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CD Transport VS Streamer

I recently purchased, and returned an Audiolab CDT 6000, because compared to my Bluesound Node 2i, the highs were rolled off and the bass wasn’t as strong.  Im comparing 16/44 tracks to a cd.  I figured it was just the Audiolab CDT 6000 so I returned it and bought a Cambridge CXC instead.  Well, it appears that the CXC is doing the same.  
To clarify, I am using the same dac and the same digital coaxial cable.  I am actually unplugging the digital cord from one device and then plugging it into the other.

The high hats and cymbals seem pretty set back and harder to define on the transports vs the bluesound.  The bass isn’t quite as full on the transport either.

I don’t think I would have ever thought that the CDT or the CXC sounded inferior until I switched back to the bluesound and noticed a difference.  The bluesound really puts forth these high frequencies and allows me to really hear high hats and cymbals as well as putting a pleasant sheen on vocals.  The bass is slightly fuller on the bluesound as well.  The sound through the CDT and the CXC is slightly dull.

This is a bit disheartening because I figured that a $600 transport playing hard copies of an album should match if not surpass a $500 streamer / dac playing files from wifi.

Has anyone else experienced this?  Im to the point where I’m questioning if the transport needs to be burned in or if It is possible that streamed files (cd quality, not high res) just actually sound better than cd’s.

My only reason for buying a transport and buying cd’s is because I don’t want to be reliant on an internet connection or my phone, in order to listen to music.  If my internet goes down while in a listening session or if I ever lost my phone for an evening, I’d have no music.  But, and this is a big BUT, I don’t want to spend $600 on a transport and hundreds on CD’s in order to end up with something that sounds inferior to a $500 streamer streaming music.

Any shared experiences with this will be helpful so Thank You ahead of time!

-Bruce

b_limo

Showing 5 responses by georgehifi

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
No ideas left, except maybe it’s a faulty CXC. As I found the opposite to what you hear between A/Bing streaming and a cd transport.

A real guru on digital hooking up was a guy named Joko Homo a telecommunications genius, who is also an audio nuter, a real pita with attitude that had him banned from many forums including diyAudio. He said bad "jitter" introduced from spdif outputs and/or inputs, and cable impedance, type of connection also the length linking the two, it’s important to get the impedances right of all three or you get digital reflections that cause the "jitter" and manifests itself in sound by softening and rolling off the highs.

Cheers George

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
The transport / cd should def sound better than the bluesound so I don’t know whats going on here.  The highs on the cxc (and the cdt) are rolled off in comparison to the bluesound.
Rolling off the highs??? this is strange Bruce, maybe it's the Spdif rca input on your dac or the CXC.
Why don't you give the Toslink Optical a try from the CXC to the Dac.

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
@georgehifi, so what I’m hearing you say is the cxc is a better transport?
Just from what I mentioned you get for your $, but then I have not A/B them.
I was thinking about the digital coax cable as well.
Any buddies have a good CD player/transport you can listen to on your system? As I said the CXC is a great "budget" transport, as with haggling you can get it in AU for $490aud that's $350USD

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
 Do you think this cxc just needs to burn in
Quality of the digital link cable maybe.

George, I was comparing the innards of the CDT to the CXC
Audiolabs insides, just a slot load "DVD rom drive" and no special servo's like the CXC says it's got.  
https://www.novusaudio.nl/files/merken/audiolab/audiolab-6000cdt/audiolab-6000-cdt-binnekant.jpg

Cambridge CXC insides dedicated CD drive, and Cambridge's "special" servo?
https://jam-media.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Cambridge-Audio-CXC-3.jpg

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 


Sorry, different for us , when we've spent the day comparing.
Highs always sounded a little etched/forward from owners that brought equipment to my place.
We compared on my ESL's with either streaming the same version if we can find the same least compressed versions, or copying the same version of my CD on theirs and put it up against my CD transport using my MSB discrete R2R as the dac, using the same CD.
My collection are the least compressed usually earliest versions, not re-masters or re-issues or latest versions. 
http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=supertramp&album=Free+As+A+Bird

BTW the Cambridge CXC is very good for the money mine cost $490aud new, but it's still a budget transport. And as for the CDT6000, just compare the innards against the CXC
My old Arcam Delta 250 transport is better than the CXC. And Wadia WT2000 even better again.

Cheers George
 
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