With reference to the upgrade from mk 2 to mk 3, I invested, unscrewed, screwed, removed, replaced cables, all with no more than the appropriate Philipp’s head drivers. A matter of circa 45 minutes. But what matters is what you get for the investment … and effort. A significantly upgraded audio quality - simply? Musicality. In my case, the mk 3 plays over I2S to Jay’s DAC 2 Signature. (BTW … the upgraded puck for the transport, purchased separately from Jay’s shop, is yet another notch in their feather … sound becomes at once ‘bigger’, more enveloping, and harmonic. In a word, Steve has my back.
No offence, but my BS meter is in danger of exploding reading your post. How exactly is an upgraded puck going to make a difference? Once the disc is level and stable, being more level and stable will change nothing. Stop sipping the Kool-Aid.
Just upgraded from Cambridge Audio CXC Transport to Jay's Audio. No exaggeration, it was a huge improvement. The reviews out there are correct. This Transport is truly amazing. And the build quality is solid.
Owner and buyer. of cd's. I use my old philips cd players as transport on the coax digital output. They work still very well. For the $2500 I save I'll buy cd's :-)
There is a middle ground. Your lasers may be getting old and causing excessive error correction. Worn and hard belts may cause the same. You should try a modern cd and see if you can hear the difference as a transport. Cambridge Audio and Audiolab have transports in the $600 range.
Well, he can always replace the belts, and test the digital output by feeding it into a PC and run any number of CD ripping apps to test for any read errors. and % of error correction. BTW, the old Philips DACs were very musical, better than my Denon CD player of the year 1986 by Stereophile Magazine, in a A/B listening room test.
@@wngimageanddesign9546 you can buy replacement lasers for those. I have a JVC XL-1050 with superdigifine but a modern transport and dac can sound a lot better. I stopped using it as a transport when I heard what the Audiolab could do.
I’m a big proponent of CD transports. The Jay’s Audio CD transport sounds amazing. A bit more than what I can afford so I decided to purchase the Audiolab 6000CDT. The 6000CDT is wonderful and the best CD player I’ve ever owned.
I’m debating the jays 2 mk3 vs the 9000cdt(I have the 6000cdt) the 6000cdt was improvement over my older Sony 800x, I wonder sound comparison to jays vs 9000cdt?
I had been looking for something to replace my California Audio Labs Delta drive. Not because I didn’t like it or that it was giving me any trouble. But at 25 years of service, I have to wonder when it might give some trouble. I was looking at Cambridge and audiolab and others. The Jays was more than I wanted to spend, but was more like what I was looking for. So I ordered up the Jays CDT a few weeks ago, and it arrived earlier this week. I unboxed it today and dropped in a CD and hit play. The improvement over my Delta drive was immediate. The sound is fuller and more air around everything. It would be interesting if the two units were fresh for comparison sake, but obviously that can’t happen. I can’t wait to spend some actual time listening to the two of them and get a better idea of what is going on. But my initial impression is that the difference are positive, and not subtle. I will see.
I only have about 800 CDs, but I've ripped them to FLAC and verified the accuracy against an online database. I store them on my NAS and phone (LG V20). I can see a reason to buy music on CD. I can't see a reason to spin it each time I listen to it. Once the data has been pulled from storage and is sitting in RAM, the rendition is dependent on the DAC. It removes all mechanical variations and potential for jitter as long as I have a good clock.
Buy CDs all the time. I am streaming adverse. In addition to the Cambridge, considering the Audiolab 6000 CDT for $549. Mine has been totally reliable playing for days and days at a time. Sounds good and appears to have an excellent build quality. Initially I was put off by the slot loading but it has been totally reliable and I now prefer it to a drawer system. Jut my experience.
Have u taken this apart...i mean at least look inside at the guts? Id like to know if something like this has good internals for that $$. I want something built well with good components but cant stretch to the $2500 level or close for a transport. Thanks!
@@Mike_Jones68 No I haven't taken it apart. Seem irrelevant to me. I've had this unit for a year, running it for weeks at the time and have had no failures. It sounds good. My sole construction observation is it is well finished, the transport has run well. It's seems heavy for it's size and the remote is full function and works well. Sounds like worth $550 to me. I prefer it to my old Oppo 93 which is also quite good.
Hi Steve, Thank you for the review. I used your promo code and purchased a Jays MK 3. Thought that I would let you know that your code is still good although for a lesser amount than it was back in July. For anyone interested current date is Sept 26/21.
Great review, Steve. This transport is out of my reach, but I did get the AudioLab CD transport for about $500, and it does a great job! I still buy CDs........close to 2500 of them by now.
Ive seen this item pop up in comments..def interested as well i cant spend $2+k on a transport. Have u listened to higher end gear that u can compare the Audiolab to? Thanks!
@@Mike_Jones68 Heuer Weg in Germany does an upgrade kit or ready assembled for the AudioLab 6000CDT, says it is close to top CEC transports which he also mods.
@@connorduke4619 I have them in thin sleeves which have one pocket on each side. The booklet in front and the CD behind. They are not to hard to find on Internet. The last ones comes from a company called Hama. These sleeves I store in paper boxes marked with the letter in the alphabet which starts in tha box. The jewel boxes are gone to waste. In all this have saved 75% of the previous just storage space.
I do have many CD's. I ebay, discog and thrift my way to more almost weekly. But my three stereo systems cost me in the tens of dollars. My last Technics vintage cd player cost me $10.00.
@@keplermission4947 A few months is ridiculous. I have components from thrift stores/yard sales/etc that have lasted years. My turntables, tape decks (cassette and 8 track), turntables are all minimum 30 years old. Half of my hobby is cleaning/refurbing old equipment.
@@keplermission4947 I have plenty of cd players I've refurbbed that have lasted years. It's hard to judge the life. Could it be a few months- sure. It can also be years after I get it. My track record is in years. Ii guess your blow up dolls comment is just your way of projecting. That is an unfortunate hobby. You should get help.
It's a shame some people get real upset about what others like to do. I enjoy refurbishing and playing with old equipment. I give lots of it away to people that want a little two channel system. I was making light of the 2k that the transport cost, I thought in a humorous way. Sorry if anyone else got offended. My post was intended to be funny, not offensive to people that want to pay more than I do for their equipment. I know that my thrift store equipment is not superior. It's fun and yes I've managed to dig up the odd gem from old tube Amps to other quality - albeit dated pieces. I like mixing and matching the old components and speakers to find the sound I like for each area. Anyway if my attempt at levity was missing in action I apologize. Life is to shirt to get upset about a $10 CD player.
I am still buying CDs, SACDs and playing them. I have 3 CD players, none are super "high end", none have toroidal transformers, etc….but they sound better than any hi-Rez music that I stream. I do not own a record player…I do not own an expensive modern DAC, but I am still enjoying my music. I know that with all the gear out there EVERYONE's listening experience is so…so…different these days. COOL SHIRT, Steve!!! 👍🏼😁
Wow! My General Curtis account was shot down by Steve's Jwsh supporters on this very video channel, claiming that the General had been a racist and so was I. But wait ... didn't Steve just enter a Church in Manhattan? All these hate people in extreme Judaism bigotry and now Steve himself enters a Church and just to enjoy the forbidden atmosphere inside! Wow! It beggars belief!
