I have to agree, been using my 6000 and 8300 for about 4 months now and not ONE scratch. Transport is very firm but gentle with the cd's. beave
They are doing a matching streamer that may be an even bigger bargain. Can be used with a better DAC so upgradeable.
Sold my Cambridge CXC and couldn't decide between the 6000CDT and the Cyrus CDT but reckon the Audiolab might be the best option.
I was never that impressed with it tbh, found it quite bland sounding after the Tag transport I had for years.
I finally found time to install the 6000CDT into my system and do some side-by-side listening with the player I had been using, a Panasonic DMP-BDT500P Blu-ray player (which I will retain for video). The 6000CDT is connected via optical cable to the internal DAC on the Audiolab 6000A integrated amp, which feeds a pair of KEF R500 floor standing speakers. The Panasonic's connection is identical. I used three CDs for the comparison: Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel of Love," Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms," and a recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music. All three of these are from the 1980s, and I'm familiar with the critiques of CDs from this era, but these three have always struck me as reasonably well done, and they have the advantage of having been mastered before the madness of the loudness wars began in the 1990s. The Panasonic was well-reviewed for sound back when I bought it in 2013, and it does sound good. But there's no question the 6000CDT sounds better. "Your Latest Trick," on "Brothers in Arms," is an atmospheric piece with trumpet and sax solo, a lurking guitar solo, and multilayered synthesizers. On the Panasonic, the CD sounds good--certainly better than the same track streamed from my phone over bluetooth. But the 6000CDT gives the song a greater sense of space. The bass and bass drum both have more impact, and the arpeggiated synthesizer that emerges midway through the song is more distinct. The title track on "Tunnel of Love" is a very busy arrangement, with lots of fast transients. Again, the Panasonic handles things well, with a good sense of space and separation among the various parts of the arrangement, though there's a note of harshness to Bruce's vocal. Again, the 6000CDT improves just about everything. The bass is tightened up, Bruce's voice is brought into clearer focus, and there's a bit more precision and sparkle to the synthesizers preceding the last verse. The differences are subtle--again, not as great as the difference between the same track streamed from my phone and played on the Panasonic. But they're nevertheless distinct and yield a more satisfying listening experience. As for the Eroica, it seems both more powerful and more open on the 6000CDT. The R500s, without a subwoofer, will never be able to replicate the full power of a symphony orchestra, but there does seem to be better presence to the low end when played on the 60ooCDT. At some point I'll take my Onkyo C-7030 downstairs and compare that as well. As of now, though, I'm very happy with the 6000CDT.
It seems my timing for a new transport was off just a little bit. I purchased the Cambridge CXC back in early June and I just stumbled across this thread. It sounds like the 6000CDT could be a good step up from the CXC for not much more. I purchased the CXC to use my also recently purchased MHDT Orchid . The CXC absolutely blew away the older once TOTL JVC from the early 90's. The CXC sounds much more clear and realistic over the JVC. I went back to the JVC for a little bit and it just sounded off, I thought something was wrong with my system and I had lost the enticing sound that kept me listening. Putting the CXC back in was a relief! So I've definitely been enjoying the CXC with the Orchid for the past few months. That combo finally got me enjoying digital nearly as much as vinyl! So, why am I posting here? I had the chance hear the Orchid connected with a Jay's CDT2 MK2 and upgraditis kicked it. It was a different system, but it seemed like there was a better ease and flow to the music. It was a higher level of refinement for sure. I had my sights set on the Jay's for the future, but it's a serious sum of money I wouldn't be able to swing for quite a while.....so the 6000CDT is on the way!! How will it compare to the CXC? Can it touch the Jay's Audio? We shall soon see! The CXC does have some annoyances that propelled the upgrade also. I was getting sick of how picky the CXC is with the SPDIF signal to my DAC. I would have to wait for the DAC to finish starting up before turning on the CXC. It seems the CXC would only connect with the DAC reliably after it was fully powered on. That meant I would have to wait 10-15 seconds before powering on the CXC and then wait another 5-10 seconds for the CXC to boot up to pop a disk in. The JVC had no issues like this... The other issue would be how it handled scratched disks. The CXC needs clean and fairly scratch free disks. I've been purchasing many used ones lately to build my collection and occasionally get some over graded examples with a few light scratches most other players can read fine. Just a little side note: I changed the output caps in the MHDT Orchid to the new V-Cap ODAM. Wow! They were a big improvement on an already excellent DAC! Highly recommended!
