stuartk
Excellent! This thread is very informative.
Happy Listening!
A phenomenal new CD transport-Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 transport
I have had in-house for the last week Pro-Ject's new CD Box RS2 transport to review for the website Stereo Times. I was very curious to assess its performance because it uses the Pro 8 drive with the Blue Tiger CD-84 servo card. This drive was developed and built by StreamUnlimited a company started by the original Phillips designers that historically built the finest CD mechanisms. Only two other companies use the StreamUnlimited 8 drive and Blue Tiger CD-84 servo card, their pieces cost $16,000 and $39,000 compared to Pro-Ject's sane price of $3,000!
My reference for the last two years has been the excellent Jay's Audio MK-II transport that had out-performed much more expensive highly regarded transports in my system. Well, across every sonic parameter (transparency/micro-details-overall dynamics/bottom-end extension/purity of tonality- a much more airy sound-stage with wonderful 3D imaging) compared to the Jay's Audio transport.
That's way I titled this thread a "phenomenal new CD transport" because while not inexpensive, it just might be a bargain based on its performance. Mind you, this superlative level of performance is based on using the switching power supply that Pro-Ject ships the transport with. I have shortly coming a custom 20 watt 3 amp linear power supply from Linear Tube Audio and Pro-Ject's own upgraded power supply to see if the RS2 transport performance will even go to a higher qualitative level of performance.
I'll be writing a full detailed review for Stereo Times in the near future. However, I wanted to share this information to GON members who still spin CDs. I have had numerous CD transports in for evaluation and this just might be the best sounding of all of them.
Teajay (Terry London)
My reference for the last two years has been the excellent Jay's Audio MK-II transport that had out-performed much more expensive highly regarded transports in my system. Well, across every sonic parameter (transparency/micro-details-overall dynamics/bottom-end extension/purity of tonality- a much more airy sound-stage with wonderful 3D imaging) compared to the Jay's Audio transport.
That's way I titled this thread a "phenomenal new CD transport" because while not inexpensive, it just might be a bargain based on its performance. Mind you, this superlative level of performance is based on using the switching power supply that Pro-Ject ships the transport with. I have shortly coming a custom 20 watt 3 amp linear power supply from Linear Tube Audio and Pro-Ject's own upgraded power supply to see if the RS2 transport performance will even go to a higher qualitative level of performance.
I'll be writing a full detailed review for Stereo Times in the near future. However, I wanted to share this information to GON members who still spin CDs. I have had numerous CD transports in for evaluation and this just might be the best sounding of all of them.
Teajay (Terry London)
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This designed by same guys designed Phillips Pro transport back in the day, I do miss my Mark Levinson No. 37., Never found satisfactory replacement for transport after it died, motivation to go to streaming exclusively. Anyway, I believe all the accolades given this transport based on designers and my experience with Phillips Pro. |
I just added the LTA linear power supply and will wholeheartedly vouch that it is a noticeable plug and play improvement over the stock walwart power supply. What is the difference? Definitely more air and a sense if space and dimensionality. Impressively, there is a marked reduction in the electronic sonic signature that overlays the music with the stock power supply. I am for sure glad that I spent the money to upgrade to the LTA power supply. |
@tduc , I can't speak for Terry obviously but I can confidentially say that the musical pace.flow. fluidity and rhythm of music is exceptionally fine via the Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2T and my Yamamoto DAC. I can not imagine why your experience would be any different. This transport will extract the best from any good quality DAC in my opinion. 85-90% of my listening is to jazz music and it is marvelous! Charles |
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@wig, "immense listening pleasures to my daily sessions" Thanks @wig. .Anyone who believes that the transport doesn’t matter or has modest impact is profoundly mistaken. This Pro-Ject transport is just wonderful! 3 days in and it has exceeded my expectations. Does it really need a linear power supply?😃 Charles
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. I received my Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 transport yesterday, thus my proclaiming that it sounds stunningly good! And sounding better this evening. Numerous testimonials on this thread from very happy users of this unit. @esstrand no hyperbole , the RS2 transport is simply superb. 1. I'm using the supplied SMPS wall wart. 2. It's sitting on a rack shelve rather than a Star Sound Apprentice platform for vibration/resonance management. 3. It no way near being broken-in yet. Despite these factors it's undeniably a top tier CD transport. Most impressive to me at this very early stage is it accomplishes being quite resolving and beautifully organic in character with spot on vocal and instrumental weight and tonality. @esstrand I feel very confident in predicting that you will be very pleased with this Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 in your audio system.