I love CDs and SACDs and continually buy them and listen to them. I have four systems: at work I use the Cambridge CXC into the CXA80 (I also have the CXN). My home theater system (Marantz SR7013) has an Arcam DCS50, Denon DCM-440, and an Onkyo C-730. In my audio room I have a Luxman D-111, Denon DCD-1400, and an Onkyo DX-C730 (the Luxman runs off my Luxman R-115 receiver and the Denon runs off my Onkyo TX-NR3008 AVR with the changer being shared by both). I love them all but I gravitate to the Luxman kit the most for music. The R-115 just has the best sound. I have been enjoying that receiver since 1988. I also have two turntables and a ROON core. I know, it is over the top.
I am happy with my Denon CDC-755RE from Japan , It has a high precision Burr Brown 192KHZ /32 bit D/A converter with a high precision clock in close proximity it performs highly accurate D/A conversions with much less jitter , It has Denon's proprietary analog waveform production technology Alpha Processor that reduces distortion caused by Quantization errors with AL 32 processing that uses the input digital data as a clue , they interpolate the data so that it approaches the original analog waveform and reproduces the 16 bit signal with 32 bit quality. Separate power supplies for the digital and analog circuits eliminate mutual interference. It has a front USB input to connect an iPod or USB memory using the same AL 32 processor and 32 bit D/A converter . It is the best sounding CD player I've ever herd even at twice it's cost.
Thanks for mentioning the budget-friendly Cambridge transport in your review. I've got about 2500 CDs in my collection. Same for LPs. Still buying both but CDs make up about 3/4 of the purchases.
I'm still using linn genki cd players, and they still sound excellent, very balanced frequency range from top to bottom, while sounding natural, detailed, and dynamic, and also are HDCD equipped. They are still one of the best in balanced cd sound quality cd players I know at the prices I payed for them in a top quality audio system.
I really hope Linn start making CD players again. Seems crazy that they produce CDs and SACDs on the Linn Records label but the company doesn't make anything to play them on : (
I have the Mk2 and literally just bought the upgrade pack for £660 all in, in order to have my Mk2 converted to Mk3. I cant wait to hear the difference myself.
There are some that would. I am one who took the plunge. I now have a Project RS 2T CD transport with the upgrade linear power supply. As far as I am concerned it is the best I have owned. Still working on a DAC, but that is another story. One piece at a time as this is big league ball here. Not all of us can buy whole systems at a time. Some things are worth the wait. I’m patient and it is a necessity when you are a working stiff. It’ll be great when the DAC does come, but I can wait. Like I said, I’m patient.
I purchase about two CDs per week after getting recommendations or streaming music that I enjoy and decide to purchase the CD. At present I am approaching 2000 CDs and I don’t think that I will stop increasing my collection. I am still very happy with my Wadia CD Player as it reproduces a higher quality audio signal than my PS Audio DSD DAC/ Streamer. This is not to say that the quality of my DAC sounds inadequate just not enough inner detail and the tonality is not as rich.
Own the Audiolab 6000CDT. Love it. No issues so far. Would buy another one. Have it hooked up to a Topping D 90 and Anthem 70 plus Macintosh Monoblocks. Plugged into Tekton Encores. Love it all. My best Dan. Albuquerque.
Cds are my go to music source. Closing in on 4000. Biggest problem is shelf storage. Just ordered the Sailor cd by Steve Miller Band. I also think Dick Hyman is a good jazz pianist and have some of his music in my collection as I'm a bit of a jazz guy myself.
Hey Steve thanks for the video buddy ! Toslink output cable can only handle up to 96khz whereas Coaxial output can handle up to 24bit/192khz so if your using the 176.2 khz (button?) I would use the coaxial or I2s food for thought 😃 Coaxial has a wider bandwidth than Toslink . but at the end of the day I will take a great reccorded 44.1/16bit over anything else ! If you ever want to try the Audiolab CDT 6000 let me know I can get you sent one their ($699US) and built very well heavy weighted for pricepoint
I realize this is not in the same ballpark as Steve's review because for my large CD collection I recently purchased 3 used 300 CD changers. A Sony, a Pioneer Elite & JVC. I use the digital out to a Yamaha DAC/Streamer to my NAD preamp to a rebuilt Dynaco 70. I think I get good results @ the good prices I got them for, personally I think the JVC is the best sounding of the three.
Thanks - I’m really happy with it, I haven’t changed a thing for months - am just enjoying the music - including CD’s although I’m keen to see if Rega upgrade the Saturn? ☺️
@@RiaTolstoy I recently bought a new system including D7.2s and the Aethos was an amp I was looking at. In the end I plumped for the flexibility of a Hegel amp and of course it’s sound. Never got to hear the Aethos though so I still have that desire to which I’ll likely do soon just to hear it. I’ve gone full streaming initially but I use a Blu-ray as transport into the DAC so a CD transport is on the cards for the future. The Pro-ject CD Box RS2T got rave reviews but I can appreciate your love for Rega, amazingly well made, lovely sound and insane warranty!
A great comparison would be the the Jay's, the Cambridge, and the Audiolab transports. My Audiolab transport playing CDs through an Ares II DAC is much better than any high resolution streaming such as Qobuz and Tidal. (I subscribe to both). It's very obvious. You don't need to sit there and listen critically and switch back and forth to tell the difference. My previous CD player was a Response Audio modified Jolida JD100.
I have almost 400 CDs and I buy a couple more every month. I love to listen to them on my Marantz CD6006, it sounds lovely. Recently though, I've been craving the Denafrips Ares II and if I buy it I know I'll eventually get a transport. I know the Cambridge CXC is quite good but I'm leaning more towards the Audiolab 6000CDT. Anyone here knows which might be best? I'd love it if Steve would review the Audiolab transport and compare it to the CXC.
I had the Audiolab and found it to be a great CD transport. I only sold it because I wanted fewer “boxes”. Now I use the CD section of my Naim Uniti Star which doubles as a CD ripper.
sssssh....quiet everybody. Finding great used CDs for cheap is like finding great used records in 1994: plentiful, and unwanted by the masses. Let's keep it that way.
Most of my CD purchasing is done at yard sales. I got Chicago Greatest Hits 40th anniversary and Best Of The Bee Gees "The Record". Neither band is a favorite, but they have some songs I like. 50 cents each, still in the wrapper. Why CDs will never be obsolete for me.
Getting a decent CD transport is definitely worthwhile. I've a Cyrus CD-T feeding a Meridian Director DAC (got this on Steve's CNET recommendation). Very pleased to have gotten both for just under $1.3K.