The 6000CDT won't match the Jay's, I'm sure, but I hope it gives you more of what you're looking for. I look forward to your report.
I noticed the CXC price has recently dropped to $399 at all the usual retailers. I don't want one, just saying.
It's been said that Cambridge is updating the appearance of the CX lineup. If you look around the CXN is also has(had) a lower price. CA is no longer going to offer the CX line in Black and even maybe no Silver either. The new line will have a Grayish Silver finish matching their new EDGE line. Not certain of any internal changes, just cosmetic.
The 6000CDT arrived today along with a copy of AudioAdvisor featuring it on their cover! Strange coincidence! Hifi-Heaven shipped it super quick! From the labeling on it, it looks like AA is the distributor. I also ordered a Black Cat Cable Silver Star mk II to compliment the upgrade. I hope to get some good listening in this weekend and have a comparison soon.
I don't think I'm ready to call a winner yet, but I've had a little time with the 6000CDT now. I'll make a few comparisons here. The 6000CDT is very solidly built and I would give it the edge in that regard. The slot load works nice and smooth as others have said. One thing I don't like is the "rubberized" finish on it and prefer the smooth aluminum of the CXC, but it's not a deal breaker. The remote is much better than the CXC also. Important functions are in the center or close to it, everything is on the bottom for the CXC. The numbers for track skipping are great also. The CXC remote seems like an afterthought. I'm also really happy that it has no problem syncing with my DAC, doesn't matter when I turn on either device, it just plain works! Sound quality wise, they are very close. I need to do some more switching back and forth before coming to a conclusion. I did notice that the CXC may have deeper bass or the level from it was somehow a bit higher. I noticed some things vibrating in my room with the CXC, but not the 6000CDT. I'll have to look into that more. I also just upgraded the crossovers in my Tekton Perfect SET, they are settling in nicely and I think it will help me make a better comparison. I'm getting big improvements in every way, it's really quite amazing. I'll work on comparing more and maybe someday I can borrow a Jay's Audio to compare
Nice review! It seems the Audiolab is catching on in a pretty big way, especially at its price point. Remember that even though it’s a transport the circuitry that decodes those cd bits also needs to burn in for around 120 hours in my experience with both the 6000cdt and the 8300cd. It settles in after that. also remember that your going to be fighting the fact that this unit can’t possibly sound this good for only $500. remember there was a high end company literally gutting OPPO units into their case and selling them for 4 times what the OPPO was selling for, and people paid it because a $1000 Chinese made OPPO couldn’t possibly sound as good as a $5000 U.K. made unit.... funny how these things work. Beave
Im considering upgrading after Christmas with an Audiolab 6000 amplifier and this transport. I read that Audiolab have stated the dac in the amp is high quality so I was thinking why do people buy another dac like Audiolabs own Mdac. I find it confusing that the amp has a high quality dac yet people will spend 700 quid on a dac to add on. What benefits does the standalone dac have compared to the dac in the amp. Im listening at my pc at a 5 foot desk so trying to figure out a pair of speakers to match that combo. I put the port bungs into the Monitor Audio BR2 today and its helping (to my ears) as the bass was booming as sadly im in the corner now as the kids have taken over the available rooms once used for hifi!
As I understand it (and please bear in mind that my understanding is far from perfect), there are potential advantages to isolating the DAC circuitry from all of the powering circuitry and other circuitry contained in an integrated amplifier. Of course, a decent integrated amplifier will shield the different components it contains, but a separate unit might still be better. And then there's the possibility that a £700 DAC might just be better than the DAC incorporated into a £600 integrated amplifier. I'm inclined to think, though that you'd need some pretty exceptional speakers and/or headphones for there to be much in the way of perceptual difference.
I suppose I will ahve to find out for myself but im hoping the amp/transport combo will be good enough that another dac is not needed.
