Considering the Pro-ject Box CD RS2 Transport ? You might want to read this, first.

FYI: the unit I returned is now available at TMR at an "open box price, for anyone looking for a deal on this transport. 

@charles1dad:

I misunderstood; I thought you'd bought Pro-ject's own LPS.

From your description, the Fidelizer sounds like a great unit! 

Has anyone tried the Nuprime CDT-8, 9, or 10 transports?

@stuartk ,

The LPS I chose is the Fidelizer Nikola 2 (Formerly known as the Nickola Signature). I know a very reliable and trusted Audiogon member who has heard the LTA LPS and the Nickola 2 with the Pro-Ject RS2 Transport.  He said the LTA is in fact very good with more of an emphasis on detail and transparency. The Nickola is more toward an organic richer tone/timbre sound. The latter suits my preferences. Just depends on what a listener is after. Pro-Ject transport and my other components do a very commendable balancing act between resolution and organic sonic character. 

Charles

@taww:

We shall await your impressions with interest....

Charles:

I was really hoping to try the Bryston, which I suspect would better the Sim at retrieving data from the disc.  

However, I've just bought a Hegel H390, which should, in a different way, produce

a more articulate presentation from the system.

This also means I can't afford a Bryston.  I could afford the Schiit, if it ever steps out of the land of unicorns and into physical reality.   

Why did you go with the Pro-ject PS rather than the Linear Tube Audio unit? I'm curious. 

@stuartk ,

I haven’t heard the SimAudio 260CDT but I do know that it’s well regarded, you could easily do worse in terms of the sound quality. No doubt that it’s a very solid reference point for comparison with competing CD transports. Could very well go toe to toe with the yet to be released Urd transport.

I’ve placed an order for a linear power supply for my Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2, so stage 2 (Stage 1 being the stock wall wart power supply) is coming soon😊

Charles

I wish!  

I'll just have to wait (along with everyone else) for an announcement from Schiit (hopefully within 3 or 4 months) regarding availability.

I thought it was supposed to be out this year but it's not looking like that's gonna happen, at this point. 

I'm OK with this, though, Charles.

It's not like I have any major complaints about my Sim. 

Is the Urd available currently?

Thanks, Charles. Looks like it will probably be the Urd, at this point. . . 

@stuartk ,

Understood,  we must adhere to our individual conscious. Good luck with whatever you decide to acquire. 

Charles 

Hi Charles;

Yes-- I know about its reputation, thanks. 

While I don't begrudge the Chinese people having access to the global economy, my strong aversion to their government's policies, at home and abroad, is a stumbling block I'm simply unable to circumvent at present. I realize this may be viewed by some as irrational but that's where I'm at. 

Best,

Stuart 

@stuartk,

Have you given consideration to getting the Jay's Audio CDT2 MK 3 ? It is highly praised and very well regarded. Also dimensions are traditional sized so ergonomics should be a non factor. 

Charles 

@deralte:

"I cannot agree about the complaints about the size and the weight"

It's entirely subjective, as I've said all along and as such, is not something to be debated. 

I thought I'd try the Bryston BCD-3 as an alternative (yes, I'm well aware that it doesn't utilize the same Steam Unlimited mechanism as the RS2) but was told by Audio Advisor that Bryston is unable to provide eta's for any components, due to severe supply chain issues!  I hope the company can survive. 

Guess that leaves the Urd. . . hopefuly,  waiting for the Urd won't turn out to be akin to "Waiting for Godot". 

@stuartk ,

No problem, 👍

Charles 

"

             Source

I finally decided to keep the CD RS2 and accept the strange SHUFFLE behaviour. Sound quality is superb and might even get better in the future when I own a DAC with I²S. I cannot agree about the complaints about the size and the weight.