I like your quote: It's like everyone stepped back from microphones. Have I guess 300-400 CDs, and still buy and really like SACD, As was my experience yesterday with Dark side of the Moon with SACD (No HYBRID) and normal CD. SACD ............the Band stepped closer to the microphones and yes I heard sounds I never heard before. Sorry, no more LP's I have had my fill in the late 1970's.
If the transport only feeds a stream of binary code, how can it affect sound quality? Is it not the DAC that converts this stream of data to an audio signal including the clock?
This is my understanding: Cds not being perfect, a transport has to read indentations in a rapidly spinning disc & decide whether they represent a 1 or a 0. Occasionally, mistakes are made. The CD playback won't be heard as a skip, but there may be a sonic difference. Unlike a computer app from a file, the CD system doesn't have time to do a data check (checksum). The better the mechanics, the more true to the original source the transport's data will be as sent to the DAC.
@@patbarr1351 Pat thank you for your answer this makes sense to me. If you see my question later on asking Steve to clarify why things sounded different. I believe you answered the question.
If you really want a great player, and hesitant about Chinese players (as this one here was)--got some news...they make some excellent ones. I have a Jungson Impression II that plays balanced and tubes. Usually 3 grand, got it on ebay for less that 1k. Best CD player I ever had by far. You can use the internal tubes or use the balanced outputs that runs through multiple internal DAC chips. I simply pass the sound through my Schitt Freya + to Tekton MOABS, and the sound is incredible. Of note--I owned the Chinese made Yaquin tube CD before. great sound, but not great transport. These are great to play around with, but don't forget, if something goes wrong, you have to deal with back-and-forth with the seller in China.
Oh yeah...I've heard the Shanlings. Those are very impressive too and look a lot like Jay's here as top loaders. They also have really good ones that area all tubes outside.
Nice system Ria! I've been ripping my expanding 1200 CD collection to my Bluesound Vault2 to share with the Node2i in system2. Checking out new HR recordings daily on Qobuz....So the CD players have had a long holiday. This episode had me fire up my trusty Musical Fidelity X-Ray v3 to the Denafrips Ares2. Wow 😳 the CD player makes the music sound high-res (more airy with "hall sound")! Maybe I've been missing something here: I'll have to compare CDs to rips... ((I wonder if there will be a market in used Jay's Audio circuit boards...🤔))
I have the Cambridge Audio CXC and a Parasound B/CD 2000 (with a CEC belt drive transport) and I certain love to have the chance to listen to the Jay’s Audio. The cd transport quality is crucial to proper enjoy our cd’s... and I have more than 3000... stefe san you review the latest CEC model? I believe it is the same price range of the Jay’s. Thanks for a great review and long live the cd :)
How can two devices that are outputing a digital bitstream from the same CD produce an audio result that sounds different when run through the same DACs and amps?
Yes, I am skeptical but trust the reports of reviewers like Steve G The only plausible reasons I can come up with are fewer bit errors (BLER) and or Less jitter or jitter characteristics
@@johnholmes912 I assume Master Clock quality = less jitter In any case, better clock/timing/phase control and precision explains the perceived improvement in prescience, air, spaciousness and immediacy IMO
I believe the i2s interface, like spdif (optical, coax or aes), is a synchronous transfer. Hence, timing/ clock /phase differences could affect the data/bit transfer, which may affect the sound quality at the receiving end. IMO, I think the Gold Standard for digital spdif connection is xlr AES/EBU. Per the i2s Wikipedia article, i2s was never designed for transmission over external cables. I2s was designed for communication between internal components in a device circuit, ie between and inside of chips, etc While the market appears to have settled on the HDMI connector, others have tried rj45 Ethernet style and bnc coax cables and connectors for i2s interfaces externally
The test Steve ran was to use two i2S interfaces. These are separately clocked and by design are not prone to the same jitter more prevalent in SPDIF. So if he came away feeling the music "sounded" better from the later model, then it would suggest the data stream in the earlier product was badly broken. This is where you need to apply scientific testing and extract the stream from both products and compare them. Both should be the exact same data which should match what you would rip from the same CD.
Steve, I want to thank you for introducing me to the Jay's cd transport. I have boxes of CD's I had given up on. This transport makes them very enjoyable to listen to. I am amazed it's that much better. The difference is stunning.
Guttenberg: "I was like, 'really!'" I'd love to hear Steve explain what they two versions are doing differently because, aiui, they are just suppling the 0s and 1s streams to the DAC. They are not changing the data. What comes off the disc is what goes to the DAC in both cases. So I would be at a loss as to why they would sound different for the same track and DAC. Please help me understand WHY one presents musicians as less tired and with more room sound.
Thinking just the same thing. If the binary stream is the same it should sound the same. If not, then must reason that something is happening the to signal - which seems to be what the transport doesn't do.
It would be good if you could review the CDT-3. It’s expensive, but the issue is it might be worth it. The word getting around is ordinary red book CDs played on it sound better than streaming files. Perhaps it’s not for everyone but if you look at what some vinyl front ends are going for today, it might even be a bargain.
I use a Modwright fully modded Sony 777ES for SACDs and a Pioneer 38A for DVDs and Redbook CDs. Nothing beats the Pioneer and Sony mechanisms; not even esoteric. That said, I can't wait for Covid to go away so I can hear the products that Steve recommends at audio shows. Agreed I squared is the best output if you can match it correctly.
@@WTJ3405 Yes, I am being told by others that have done a/b testing of both units that the pro-ject is still a big step up but I would interested to hears Steve's take on the matter.
He he... my MK3 upgrade board arrived just 3 days ago. Curious to see your take on it! ( I've 150 CDs only, but I'm accumulating more for sure since physical media is better for me and anyway I'm only really in this hobby for less than 2 years )
Advice for people considering upgrading, as this is a source component you won't necessarily reap the benefits without the rest of your system being transparent enough to hear the difference, your speakers and mainly your amplifier are limiting factors. So if your amp and speakers aren't high end you won't necessarily hear a difference. My advice is get a really good pre/power amp first this is more likely to reveal how good/bad your current setup is.
I also still buy a lot of CDs and DVDs. Personally i do not like the open top design, asking for dust and other to fall inside, and requires a lot of space above it in rack.
I have over 1300 CD and use a NAD C 546BEE which I can use as Tranport as well because my NAD C388 AMP HAS ITS OWN DAC that I can upgrade over time with a module.A soloution that is payable.Im sure the Tranport sound better I had one before from TEAC however I think the DAC and pre-amp sectipn play a bigger role.
Question: Would the CDT2-MK3 be "too much" transport for my Denafrips Ares II? Would there be a large improvement in sound quality with the Ares II or would I need a better DAC? I'm looking to replace a Rega Apollo CD player that's used as a transport. It's still erratic in playing the first track of many CDs even after repair/replacement of the laser, drive, and some board(s). Or should I get a CD transport priced around $500-600 as that might be a better match in performance.
