and Spitfire like this.
  8. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    Like Humbuster says, Simaudio makes a good one, the 260D for about $2000. I have one with the optional DAC. Very nice unit. No SACD though.
     
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  9. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Thanks, guys, for recommendation of the Sim 260D. Based on hearing other Simaudio gear, I'm sure it's excellent. However, 99.9% of my listening is via an Auralic Aries (home-network streaming), and the transport is for when people come over with CDs. My budget is limited, which is why the CXC seemed like a great fit.

    Maybe the Marantz that's at the start of this thread? I think the CXC is prettier, but the last thing I need is a piece of gear that's going to fail soon.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
  10. T'mershi Duween

    T'mershi Duween Forum Resident

    Location:
    Y'allywood
    I'm thinking of getting one of these. Woo Audio CD transport.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I think this new entry from NuPrime (formerly NuForce) is an excellent example of a modern CD transport. I like how it has AES and especially I2S. I feel a dedicated transport should offer fancier digital outputs then the standard coax and optical found on CD players. That's why I sort of roll my eyes at what Cambridge Audio is doing these days - it seems they don't really do anything beyond take a CD or Blu Ray player, remove the DAC, charge the same amount, and tell customers to feel fancy about running a dedicated transport.
     
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  12. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Gee, thanks for making me feel stupid about my CXC :hugs:, :D

    On a more serious note - this NuPrime, from its description, looks more like a player, rather than a transport - it has a sampling rate converter, which sounds to me more like a DAC's job, no?
     
    Humbuster likes this.
  13. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Still going strong... :laugh: -Used as transport.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
    jfeldt likes this.
  14. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Well, it doesn't have analog outputs so it's a transport, but you do mention some things that caught my eye - listing name brand components and features and such. I'm assuming a Phillips laser means a Phillips transport?

    Personally I think sample rate conversion is dumb, and one can make reasonable arguments that a transport that isn't bitperfect is kind of weird and defeats semantics essential to being a transport. On the other hand, maybe there's some folks out there who have always wanted a transport that resamples their CDs into DSD over PCM so they can see the DSD light on their DAC come on?
     
    Doug Walton and dadonred like this.
  15. Humbuster

    Humbuster Staff Emeritus

    If I had not purchased the SimAudio 26oDT, this would have been my purchase.

    Just yesterday, I ordered a new headphone amp from Woo Audio and so far the communication and customer service have been World Class!!
    I would not hesitate for a second to purchase this transport. The fact that it does not have a drawer to malfunction is a big plus in my book.
     
    T'mershi Duween likes this.
  16. Socalguy

    Socalguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    CA
    Just wait til that big clunky arm craps out
     
  17. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Another hopeless optimist...:pineapple:
     
    rodentdog likes this.
  18. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    While I think I understand the definition of a "transport", can someone clarify it for me?

    When does a transport mechanism become something more, i.e., a CD player, or are the terms "transport" and "player" interchangeable?

    When I saw the O.P.'s picture of the Marantz unit, it made me wonder how reliable, for instance, that company's products might be. I've endured 2 different Marantz CD/SACD players with problems with the CD trays opening/closing properly. And of course, like the rest of the world, my original Sony SACD disc player's lenses crapped out very quickly.
     
  19. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    A transport has only the "drive" that spins the disc, and the optical/laser unit that reads the digital information off the disc and sends it, still in digital form, basically raw data, to the DAC, to be converted to analog signal. A transport produces no analog signal that is readily convertible into sound, period, thus it's not a "player". A player has an on-board DAC, in addition to the transport, so the conversion to analog signal (music) happens on board.

    Similar analogy with turntables: a turntable with an on-board phono stage is really a player - thus VPI has a model called "The Player". Most turntables, though, offer only the analog signal pickup, which is then sent further to the phono stage for initial conversion/equalization/amplification. So, in essence, the turntable is "the transport".
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
    punkmusick and signothetimes53 like this.
  20. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Thanks, that's what I figured, but I can't remember the last time I saw a CD transport that didn't also include a DAC....maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention.
     
  21. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    One way to look at it:

    "player" Analog out: YES Digital out: OPTIONAL
    "transport" Analog out: OPTIONAL Digital out: YES
     
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  22. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Any transport that also has a DAC on board is a player already, unless it lacks analog output. I haven't seen too many of those, but they must exist, since there exist already digital amplifiers. Wouldn't be interested in one of those, however.

    What I am interested in is a Redbook-only transport, and a similar Redbook-only DAC, ideally. Audio Note makes them, I think, but, in typical AN fashion - they're anything but cheap.

    Next best thing would be a dedicated Redbook player, like the Hegel Mohican. But that's also $5,000.00 - a bit too lavish for a CD player, IMO.

    Strange thing - you get these units that pack every imaginable format and capability into them, and they're relatively affordable. But simplify it to the barest minimum - to one function, to be exact, and all of a sudden it has to be very expensive, because it carries with it the promise to do that one thing well.
     
  23. PATB

    PATB Recovering Vinyl Junkie

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Or because very few will buy.
     
  24. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    About that world class customer service.... wait till you have a problem.
     
    DavidD likes this.
  25. JNTEX

    JNTEX Lava Police

    Location:
    Texas
    I have the same one with the dac, love the sound on it (actually streaming through it now). If it took SACD it would be an end all at 3K. Still excellent for what it is.
     
    Spitfire likes this.
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