I am seriously considering this combo as well. Its so difficult to go with any of this stuff without hearing it first, but this is what i have: Rogue Sphinx 3 integrated B&W 602 series 2 B&W 608 sub Tara Labs interconnects Pro-Ject classic SB Turntable I need to replace my Rotel 951 because the damn drawer just opens when it feels like it...which is sometimes on the 6th or 7th try. Otherwise I think that player still sounds pretty great considering its over 20 years old and has the old Burr Brown pcm 96 DAC. I just want to get something and move on with my life. Any more insight would be immensely appreciated! Cheers.
This is likely my move as well. I currently have a Oppo 103. I’ll start with the Bifrost2, then move onto the 6000CDT. Part of me wants someone to describe/review it in fancy audiophile terms, but one can only assume it’s a great pair. They’re both getting high praise. Now which Coax cable...
Yes, what would be the best way to connect them, and then to the amp? I am so out of touch with interconnects and cables!
I connect the Audiolab to the Bifrost 2 with a Blue Jeans Digital Coaxial Cable then the output of the DAC goes into one of the line level inputs with an Audioquest Evergreen RCA cable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00287BNKE/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T44LES/
Excellent, thanks. Do you think this is the best combo/or single unit out there for the price (roughly $1200+)? Are there any Pro-Jects in there that can compete? This combo has been in my head and its great to finally get feedback on it from somebody who actually has it and loves it.
I wish I could give you all something more incisive one way or the other. I don’t have any experience with your gear, but I have or had multiple components with Burr Brown chips and can say the Bifrost 2 was a major upgrade in my experience. What I like most about the Bifrost 2 is that eliminates most of the “brittle” or “cold” sound I was used to hearing with digital material. Listening to CDs is no longer fatiguing. The Bifrost 2 pulls double duty in my setup: it’s connected to the Audiolab and a streamer, so it was easier to justify choosing an external DAC. Purchased the Audiolab around the same time as the Bifrost 2. One thing that I’ve noticed with the Audiolab/Bifrost combo is that my listening with digital sources has flipped from mostly streaming to mostly discs. Also, every once in a while, if I’m reading while the CD player going, I’ll forget that the turntable is off. +1 on Blue Jean Cables.
That's great. I appreciate the insight. I recently got a Rogue Sphinx 3 and the fatigue factor from my old Rotel 951 has gone waaaaay down. I honestly can't believe how good that unit sounds after 20+ years, especially playing HDCDs. But I can also surmise that the Burr Brown dac is obsolete and the Schiit is gonna be superior. Here's another question for you guys with the 6000CDT/Bifrost combo: how do streams sound if you are using Tidal or Quboz? Do you run your laptop or phone directly into the DAC? Does the crappy soundcard in my HP laptop or Samsung phone have an influence on the sound quality or does the Schiit take care of that? This is all new to me. Thx
Also, should I be looking at these to compete with the 6000CDT/Bifrost combo?....... Marantz ND 8006 Rotel RCD 1572 Audiolab 8300 These are all within earshot of the combo.
I have a Rotel RCD 991 from 2001. Here the drawer have also decided to have a life of it's own and opens when it feels like. i have also counted up to 6-7 times. So I an looking for a new digital set up not too costly. Something that plays my CD's and can provide for streaming from a computer.
For $1200 I do think this is the best combination. I previously had the Bifrost 4490 DAC and Onkyo C7030 CD player and the Audiolab / Bifrost 2 is far superior to the previous combination. The Onkyo C7030 is a very decent CD player and I still use it in a bedroom setup. The Audiolab 6000 CDT is the first CD player/transport that I have truly enjoyed in recent years. After getting this, I play CD's much more than in the past.
Not antagonistic, I don’t think. It’s just that the Onkyo doesn’t sound good or I would own it. I’d rather have a great sounding deck with a wonky display.
W If you want a low cost option, any of the lower end Wireworld digital coax cables would do nicely. I find Wireworld makes the best sounding budget coax. The Starlight 8 is excellent.
See your post doesn't make sense though. It does sound good. I had 4 people in my living room last weekend and we did an A&B comparison between the cxc and the onkyo (150 vs 500 dollars). Everyone preferred the onkyo except for my mother who admittedly prefers a brighter sound. Everyone thought the cxc was brighter and the onkyo was more laid back but there was no significant difference in quality. In my opinion the cxc actually sounds better than the audio-lab which is why I chose to keep it and returned the audio-lab. If you enjoy the way the 6000cdt rolls off the treble and bloats up the bass there is nothing wrong with that but it is not better it is your personal preference.
Tidal sounds fine (I wouldn’t call it fantastic), but I’m streaming via a Bluesound Node 2 instead of a laptop. Other Bifrost 2 owners have been mostly enthusiastic about the Bifrost’s USB input from what I’ve read online, but I haven’t used it personally. Schiit developed Unison USB, which was first introduced in the Bifrost 2 last fall. I’m just using the coaxial and optical inputs.
you didn’t buy it off Audiogon from a guy in Annapolis 10-15 years ago, did you? that was my first “big” post college audio purchase. Great player
I use the Qobuz desktop app on my Mac with the output going through the Bifrost 2 and it sounds spectacular and is now my primary method of listening.
I’m glad you enjoy it. I also think that everything I’ve heard from Cambridge Audio sounds awful. So we have different taste. Such is life.
No I'am from Copenhagen Denmark. Anyway i like the Rotel a lot. Nice sound without digital glare. Lacking realism and the feeling of beeing there compared to my analog set up that costs five times as much.
Hi everyone, After having undergone a break-in in the rules, my special CDT 6000 (Tweaked) equipped with an AES digital output and therefore connected to my DAC Atoll DAC 300 by an XLR cable from LunaCables (Gray), makes me want listen to music over and over again! I no longer ask myself any questions, the restored music is organic, materialized, embodied! The voices are magnificent, the touch of the instruments is very palpable! For the price, my CDT 6000 is a killer, I'm addicted! Small detail, my CDT 6000 can read very damaged CDs, where other CD players cannot read! Next step for me I think, the transport of CD Denafrips Avatar! To be continued !
The new Avatar has caught my attention as well, I'd like to see some owner reviews one day. It's so new that not much has been printed about it, and I've read where delivery time is around 2-3 months out.
Yes, but he's a Denafrips Dealer, I wouldn't expect anything but glowing reviews from him. But, Vinshine Audio is also the Distributor of Jays Transports. The new Avatar "looks" a lot like the Jays, probably designed and built by the same team. I pay more attention to actual owner reviews than anything. Much like buying a new model vehicle, I'll wait a bit to see how it performs in the real world before making the buying decision. But, on the other hand, the Avatar sure looks like a lot of Transport for the cost ($1200. USD)