I own Venus II and Jay's Audio CDT2-MK3. I think Ares is an amazing DAC for the money, so keep it. The 2 best transports under $1k are Cambridge Audio CXC and Audiolab 6000cdt. I think CXC is better. So I think CXC and Ares II are amazing combo for the money. If you upgrade later, Denafrips retain their value. Sell that, and get used Pontus II for about $1500-$1600.
I have roughly 135GB of ripped CDs stored on my 5TB RAID 10 Dell server. Well some of that is hi res vinyl rips as well. I don't rely on the CD transport or it's DAC. I can rapidly create any combo play lists.
I only have 2 CDs one is a bluray disc cleaner and the other is Tupac greatest hits. But on other hand have over 400 blu-rays but have easy answer just clean after you watch or listen. Also = less dust in sleeve or cover which most people don't clean unlike me who uses hover pipe connected to small brush for cleaning keyboards. Lol
I have the CXC transport feeding a Holo Audio May KTE dac. Well mastered Cds, where the sound engineer focused on the sound, sounds great. I guess the thing I've realized which is somewhat disappointing is that 80% of the music available really wasn't designed for the higher end listener but more focused on the everyday listener. I'm kicking around the idea of getting one of PS Audio SACD to capture DSD and stream it out via i2s. Or, I might just save the dough and stream dsd from a flash drive. Primarily I'm using a Mano Ultra MkII streamer that outputs i2s to the holo. Love it!! Qobuz with Volumio... Volumio is hit or miss on its reliability though.
Why wouldn't I just rip all of my music to a Bluesound Vault and play from there? Would you say that a transport would sound better than a bluesound if you were using the same DAC for both? If so please explain why.
I usually find that CDs of music that is not streamed becoming very expensive. Example: at the beginning of the year (2021) The band KLF re-released their iconic ambient "chillout" album 1991, to all streaming services (tidal, Spotify). Being that the Album had recorded about 10 different bands from Elvis to Fleetwood Mac on the original chillout album, all these songs had to be pulled before the release and changed title from "chillout" to "come down dawn" So now if you want to original CD, it will cost you about $650.
Hello Steve, I can't understand why transports have a "sound" at all, isn't it that they just deliver digital data that are made to sound only at the dac? What do you think might be the reason for transports sounding different? BR, Joe from Austria
Digital data is transferred as analog over a cable. If you think about it, the 1s and 0s are still transferred as analog waves. This is part of the reason why digital cables make a difference!
Took me years before I bothered trying this out. I now use Audiolab cdp with a DAC via spdif. Have loads of cdp but this combo is by far the best, and not in a subtle way. Its another idiosyncratic hifi paradox that I would not have thought fruitful before experimenting.
Every electronic audio component has a different sound and quality, by definition of the sum of their different parts list and component quality. The quality and design of each different component parts, as well as the quality of different electronic parts, as well as circuit design and layout, pcb board, or no pcb board, the wiring type where there is wiring, and by definition an audio components different power supply designs and differences, and their different interactions and reactions to the electrical mains power supply, while also the audio manufacturers different sound tuning of their components. The the list goes on.
With reference to the upgrade from mk 2 to mk 3, I invested, unscrewed, screwed, removed, replaced cables, all with no more than the appropriate Philipp’s head drivers. A matter of circa 45 minutes. But what matters is what you get for the investment … and effort. A significantly upgraded audio quality - simply? Musicality. In my case, the mk 3 plays over I2S to Jay’s DAC 2 Signature. (BTW … the upgraded puck for the transport, purchased separately from Jay’s shop, is yet another notch in their feather … sound becomes at once ‘bigger’, more enveloping, and harmonic. In a word, Steve has my back.
No offence, but my BS meter is in danger of exploding reading your post. How exactly is an upgraded puck going to make a difference? Once the disc is level and stable, being more level and stable will change nothing. Stop sipping the Kool-Aid.
@@johnratcliffe6438 A lack of understanding will lead to a view as yours.
@@iainford7592 You are deluded. Stop posting.
I buy CD's & SACDs like a maniac and I have LOTS of them!
CD & SACD still lives very well with me.
Me, too.
Same here!
Same
Guilty of CDs and SACDs hoarding. 😊
5000 plus sacd's, cd's, dvd-audio and blueray audio discs here. No intention of stopping. My Mcintosh SACD players do a great job for me.
Just upgraded from Cambridge Audio CXC Transport to Jay's Audio.
No exaggeration, it was a huge improvement.
The reviews out there are correct. This Transport is truly amazing. And the build quality is solid.
Owner and buyer. of cd's. I use my old philips cd players as transport on the coax digital output. They work still very well. For the $2500 I save I'll buy cd's :-)
There is a middle ground. Your lasers may be getting old and causing excessive error correction. Worn and hard belts may cause the same. You should try a modern cd and see if you can hear the difference as a transport. Cambridge Audio and Audiolab have transports in the $600 range.
Well, he can always replace the belts, and test the digital output by feeding it into a PC and run any number of CD ripping apps to test for any read errors. and % of error correction. BTW, the old Philips DACs were very musical, better than my Denon CD player of the year 1986 by Stereophile Magazine, in a A/B listening room test.
@@wngimageanddesign9546 you can buy replacement lasers for those. I have a JVC XL-1050 with superdigifine but a modern transport and dac can sound a lot better. I stopped using it as a transport when I heard what the Audiolab could do.
I’m a big proponent of CD transports. The Jay’s Audio CD transport sounds amazing. A bit more than what I can afford so I decided to purchase the Audiolab 6000CDT. The 6000CDT is wonderful and the best CD player I’ve ever owned.
I made the upgrade to a 9000CDT. The 6000CDT is a killer though.
I’m debating the jays 2 mk3 vs the 9000cdt(I have the 6000cdt) the 6000cdt was improvement over my older Sony 800x, I wonder sound comparison to jays vs 9000cdt?
Right. No cracks, no noise. I go for the cd format.
Definitely - CD is my primary listening format. Just got a second hand Classe CDP-202 delivered yesterday to compliment my current transport and dac.
I had been looking for something to replace my California Audio Labs Delta drive. Not because I didn’t like it or that it was giving me any trouble. But at 25 years of service, I have to wonder when it might give some trouble. I was looking at Cambridge and audiolab and others. The Jays was more than I wanted to spend, but was more like what I was looking for. So I ordered up the Jays CDT a few weeks ago, and it arrived earlier this week. I unboxed it today and dropped in a CD and hit play. The improvement over my Delta drive was immediate. The sound is fuller and more air around everything. It would be interesting if the two units were fresh for comparison sake, but obviously that can’t happen. I can’t wait to spend some actual time listening to the two of them and get a better idea of what is going on. But my initial impression is that the difference are positive, and not subtle. I will see.
CDs are low maintenance and a little easier to get decent sound from. I still buy both CDs and LPs.