Someone had earlier in this thread asked if this transport was noisy. I can say that my unit is absolutely silent. It's compact but very solidly constructed and sturdy. Aluminum and carbon fiber, no cheap plastic. Charles
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@charles1dad TBH your post has tipped me towards taking the plunge. Let's see how this gamble pays off. I guess another way to evaluate the subjectiveness of a forum member's opinion (or even a reviewer) is to look at their gear, and if you have heard them and liked them or better yet owned them, then some measure of certainty can be gained. I loved the Coincident Dragon, Frankenstein when I owned them, also the Linestage (which not as much, but I was told that I should tube-rolled before flipping it).
Will place an order today, I heard that Pro-Ject is updating the software (firmware?) of the Transport so shipping is delayed till January for fresh units. Will buy one of those.
Cheers, and thanks for listening me out, patiently, everyone. Fingers crossed on this. |
@essrand, Subjectivity is such an integral part of High End audio so I’m not sure how one would get around this. There have been multiple positive listening impressions posted here by members most would find credible. Still doesn’t mean that you will share their opinion once you’ve heard it. The Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 does utilize the very latest Stream Unlimited CD Pro-8 drive mechanism along with the Blue Tiger CD-84 servo. Midfi? Acustic Arts Audio uses this exact mechanism for their flagship CD transport. Gryphon Audio did the same with their flagship Ethos CD player. If you’re that apprehensive then get the unit from Music. Direct or Audio Advisers who offer trial periods and return policies. For what it is worth I recently acquired the RS2 transport and to the point, it’s stunningly good sounding!!! My impression probably will not impact your position in any manner. The retailers offering an audition trial is your best anxiety avoidance option. To the owners of this transport who took the time to provide their perspectives, thanks, you all absolutely nailed it! Charles
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This thread has really tempted me to buy the Pro-Ject Transport. But a very similar thing has happened to me in the past and this feels like a deja vu, and I am confused. There was a mid-fi product that was greatly oversold by a reputed forum member in this forum, there were lots of people who bought it and aha-ed and oho-ed this product, claiming it to be as good as SET amp etc (it was a Class D product). And I was in the market for a new amp and went for it, and it was a great disappointment. I don't know if these guys were deaf, were paid off by the brand, or didn't know what high-end sound was (or were in denial), or what were they smoking?. I sold it at a loss of course. IMO it was not subjective, anyone with some discernment would have called BS on this amp. Now this is a similar situation, a CDT produced by a "mid-fi" brand that is reputed to be a world champion. I am just about the pull the trigger again. But this time I am thinking twice, three times and more. Only thing slightly different is that, this time it is a reputed reviewer not some random forum member who might have lot of posts and lot of miles on them but very questionable tastes, but is that better or worse. I don't know. Thoughts? Anyone have faced similar quandary in the past, or facing it now. Would love to hear. |
I inserted the new Project high end CD transport in place of Jay Audio's latest high end transport in my exercise room audio system. I went out of town and returned 30 hours later - it had played continuously. Both are excellent transports. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the Jay a 9 and the Project a 9.5. As Terry previously said, the Project has more air and, IMO, a bit better soundstage. The Project is much smaller though very dense feeling and is for sure nothing to look at. I bought an open box Project transport from Music Direct. Still it was about 500 dollars more than the Jay Audio transport. Again, both transports are really, really good. But in my system, the Project is discernably better. |
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In regard to the discussion of noise issues with the Pro-Ject, my experience has been that it is dead silent. This is both in terms of the mechanism (eg, with some other players I could hear the disc spinning if I got close to the player) and the output (with the volume up on my amp and the Pro-Ject turned on, my speakers are dead silent even when very close to them). The latter is mostly the amp, I know. Anyway, not really data, but an anecdotal report from a happy owner. |
