Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Art K, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    I know all about the critiques. Please note who started the thread. The 6000CDT sounds great to me. Good enough I bought 2 for me and another for someone else. I had a lot more trouble with my Rega, Cambridge, and Line Magnetic players than these Audiolabs.
     
  2. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    Nope. Mine plays the CD layer of all of my hybrid SACD’s.
     
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  3. bgiliberti

    bgiliberti Will You Be My Neighbor?

    Location:
    USA
    I am aware that you started the thread. I quoted your post for the sake of the person who reported a problem on his 6000 similar to the one you reported on the the 7000. While they are not the same model, they are the same brand, built in the same country, in the same factory, by the same workers, utilizing many of the same parts. This is pertinent information to the person who asked the question.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2023
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  4. Halloween_Jack

    Halloween_Jack Senior Member

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Found out that these very occasional drop-outs were likely to do with mains spikes, i.e. when heating comes on and such. And it only does it via the coax input on my Hugo 2 using the Audiolab. Optical is fine via the Audiolab. A Marantz HD-DAC1 was 100% fine fed by the Audiolab via coax. But using a RPi4 with a Hifiberry Digi+ Pro into the Hugo 2, I again got the infrequent dropouts. So I think mains spikes are enough to be transmitted through certain gear (the Audiolab, the Rpi4) when using coax, and the Hugo 2 is way more sensitive to this than most. Never had the issue with the larger Chord Hugo TT2 or the Marantz HD-DAC1. So that’s kind of a relief in that the Audiolab is actually fine, just that the Hugo 2 is evidently sensitive to spikes via coax. Hope this might be of help to anyone else that encounters the issue.
     
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  5. Tony Plachy

    Tony Plachy Senior Member

    Location:
    Pleasantville, NY
    Maybe you need some kind of power conditioning on your mains.
     
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  6. BilboAlaska

    BilboAlaska Forum Resident

    I had a Naim cdp with puck on a swing out tray. It was the best sounding cdp of the many that I have had. I sold it because I didn't like fiddling with getting the puck centered. Too bad, I miss it but it was annoying.

    My favorite for design was the Rega Apollo with the top loading tray. I had 2 of them. Simple and reliable. I did replace the laser on one. Sadly, I have heard complaints about the newer Rega cdp which are the half width ones. Otherwise I would go for one. I sometimes used the Apollo as a transport but their dacs are good.
     
  7. Salparadise

    Salparadise Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    I’ve had a lot of experience with the Regas- 2 Apollos and one of the newer half width. They fail. Then you have to pay as much as they’re worth to have the laser mechanism replaced. No more. They do sound good; they use the Burr Brown DAC chip. I replaced my last one with the Audiolab 6000 and a Pontus II. Ironically though, I hardly ever listen to the Audiolab because I ripped my CDs and set up a RPi4 with Moode Audio. If I had known how much I’d like the RPi4 streaming I probably wouldn’t have bought the Audiolab.
     
  8. BilboAlaska

    BilboAlaska Forum Resident

    I also ripped a bunch of cds to a Bluesound Vault. I am not much for using a computer in hifi so I went with a no brainer automatic method. I like it so well, I may even go for a better one in the Innous Zen. It costs more to be lazy but it is nice to just play a cd and have it in your personal streaming app automatically.
     
    Dafox likes this.
  9. creativepart

    creativepart Forum Resident

    This thread has been going for 3-yrs now, so I'm just catching up.

    My experience was starting with an Onkyo 7030 and using it as a transport. The sound was just OK, nothing stellar. Then I read somewhere about the Cambridge Audio CXC and the Audiolab 6000. As luck would have it someone local was selling a CXC at a good price and I could just go pick it up. I was really surprised how much better this sounded than the 7030. This renewed my interest in hundreds of CDs in my attic and I've culled the "collection" and begun appreciating all this old music again. After 4-weeks I found an Audiolab 6000CDT at a pretty good price - $20 more than I paid for the CXC and I snatched that up.

    I've had the Audiolab for a few weeks now and, for me, it's a hands down winner over the excellent CXC. All three transports have been running through a Chord Qutest. The CXC will have to go to Audiogon because I can't live without the 6000CDT.

    I had thought I'd eventually move up to the Jay's CDT2-MK3 transport at some point, but I'm so satisfied with the Audiolab I may just stick to where I'm at or look at the Audiolab CDT9000 instead. Along with playing the 200 or so "old" CDs I brought down from the attic, I've even bought NEW CDs for the first time in probably 10-years. Previously, I streamed Qobuz non-stop now I'm rarely streaming at all.
     
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  10. Andrew Littleboy

    Andrew Littleboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Walsham
    I once had a Chord 2Qute that dropped out with a Naim CD5XS.