I only have about 800 CDs, but I've ripped them to FLAC and verified the accuracy against an online database. I store them on my NAS and phone (LG V20). I can see a reason to buy music on CD. I can't see a reason to spin it each time I listen to it. Once the data has been pulled from storage and is sitting in RAM, the rendition is dependent on the DAC. It removes all mechanical variations and potential for jitter as long as I have a good clock.
My old $300 (expensive at the time) Panasonic is still working great 30 plus years later!!
Buy CDs all the time. I am streaming adverse. In addition to the Cambridge, considering the Audiolab 6000 CDT for $549. Mine has been totally reliable playing for days and days at a time. Sounds good and appears to have an excellent build quality. Initially I was put off by the slot loading but it has been totally reliable and I now prefer it to a drawer system. Jut my experience.
Thanks for the mini-review of the Audiolab.
Have u taken this apart...i mean at least look inside at the guts? Id like to know if something like this has good internals for that $$. I want something built well with good components but cant stretch to the $2500 level or close for a transport. Thanks!
@@Mike_Jones68 No I haven't taken it apart. Seem irrelevant to me. I've had this unit for a year, running it for weeks at the time and have had no failures. It sounds good. My sole construction observation is it is well finished, the transport has run well. It's seems heavy for it's size and the remote is full function and works well. Sounds like worth $550 to me. I prefer it to my old Oppo 93 which is also quite good.
Why don't you rip them in FLAC and set up a server. I did that. It is much easier than to have to go through thousand of CDs all the time.
@@Mike_Jones68 lm
I recently purchased an Audiolab 6000cdt CD transport. Works well with my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+
Nice vid Steve👍👍
I have an Audiolab 6000 CDT like you and a Jay’s Audio CDT mk2.
Both are superb vfm.
CDT3 mk2
@@Coneman3 - thanks for letting me know. Good bang for the buck👍👍
Viewer system of the day is gorgeous!
Hi Steve, Thank you for the review. I used your promo code and purchased a Jays MK 3. Thought that I would let you know that your code is still good although for a lesser amount than it was back in July. For anyone interested current date is Sept 26/21.
Got my Mk3 a few months back. Never realised cd could sound so good, and that's through the Denafrips' entry level Ares II.
Which connection do you use between the Jay's Audio and the Ares 11?
@@menfallinloveandwomenmakeplans Coax.
@@MINXC3 Thank you.
It's good you can use the Jay's Audio with the Ares 11 because it is not listed as a compatible DAC (is it?).
@@menfallinloveandwomenmakeplans It's not listed in the manual but that is only referring to the I2S connection.
Do you live in US and if so were there any custom fees or tariffs on it?
Still using my really old Magnavox (Phillps) CD player, and CDs sound GREAT!
With FTS and the double 👑 DAC?
Great review, Steve. This transport is out of my reach, but I did get the AudioLab CD transport for about $500, and it does a great job! I still buy CDs........close to 2500 of them by now.
Ive seen this item pop up in comments..def interested as well i cant spend $2+k on a transport. Have u listened to higher end gear that u can compare the Audiolab to? Thanks!
@@Mike_Jones68 Heuer Weg in Germany does an upgrade kit or ready assembled for the AudioLab 6000CDT, says it is close to top CEC transports which he also mods.
Where do you store them all? I have "only" just over 1,000 and they pile out everywhere!
@@connorduke4619 I have them in thin sleeves which have one pocket on each side. The booklet in front and the CD behind. They are not to hard to find on Internet. The last ones comes from a company called Hama. These sleeves I store in paper boxes marked with the letter in the alphabet which starts in tha box. The jewel boxes are gone to waste. In all this have saved 75% of the previous just storage space.
@@lahlberg1838 Thank you very much, that is an unexpected answer and brilliant logistical solution!
Congrats Steve!
4.5+ thousand views in 3 hours.
I do have many CD's. I ebay, discog and thrift my way to more almost weekly.
But my three stereo systems cost me in the tens of dollars. My last Technics vintage cd player cost me $10.00.
@@keplermission4947 A few months is ridiculous. I have components from thrift stores/yard sales/etc that have lasted years. My turntables, tape decks (cassette and 8 track), turntables are all minimum 30 years old. Half of my hobby is cleaning/refurbing old equipment.
@@keplermission4947 I have plenty of cd players I've refurbbed that have lasted years. It's hard to judge the life. Could it be a few months- sure. It can also be years after I get it. My track record is in years.
Ii guess your blow up dolls comment is just your way of projecting.
That is an unfortunate hobby. You should get help.
It's a shame some people get real upset about what others like to do. I enjoy refurbishing and playing with old equipment. I give lots of it away to people that want a little two channel system. I was making light of the 2k that the transport cost, I thought in a humorous way.
Sorry if anyone else got offended.
My post was intended to be funny, not offensive to people that want to pay more than I do for their equipment.
I know that my thrift store equipment is not superior. It's fun and yes I've managed to dig up the odd gem from old tube Amps to other quality - albeit dated pieces.
I like mixing and matching the old components and speakers to find the sound I like for each area.
Anyway if my attempt at levity was missing in action I apologize.
Life is to shirt to get upset about a $10 CD player.
I am still buying CDs, SACDs and playing them. I have 3 CD players, none are super "high end", none have toroidal transformers, etc….but they sound better than any hi-Rez music that I stream. I do not own a record player…I do not own an expensive modern DAC, but I am still enjoying my music. I know that with all the gear out there EVERYONE's listening experience is so…so…different these days.
COOL SHIRT, Steve!!! 👍🏼😁
Wow! My General Curtis account was shot down by Steve's Jwsh supporters on this very video channel, claiming that the General had been a racist and so was I. But wait ... didn't Steve just enter a Church in Manhattan? All these hate people in extreme Judaism bigotry and now Steve himself enters a Church and just to enjoy the forbidden atmosphere inside! Wow! It beggars belief!
@@generalcurtis3lemay180 what 😂
@@generalcurtis3lemay180 I know that church. Its a night club. I spent many Sunday's there myself.
I love CDs and SACDs and continually buy them and listen to them. I have four systems: at work I use the Cambridge CXC into the CXA80 (I also have the CXN). My home theater system (Marantz SR7013) has an Arcam DCS50, Denon DCM-440, and an Onkyo C-730. In my audio room I have a Luxman D-111, Denon DCD-1400, and an Onkyo DX-C730 (the Luxman runs off my Luxman R-115 receiver and the Denon runs off my Onkyo TX-NR3008 AVR with the changer being shared by both). I love them all but I gravitate to the Luxman kit the most for music. The R-115 just has the best sound. I have been enjoying that receiver since 1988. I also have two turntables and a ROON core. I know, it is over the top.
I am happy with my Denon CDC-755RE from Japan , It has a high precision Burr Brown 192KHZ /32 bit D/A converter with a high precision clock in close proximity it performs highly accurate D/A conversions with much less jitter , It has Denon's proprietary analog waveform production technology Alpha Processor that reduces distortion caused by Quantization errors with AL 32 processing that uses the input digital data as a clue , they interpolate the data so that it approaches the original analog waveform and reproduces the 16 bit signal with 32 bit quality. Separate power supplies for the digital and analog circuits eliminate mutual interference. It has a front USB input to connect an iPod or USB memory using the same AL 32 processor and 32 bit D/A converter . It is the best sounding CD player I've ever herd even at twice it's cost.