@musichead, My first generation P.S.Audio PWT has been rock solid reliable with 9 years of heavy usage. Sonically I preferred it to an early generation Esoteric transport with VRDS I was using (Also very reliable and still working!). I suspect the current now called PST (Can play SACD via I2S connectivity) sounds excellent. The recent October price reduction puts in the range of the Pro-Ject RS2. The Jay's Audio MK III is less expensive than these two. I believe that any of these 3 transports is a clear step upward from the Cambridge (For a higher cost). I have no doubt that all 3 are upper tier solutions for spinning CDs compared to lower budget alternatives. If I replace my older PWT I suspect that any of the 3 transports would be an upgrade. By how much? That remains to be seen. My gut feeling is that the Pro-Ject is very probably the best sounding. I based this on comments and feedback from those who are familiar to some extent with all of them. There have been enough posters on this thread who've compared the Jay's Audio and Pro-Ject and find the latter better sounding. If/when I make a move to get another CD transport it will be the Pro-Ject RS2. There have been a number of RS2 owners posting here and noise has not been raised as an issue. So perhaps an isolated problem with only a few units. Charles |
The Project is on my radar as well as the PS Audio transport. Some Project users have complained about having a noisy unit which concerns me. The PS Audio seems more complicated, more ways to break down? It has an innovation that removes the noise from the signal that sounds intriguing. The Jays is out there as well but I can't seem to find 100% clarity thats its significantly better than my CXC and if there is a large gap compared to the Project or PS Audio. With the $$ involved with these units I would expect them to last a long time. |
Hi Terry, I've used the PWT very happily the past 9 years (Haven't used their DAC) and it's been very natural sounding and musically engaging. But that's just me and individuals will differ in their experiences and opinion, so definitely no problem. I really appreciate your feedback comments. The Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 has most certainly caught my attention thanks to you initiating this thread 👍. Charles |
Hey Charles, I have never been a fan of P.S. Audio gear for two reasons: 1) There build quality. 2) Underwhelming performance-Both the DACs and transport. I have talked to two individuals that I trust their "ears" and both thought the Pro-Ject transport was superior in it's performance compared to the latest version of the P.S. Audio PWT transport. |
"That little Project clamp sure looks like it could use a bigger brother." It's my understanding that the small size of the clamping disc, chosen alloy metal and weight were well thought out and very specific to compliment the actual CD spinning mechanism and isolation suspension. So in this instance a larger clamping disc may not be advantageous. Certainly one could experiment with a larger disc and report their findings. Charles |
Two questions, First, Anybody hooking up the Project to a PS Audio Directstream with I2S? Is it a good match? (My Jays CDT2 MK2 always had a small glitch). Second: Speaking of the Jays, is it possible to use the aftermarket Qstab disk stabalizer on the Project unit? That little Project clamp sure looks like it could use a bigger brother. Thank you, Tim |
musichead, I've had mine for several months and have had noises with noise. Very happy. I was using optical and switched to AES/EBU and am pleased with the improvement. There's a short discussion above about AES/EBU cable options. Alas, I can't use the I2S in my system griggy, re red/green, I've noticed that too. I switched from white background to black and was wondering if that was the reason. I'll start trying to track it. |
@musichead , I was worried/curious about this also, and among other reasons, is why I purchased from a retailer with a trial period. Good news is no noise issues at all. During the first 20 or so CDs played through the unit there were a few with slight repetitive ‘tick’ like a fast clock but it hasn’t happened again now after a month or so. Maybe just the mechanism breaking-in, like some motorized mechanisms do… Question for other owners: Does the triangle shaped “reading” symbol ever show up green? And same, does the no disk “X” icon ever show as green?? These two screen icons are usually red in color, but periodically they show as green. Why? BUT it seems like ever since I switched to a different aes/ebu digital cable they are now always red; I haven’t seen these icons show up as green since the new cable. That’s probably a coincidence and maybe it has to do with powering down or something. Has anyone else seen this? |
Here's the link: https://audioenvy.com/product/home-car-pro-interconnects/digital-coax-3ft/ All the best, Nonoise |