    Also my Dad's 6000CDT drops out on coax connected to a Pro-Ject DAC so had to opt for optical.
     
  11. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    There's a member here, Beave, who bought the 9000 and didn't care for it. He sold it. I forgot why now but I'd check with him if you ever think about buying one. He was a 6000 owner before.
    I love my 6000. It does everything I want.
     
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  12. bgiliberti

    bgiliberti Will You Be My Neighbor?

    Location:
    USA
    Any scratched discs?
     
  13. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    No, it'd be out in the alley if it did because I wouldn't sell it to anyone with a problem like that.
     
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  14. Halloween_Jack

    Halloween_Jack Senior Member

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Yes it's a bit frustrating. I was thinking of selling my CDT on, to save rack space by using my Oppo 203 as a transport instead, as well as for films, but I guess I'll need to mention this issue which may well reduce the amount I'd get for it, or put any buyers off completely.
     
  15. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I've used several different DACs with my 6000CDT and I've never had a coax drop out problem.
     
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  16. Naka9

    Naka9 music first audiophile

    Location:
    Portugal
    I just bought a 9000CDT and can certify that it is way better than the CXC, one of previous CD transports.
    Paired with the Denafrips Pontus II or theOpera Consonance DAC16 it sound amazing, more detailed, transparent, better bass and with a huge soundstage. The is more substance to the sound too. Highly recommended:)
     
  17. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    My post and your reply are already some time ago, but I recently stumbled over an alternative explanation why a ripped CD from an USBstick might sound better than a CD played through a CD transport here:
    DACs with internal master clocks: less importance of transport?
    Quote:
    First it is stated that a CD’s error-correction system can completely correct burst errors.
    This, according to Robert Harley, leaves jitter as the sole difference in sound quality.

    "The Esoteric P-03/D-03 combination's separate clock link allowed me to test this hypothesis. This separate clock link slaves the transport to the processor?s clock, a feature that greatly reduces jitter in the D/A?s word clock. (The word clock controls precisely when the DAC converts the incoming samples to analog, which is the point where jitter matters.) The arrangement obviates the need to extract a clock from the S/PDIF interface, a primary source of jitter in separate transports and D/A converters. In addition to avoiding the jitter-inducing effects of the interface, another advantage of a separate clock line is that the D/A converter becomes the timing reference for the entire system. That is, the D/A converter generates the timing reference for the crucial digital-to-analog converter stage, and the transport must lock to this reference. In a conventional connection between a transport and D/A converter, the D/A converter must lock to the transport's timing reference. The result is higher jitter in the clock that controls the actual digital-to-analog converter chips. The separate clock line eliminates these two shortcomings.

    End quote.
     
  18. barfko

    barfko A peccary of destiny, adventure and romance.

    Location:
    Plymouth - England
    I bought a Audiolab 6000cdt 18 months ago and am loving the sound i get using it with a the Audiolab M-DAC+ through a Cambridge CXA81 and a pair of Monitor Audio silver 200 spks .
    Sadly there was no response from the transport when i switched it on yesterday so it will have to go in for a check . Thankfully it has a 6 yr guaruntee .
    I am temporarily using an old second hand Technics SL-PG590 and the sound is proving very nice and is a welcome suprise .
    I think i paid £40ish when i bought the Technics used a good few years ago , and it has proven to be a great purchase .
    Though it is hard to describe the difference in sound quality between the Technics and the Audiolab transport/dac , i will say it ain't a massive difference . :)
     
  19. razerx

    razerx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sonoma California
    Any comparisons to the slightly more expensive 7000CDT which has tray loading? The only thing keeping me away from the 6000CDT is my fear of front loaders scratching discs.

    Sorry if this was already mentioned.
     
  20. rockin_since_58

    rockin_since_58 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Simi Valley, CA
    When I had the 6000 CDT and it acted up, unplugging the power cord for an extended period of time corrected some of the issues I had. May be worth a try.
     
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  21. barfko

    barfko A peccary of destiny, adventure and romance.

    Location:
    Plymouth - England
    Thanks @rockin_since_58 :)
     
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  22. Hegelman

    Hegelman Member

    Location:
    GTA
    Hello, I have a chance to get an Audiolab 6000CDT for $500 cdn or less. Should I do it . Currently using a pioneer elite DVD player for cd's
     
  23. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    I would say no as I don't like slot loaders. A new 7000CDT isn't going to cost a lot more.
     
  24. tnsmnichols

    tnsmnichols Well-Known Member

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  25. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    I'm enjoying it primarily as a headphone amp for the moment, but I could easily live with it as my only amp if I needed to. I really like it a lot.
     
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