Thanks for mentioning the budget-friendly Cambridge transport in your review.
I've got about 2500 CDs in my collection. Same for LPs. Still buying both but CDs make up about 3/4 of the purchases.
I'm still using linn genki cd players, and they still sound excellent, very balanced frequency range from top to bottom, while sounding natural, detailed, and dynamic, and also are HDCD equipped. They are still one of the best in balanced cd sound quality cd players I know at the prices I payed for them in a top quality audio system.
I really hope Linn start making CD players again. Seems crazy that they produce CDs and SACDs on the Linn Records label but the company doesn't make anything to play them on : (
I have the Mk2 and literally just bought the upgrade pack for £660 all in, in order to have my Mk2 converted to Mk3. I cant wait to hear the difference myself.
There are some that would. I am one who took the plunge. I now have a Project RS 2T CD transport with the upgrade linear power supply. As far as I am concerned it is the best I have owned. Still working on a DAC, but that is another story. One piece at a time as this is big league ball here. Not all of us can buy whole systems at a time. Some things are worth the wait. I’m patient and it is a necessity when you are a working stiff. It’ll be great when the DAC does come, but I can wait. Like I said, I’m patient.
I love your analogy that the musicians moved away from the microphone!
I purchase about two CDs per week after getting recommendations or streaming music that I enjoy and decide to purchase the CD. At present I am approaching 2000 CDs and I don’t think that I will stop increasing my collection. I am still very happy with my Wadia CD Player as it reproduces a higher quality audio signal than my PS Audio DSD DAC/ Streamer. This is not to say that the quality of my DAC sounds
inadequate just not enough inner detail and the tonality is not as rich.
@@keplermission4947 Buy your own CDs. Do you want everything for free. I’m paying for mine.
@@keplermission4947 That’s my son’s dog and it was taken six years ago.
Own the Audiolab 6000CDT. Love it. No issues so far. Would buy another one. Have it hooked up to a Topping D 90 and Anthem 70 plus Macintosh Monoblocks. Plugged into Tekton Encores. Love it all. My best Dan. Albuquerque.
Cds are my go to music source. Closing in on 4000. Biggest problem is shelf storage. Just ordered the Sailor cd by Steve Miller Band. I also think Dick Hyman is a good jazz pianist and have some of his music in my collection as I'm a bit of a jazz guy myself.
Hey Steve thanks for the video buddy !
Toslink output cable can only handle up to 96khz whereas Coaxial output can handle up to 24bit/192khz so if your using the 176.2 khz (button?) I would use the coaxial or I2s food for thought 😃 Coaxial has a wider bandwidth than
Toslink .
but at the end of the day I will take a great reccorded 44.1/16bit over anything else ! If you ever want to try the
Audiolab CDT 6000 let me know I can get you sent one their ($699US) and built very well heavy weighted for pricepoint
Thanks for review. Just bought one now👍
CDs only for me. Have a Luxman D-03X serving as a CD player and DAC for streaming. It's beautiful! Sounds good too. 🤓
Just bought this cd player, it's wonderful thanks to Andy singer!
@@bryanglassglass8971 Awesome. The CD player and DAC are fantastic. Build quality is amazing too. Enjoy it my friend!
I realize this is not in the same ballpark as Steve's review because for my large CD collection I recently purchased 3 used 300 CD changers. A Sony, a Pioneer Elite & JVC. I use the digital out to a Yamaha DAC/Streamer to my NAD preamp to a rebuilt Dynaco 70. I think I get good results @ the good prices I got them for, personally I think the JVC is the best sounding of the three.
That sounds like some fun experimentation between a variety of manufacturers.
still buy cds even though no local shops sell them in my town
have an original ARCAM FMJ cd22 cd player which is amazing
I still buy CDs.... I agree with Mitch Easter, they sound the closest to the master tape mix down.
Thanks Steve..used your promo code and got 100 bucks off. Well done!
Love that viewer system of the day setup, I’m keen to hear the Rega Aethos.
Thanks - I’m really happy with it, I haven’t changed a thing for months - am just enjoying the music - including CD’s although I’m keen to see if Rega upgrade the Saturn? ☺️
@@RiaTolstoy I recently bought a new system including D7.2s and the Aethos was an amp I was looking at. In the end I plumped for the flexibility of a Hegel amp and of course it’s sound. Never got to hear the Aethos though so I still have that desire to which I’ll likely do soon just to hear it. I’ve gone full streaming initially but I use a Blu-ray as transport into the DAC so a CD transport is on the cards for the future. The Pro-ject CD Box RS2T got rave reviews but I can appreciate your love for Rega, amazingly well made, lovely sound and insane warranty!
So now i have a lovely dilemma! Jays Audio CD mk3 or Rega’s upgraded Saturn CDP… 🤔🤩
Still very much playing and buying CDs. Also bought the Cambridge CXC a few months ago. Very pleased with it, just as well that’s my budget!
I had to go back to the beginning of the video. When Steve said the price I fainted.
LMAO!! Me too!!!
A great comparison would be the the Jay's, the Cambridge, and the Audiolab transports. My Audiolab transport playing CDs through an Ares II DAC is much better than any high resolution streaming such as Qobuz and Tidal. (I subscribe to both). It's very obvious. You don't need to sit there and listen critically and switch back and forth to tell the difference. My previous CD player was a Response Audio modified Jolida JD100.
I have almost 400 CDs and I buy a couple more every month. I love to listen to them on my Marantz CD6006, it sounds lovely. Recently though, I've been craving the Denafrips Ares II and if I buy it I know I'll eventually get a transport. I know the Cambridge CXC is quite good but I'm leaning more towards the Audiolab 6000CDT. Anyone here knows which might be best? I'd love it if Steve would review the Audiolab transport and compare it to the CXC.
I had the Audiolab and found it to be a great CD transport. I only sold it because I wanted fewer “boxes”. Now I use the CD section of my Naim Uniti Star which doubles as a CD ripper.
@@neilcoligan8621 thanks for sharing!
I have the Audiolab but have not heard the Cambridge. I am more than happy with the Audiolab. I suspect that the Cambridge is about the same.
@@chrish.4067 thanks! And at my dealer the Audiolab is €100 cheaper.
I’m a high end person, but my wallet says otherwise.
Yes, I know what you mean.
High end, not all it cracked up to be !. The truth is out.
Aren't we all
💿 never will die!
Wow!!!! Nils Frahm - Solo....a definite keeper!! Thanks much Steve!
sssssh....quiet everybody. Finding great used CDs for cheap is like finding great used records in 1994: plentiful, and unwanted by the masses. Let's keep it that way.
