@chayro I have to believe that the TL5 with an Audio Note Dac 2.1 Signature is an amazing sounding digital rig!
I think overall the Naim does a pretty good job. It's dynamic, full sounding with great soundstagning. But it still sounds digital to me in the way that it can sound hard, and somewhat 2- dimensional at times.
My vinyl rig sounds 3-dimensional, there's flesh on the bones, a palpable weight to the music. It just sounds more like real live musicians playing real instruments in a real space.
My Naim gear was supposedly really great back in the day. At the price point, it sure had better been, lol. But it never once came close to my vinyl rig.
Decades have come and gone and I'm hoping that digital has come a long way. I'm skeptical at spending insane amounts of money at it right now. So I'm dipping my toes back in the water vs just diving in head first again.
I'm starting out with the new LTA Aero Dac and I'm willing to spend around $2500 to around $5000 for a dedicated cd transport ( hopefully closer to the lower end if possible though ). It's my hope that this will give me a digital rig that will be satisfying to me. Fingers are crossed.
Thank you again for your post!
Best wishes,
Don
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Audiophile 40 yrs....The CEC TL-5 with the LAIV HARMONY DAC cannot be duplicated for under 20K...Period!
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@no_regrets - yes, I think the CEC sounds better than the Oppo as a transport.
I have a principal residence in Texas, so having somebody local to me is good.
I really can't help you decide between the two decks. For a long time, I wasn't a digital guy. LPs sounded better. But I learned from archivists how effectively they were able to restore old, lost recordings. And, there are things that are only available on CD or crazy money on LP. So, I added digital to my main system very late in the game. I do have a more modest vintage system that is tied into my home theatre- so I can play SACDs there, but still, I'm basically a vinyl guy. I can't tell you much more. I think you need somebody who has had the CEC and Jay's to give you the answer you are looking for.
I tend to buy gear long term, and don't swap out for the next "greatest" thing. Having gear that is enduring and can get fixed easily is key. In the many years I've done this as a hobbyist, I guess I've been lucky-- I have had issues over the years, but nothing that could not be solved quickly and easily. Best of luck in making your choice,
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Hi @no_regrets ,
If you want really low budget transport and very high value for money you can go for SHANLING ET3 or SMSL PL200.
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@no_regrets - I’m using the TL5 with an Audio Note Dac 2.1 Signature. I can’t say whether it outperforms the Naim because it was too long ago. But given that the Naim was 11k back in 2007, I have my doubts. You’ll find out soon enough.
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@oddiofyl Thank you for sharing your comments! The Teac is a great machine by many accounts and I hope it gives you many years of great and reliable service. I think I am personally leaning more towards a top loading machine myself.
Best wishes,
Don
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@chayro Thank you for your reply! Yes, the CDT3 is a heavy beast at 50lbs. However, the CDT2 only comes in at 33 lbs, still heavy, but more manageable.
I'm happy to hear that you've been enjoying your CEC! Which dac are you using with it? Does you new combination of the CEC/Dac outperform the Naim you had?
What kind of differences do you notice, if you don't mind sharing with me?
Thanks and again and best wishes to you!
Don
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@rsf507
@larsman
@oddiofyl
Thank you to all of you for your posts! I agree with you. I have read from many that as good as streaming can sound, even with a very expensive streamer, a top notch cd transport and dac will outperform the streamer sound wise. Hard to beat the streamer for convenience though I would guess.
My goal is to optimize my CD playback first (within my limited budget) and then at some point maybe add a quality streamer for more or less background music at some point into the future.
Best wishes,
Don
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@whart Thank you for your reply! I've been a vinyl guy for 50 years and love my analog rig and all my minty lp's. However, I am noticing there is some great music that I am missing out on that I can't get on vinyl, hence the reason I am trying to step up the digital side of my system. Vinyl will still be my primary source though.
Do you think the CEC made gave you a big uptick in sound quality over the Oppo?
I agree, having service is huge! The Jay's has a service center in Texas and it's nice to know CEC can be serviced in the US as well.
Thank you and best wishes,
Don
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I own the CEC TL5 and I am very pleased with it, but I have never compared it to any of the others. I made my decision based on the fact that it is a proven design with US service and not so big and heavy. The Jays Cd3 is 50 pounds. Not for me. Just as an aside, I looked at your system and you will have a tough time beating that CDS2/XPS. I had the CDX2/XPS2 and it was a great player. The CEC TL2 looks like a great player if you want to go the 6k. You can add some type of external clock, which is supposed to improve it further. Bought mine from Atleleir 13 and I felt the service was very good.
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There are only a handful of good transports available today. Hopefully any of the above mentioned will be reliable, but none are really positioned to provide global support easily and cost effectively so you have to just go with your gut on this one.
I went with the Teac because it has the VRDS drive and hopefully it proves to be reliable. And I could see the product line in person. Fingers crossed its reliable.... it's serial # 00001. What could go wrong ?
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@no_regrets I'm a lousy test case- I used an Oppo briefly as a transport and my CD listening is probably 5% of what I hear- I usually only fire up a CD of something that is impossible to get on LP or is crazy expensive and use it as a basis to decide whether to spend on the LP.
You are smart to ask questions of owners, though. Audio Union, the US distributor, has been solid. Fast turnaround, I replaced a belt, simply b/c I hadn't used the thing in a while. It was shipped fast.
Ask me about private label jazz on LP and I could probably ramble on. But, here, that's all I got for you. Good luck. I know people respect Esoteric, high end TEAC, but my question is service. Is that an issue or time consuming? I think it is important to have somebody knowledgeable on the ground where you are located. That's been my experience with a lot of gear.
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I've heard it myself that CDs can sound much better than streaming. It was via a Bricasti transport unfortunately not in my price range. But is was special.
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Agree. My Aurender N200 sounds great but not as good as CDs when comparing the two with 44.1k material.
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Audiotroy most of the time I agree with you. But with a good transport and a good DAC And a nice xrcd ? You can’t just beat this easy.
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@digital3 Thank you for letting me know that TMR has a nice one for sale. As nice as that does look, I think I will be buying new as I’d like a warranty.
@audiotroy Thank you for your post. That is a good idea, and I may consider a very nice streamer at some point in the future; but at this moment I just want a very nice transport.
@whart Thank you for your post!!!
I was hoping to hear from actual users of the CEC transports. I too am a vinyl guy. I’m thinking digital will only comprise 80% of my listening as I truly love listening to my minty vinyl collection 😉
Did you have a chance to compare the CEC with any other transports?
Which transport did you replace?
Was there a significant improvement in sound?
Thank you and best wishes to you all!
Don
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I have the CEC TL 5. It needed something shortly after I got it and Audio Union here in the States serviced and returned it to me in a week. The remote is a cheesy plastic job, but you can buy a heavy aluminum one that is more appropriate. Have not compared it to the Jay's--. I'm more of an LP guy who uses the CD transport as necessary. No complaints, solid unit in my estimation.
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why don’t you consider a server? you can burn your cds and get streaming as well
and a really good server can outperform a cd transport
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TMR AUDIO HAS A MINT CEC TL-5 ON WEB SITE.
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