😉
Exactly! Best medium there is
🤐
Where do you find actual CDs? I once bought an album on Amazon and what I got was a generic CD-R with the music burned from illegally-downloaded MP3s.
Most of my CD purchasing is done at yard sales. I got Chicago Greatest Hits 40th anniversary and Best Of The Bee Gees "The Record". Neither band is a favorite, but they have some songs I like. 50 cents each, still in the wrapper. Why CDs will never be obsolete for me.
Was expecting a much bigger discount
Very small discount indeed!
I use a modded Oppo BDP-103 which can output both CDs and SACDs via I²S. But this is tempting as a CD-only addition.
CD's also put money in the hands of the artist the quickest probably if bought direct, and they make good gifts! Even mint condition used!
A good general tip when setting up or working on hifi is to take your watch off and any other jewellery as it can easily scratch it.
Getting a decent CD transport is definitely worthwhile. I've a Cyrus CD-T feeding a Meridian Director DAC (got this on Steve's CNET recommendation). Very pleased to have gotten both for just under $1.3K.
Because of this review I ordered the cd transport. And used your discount code.
Are you happy with it?
Somebody please explain why and how one functioning transport would sound better than another functioning transport, all other factors being equal.
Just listen and hear for yourself ...
@@michaelw3090 Not a good answer ... ("please explain")
I still buy CDs for sure, I would not spend that much on a transport. But I still love CDs, this video made me miss my sony xa50es
GREAT video Steve👍
I don't stream, i only play cd through my cec tl5 cd transport.
I like your quote: It's like everyone stepped back from microphones. Have I guess 300-400 CDs, and still buy and really like SACD, As was my experience yesterday with Dark side of the Moon with SACD (No HYBRID) and normal CD. SACD ............the Band stepped closer to the microphones and yes I heard sounds I never heard before. Sorry, no more LP's I have had my fill in the late 1970's.
If the transport only feeds a stream of binary code, how can it affect sound quality? Is it not the DAC that converts this stream of data to an audio signal including the clock?
It's not "binary code" its an audio signal
This is my understanding: Cds not being perfect, a transport has to read indentations in a rapidly spinning disc & decide whether they represent a 1 or a 0. Occasionally, mistakes are made. The CD playback won't be heard as a skip, but there may be a sonic difference. Unlike a computer app from a file, the CD system doesn't have time to do a data check (checksum). The better the mechanics, the more true to the original source the transport's data will be as sent to the DAC.
the dac's clock is merely a slave, the transport has the master clock
@@patbarr1351 Pat thank you for your answer this makes sense to me. If you see my question later on asking Steve to clarify why things sounded different. I believe you answered the question.
Oh it’s all about the clock. Come on that stuff was done years ago. Jitter is another one, done !.
Come for the review and stay for the Audiophiliac Viewer System of the Day.
Steve, How does it compare to the Project RS2T Cd transport?
Very cool system of the day!
If you really want a great player, and hesitant about Chinese players (as this one here was)--got some news...they make some excellent ones. I have a Jungson Impression II that plays balanced and tubes. Usually 3 grand, got it on ebay for less that 1k. Best CD player I ever had by far. You can use the internal tubes or use the balanced outputs that runs through multiple internal DAC chips. I simply pass the sound through my Schitt Freya + to Tekton MOABS, and the sound is incredible.
Of note--I owned the Chinese made Yaquin tube CD before. great sound, but not great transport. These are great to play around with, but don't forget, if something goes wrong, you have to deal with back-and-forth with the seller in China.
Oh yeah...I've heard the Shanlings. Those are very impressive too and look a lot like Jay's here as top loaders. They also have really good ones that area all tubes outside.
Nice review Steve. I like the less commercial, special gear. Affordable high end is how I see it.
Nice system Ria!
I've been ripping my expanding 1200 CD collection to my Bluesound Vault2 to share with the Node2i in system2.
Checking out new HR recordings daily on Qobuz....So the CD players have had a long holiday.
This episode had me fire up my trusty Musical Fidelity X-Ray v3 to the Denafrips Ares2. Wow 😳 the CD player makes the music sound high-res (more airy with "hall sound")!
Maybe I've been missing something here: I'll have to compare CDs to rips...
((I wonder if there will be a market in used Jay's Audio circuit boards...🤔))
Did you get to do that comparison?
I own a little over a thousand and still buy one a week.
I have the Cambridge Audio CXC and a Parasound B/CD 2000 (with a CEC belt drive transport) and I certain love to have the chance to listen to the Jay’s Audio. The cd transport quality is crucial to proper enjoy our cd’s... and I have more than 3000... stefe san you review the latest CEC model? I believe it is the same price range of the Jay’s. Thanks for a great review and long live the cd :)
I love my Audiomat D1, it rocks...
How can two devices that are outputing a digital bitstream from the same CD produce an audio result that sounds different when run through the same DACs and amps?
They do! Search the net for an explanation.....
Yes, I am skeptical but trust the reports of reviewers like Steve G
The only plausible reasons I can come up with are fewer bit errors (BLER) and or Less jitter or jitter characteristics
@@johnholmes912 I assume Master Clock quality = less jitter
In any case, better clock/timing/phase control and precision explains the perceived improvement in prescience, air, spaciousness and immediacy IMO
I believe the i2s interface, like spdif (optical, coax or aes), is a synchronous transfer. Hence, timing/ clock /phase differences could affect the data/bit transfer, which may affect the sound quality at the receiving end.
IMO, I think the Gold Standard for digital spdif connection is xlr AES/EBU.
Per the i2s Wikipedia article, i2s was never designed for transmission over external cables. I2s was designed for communication between internal components in a device circuit, ie between and inside of chips, etc
While the market appears to have settled on the HDMI connector, others have tried rj45 Ethernet style and bnc coax cables and connectors for i2s interfaces externally
The test Steve ran was to use two i2S interfaces. These are separately clocked and by design are not prone to the same jitter more prevalent in SPDIF. So if he came away feeling the music "sounded" better from the later model, then it would suggest the data stream in the earlier product was badly broken. This is where you need to apply scientific testing and extract the stream from both products and compare them. Both should be the exact same data which should match what you would rip from the same CD.
Steve, I want to thank you for introducing me to the Jay's cd transport. I have boxes of CD's I had given up on. This transport makes them very enjoyable to listen to. I am amazed it's that much better. The difference is stunning.
I believe tambaqui is a fish, pronounced in English approximately like "tam back ee" or "tam-BACK-kee"
Also, wifey: Honey, we need this Jay’s.
Hubbey: Why is that sweetie?
Wifey: It let’s you hear air better!
Hubbey: 😳 🤦♀️
What are you talking about?!
These transports are superb. Virtually everyone agrees on this, except you 😂
@@Coneman3 Nope, I have one. Just a bit of humor. 😂
Guttenberg: "I was like, 'really!'" I'd love to hear Steve explain what they two versions are doing differently because, aiui, they are just suppling the 0s and 1s streams to the DAC. They are not changing the data. What comes off the disc is what goes to the DAC in both cases. So I would be at a loss as to why they would sound different for the same track and DAC. Please help me understand WHY one presents musicians as less tired and with more room sound.
Thinking just the same thing. If the binary stream is the same it should sound the same. If not, then must reason that something is happening the to signal - which seems to be what the transport doesn't do.
Buy CDs regulary, but I have a Yamaha CDX-490 and CDX-397MkII to play them
It would be good if you could review the CDT-3. It’s expensive, but the issue is it might be worth it. The word getting around is ordinary red book CDs played on it sound better than streaming files. Perhaps it’s not for everyone but if you look at what some vinyl front ends are going for today, it might even be a bargain.
I use a Modwright fully modded Sony 777ES for SACDs and a Pioneer 38A for DVDs and Redbook CDs. Nothing beats the Pioneer and Sony mechanisms; not even esoteric. That said, I can't wait for Covid to go away so I can hear the products that Steve recommends at audio shows. Agreed I squared is the best output if you can match it correctly.
Can you comment on the differences between the Pro-Ject RS2 CD T Transport that you reviewed and this new version of the Jays ?
Was wondering the same thing!!
@@WTJ3405 Yes, I am being told by others that have done a/b testing of both units that the pro-ject is still a big step up but I would interested to hears Steve's take on the matter.
Have read the same thing in several forums.
I’m interested in that comparison too!
CDs are awesome...
Really nice to review a source every now and then, very nice transport. I think there is a rel sub in the system of the day
He he... my MK3 upgrade board arrived just 3 days ago. Curious to see your take on it!
( I've 150 CDs only, but I'm accumulating more for sure since physical media is better for me and anyway I'm only really in this hobby for less than 2 years )
Advice for people considering upgrading, as this is a source component you won't necessarily reap the benefits without the rest of your system being transparent enough to hear the difference, your speakers and mainly your amplifier are limiting factors. So if your amp and speakers aren't high end you won't necessarily hear a difference. My advice is get a really good pre/power amp first this is more likely to reveal how good/bad your current setup is.
I also still buy a lot of CDs and DVDs. Personally i do not like the open top design, asking for dust and other to fall inside, and requires a lot of space above it in rack.
Rhea's system is very cool!
Great system of the day
You had me at Dick Hyman...a great hero of mine. Genius musician.
I have over 1300 CD and use a NAD C 546BEE which I can use as Tranport as well because my NAD C388 AMP HAS ITS OWN DAC that I can upgrade over time with a module.A soloution that is payable.Im sure the Tranport sound better I had one before from TEAC however I think the DAC and pre-amp sectipn play a bigger role.
Question: Would the CDT2-MK3 be "too much" transport for my Denafrips Ares II?
Would there be a large improvement in sound quality with the Ares II or would I need a better DAC?
I'm looking to replace a Rega Apollo CD player that's used as a transport. It's still erratic in playing the first track of many CDs even after repair/replacement of the laser, drive, and some board(s).
Or should I get a CD transport priced around $500-600 as that might be a better match in performance.
I own Venus II and Jay's Audio CDT2-MK3.
I think Ares is an amazing DAC for the money, so keep it.
The 2 best transports under $1k are Cambridge Audio CXC and Audiolab 6000cdt.
I think CXC is better.
So I think CXC and Ares II are amazing combo for the money.
If you upgrade later, Denafrips retain their value.
Sell that, and get used Pontus II for about $1500-$1600.
I have roughly 135GB of ripped CDs stored on my 5TB RAID 10 Dell server. Well some of that is hi res vinyl rips as well. I don't rely on the CD transport or it's DAC. I can rapidly create any combo play lists.
Yes, and yes!
I only have 2 CDs one is a bluray disc cleaner and the other is Tupac greatest hits. But on other hand have over 400 blu-rays but have easy answer just clean after you watch or listen. Also = less dust in sleeve or cover which most people don't clean unlike me who uses hover pipe connected to small brush for cleaning keyboards. Lol
I have the CXC transport feeding a Holo Audio May KTE dac. Well mastered Cds, where the sound engineer focused on the sound, sounds great. I guess the thing I've realized which is somewhat disappointing is that 80% of the music available really wasn't designed for the higher end listener but more focused on the everyday listener. I'm kicking around the idea of getting one of PS Audio SACD to capture DSD and stream it out via i2s. Or, I might just save the dough and stream dsd from a flash drive. Primarily I'm using a Mano Ultra MkII streamer that outputs i2s to the holo. Love it!! Qobuz with Volumio... Volumio is hit or miss on its reliability though.
Hi Bill. Will the Jays Mk3 stream SACDs?
@@RJ_Chicago I don’t know. I know PS audio output raw DSD data through i2s, and doing it that way you bypass the encryption.
You could use a good Dac ! “ joking “
I’ll look at the Cambridge audio thanks
Im Just buy a New cd player . Denon 2500 . Sat not for the Usa . Sound good to !
Why wouldn't I just rip all of my music to a Bluesound Vault and play from there? Would you say that a transport would sound better than a bluesound if you were using the same DAC for both? If so please explain why.
master clock stability
@@johnholmes912 But wouldn't a high quality DAC make up for that?
I usually find that CDs of music that is not streamed becoming very expensive.
Example: at the beginning of the year (2021) The band KLF re-released their iconic ambient "chillout" album 1991, to all streaming services (tidal, Spotify).
Being that the Album had recorded about 10 different bands from Elvis to Fleetwood Mac on the original chillout album, all these songs had to be pulled before the release and changed title from "chillout" to "come down dawn"
So now if you want to original CD, it will cost you about $650.
This versus Pro-ject audi RS2 CDT ?
Hey Steve - It doesn't appear that the promo code is working or perhaps it expired already...
Is the machine better than the PrimaLuna tube CD player?
Steve you've had the Jay's Audio and also the Oppo BDP. So how do you choose which to use when?
I would love to know his opinion on this one too.
Hello Steve, I can't understand why transports have a "sound" at all, isn't it that they just deliver digital data that are made to sound only at the dac?
What do you think might be the reason for transports sounding different?
BR, Joe from Austria
Expectation bias. :)
Digital data is transferred as analog over a cable. If you think about it, the 1s and 0s are still transferred as analog waves. This is part of the reason why digital cables make a difference!
Took me years before I bothered trying this out. I now use Audiolab cdp with a DAC via spdif. Have loads of cdp but this combo is by far the best, and not in a subtle way.
Its another idiosyncratic hifi paradox that I would not have thought fruitful before experimenting.
Every electronic audio component has a different sound and quality, by definition of the sum of their different parts list and component quality. The quality and design of each different component parts, as well as the quality of different electronic parts, as well as circuit design and layout, pcb board, or no pcb board, the wiring type where there is wiring, and by definition an audio components different power supply designs and differences, and their different interactions and reactions to the electrical mains power supply, while also the audio manufacturers different sound tuning of their components. The the list goes on.
If you have good CD player and dac I think it’s best format