Fascinated to try the RS2 now… I had heard the performance was pretty special. I’m currently evaluating the PS Audio PerfectWave SACD (Marantz SACD M-3 transport) and will have a review out in the coming weeks. I have a Cambridge CXC v2 on hand as a baseline reference. Obviously not a fair comparison but the RS2 certainly would be. The I2S link to my DirectStream DAC is an obvious advantage for the PWT transport and it does indeed sound better than SPDIF and AES-EBU, but it’s relatively subtle, at least with a generic HDMI cable (better one on the way).

@charles1dad:

Sorry for the confusion-- I only meant to say that because resolution is not my highest priority, returning the Pro-ject was not as big a deal as it might be for others. I wasn't making any negative judgments about the Pro-ject itself. 

I was, however, complaining about the prevalence of speakers that (unlike the Prop-ject) end up with fatiguing highs (fatiguing for someone like me who is very sensitive to any harshness that region) because the designer(s) apparently choose to prioritize resolution above all else.  

Hope this makes at least a little more sense. . . 

@stuartk, 

Former trumpet player here 😊.  I'm with you in that I have an aversion to a clinical/dry/analytical sonic character.  I believe that good resolution can be accomplished in a natural and musical manner.  I find the Pro-Ject quite organic yet also  able to resolve and be informative. Did you not find it natural and engaging? Over the few weeks I've had it,  this quality has steadily increased. Anyway I definitely appreciate your perspectives. 

Charles 

BTW, I'm a half-decent guitar player, so it's not like I'm totally uncoordinated when it comes to manipulating my digits. The Sim transport poses no issues for me.

Also, resolution has never been my topmost priority when it comes to audio, so this factors into my decision process as well.

In fact, I've been looking for speakers and over and over again I encounter reviewers' comments about forward/hot/tipped-up treble. Seems this is the current fashion, like 1 3/4" nuts on acoustics. 

@richdirector:

Thanks for your suggestion. I still found it too small. Just not for me. 

@richfirector,

👍

@charles1dad 

I am not doing this to mine - it was addressing the issue @stuartk had 

@richdirector ,

The optical and drive assembly are actually well isolated and address vibration/resonance impressively (A main reason why it sounds so good). I recognize that some are bothered by the small size and light weight.  

This decision of Pro-Ject to go shoebox small form dimensions is probably more comfortably accepted in Europe more so than USA (My guess). No problem for me but we're all different and I appreciate that.  it earns a sound quality grade of an "A" which is most pertinent for me😊

Charles 

I don’t have any issues with mine... I use the rs 4 way power supply to this and my rs2 dac. I also use the remote more than front buttons. One suggestion (might affect resale) would be to open case and line the inside spaces not blocking vents with sound deadening material  like dynamat... This would make case heavier and improve SQ even more. I did this with an arcam cds50 before and also left a heavy photography book on top.....

Extreme I know....

Can totally relate to why you were turned off.  I love my RME DAC, it sounds incredible but it is 1u , half rack width ....it’s tiny and it’s ergonomics leave a lot to be desired.   Same deal, you have to hold it with one hand to use it from the front panel.  Thank god the remote does everything I need.   

@david_ten ,

Thanks for the review link. I’m curious as to how many other manufacturers will eventually utilize the CD PRO-8 drive mechanism /Blue Tiger servo card. Quite an achievement for the Stream Unlimited engineers, bravo.

Charles

Yes, read that this morning and it had me salivating until I came to my senses concerning the price. I still want it though.

All the best,
Nonoise

Christiaan Punter's / HiFi-Advice Review is online:

Aqua La Diva M2 Review

Maybe the typos above are evidence that I am in fact less manually dexterous than most! ;o) 

@nonnoise: I'd buy the Aqua in a heartbeat if I could afford it!  

@charlesidad: I'm sorry for misunderstanding your intent. 

@gdprenkidz: I'd agree that it would be very difficult to find something better in terms of SQ.

@audio-union: How do you know when to replace the belts and how often is that required? 

@papadog, nonnoise, pedroeb:  I'd tried Oreas about a year ago under all my  components and to my ears their performance was insignificant compared to the Symposium footers. I'll grant that it's possible they could behave differently with the RS2. I still don't like the size of the Pro-ject, though.  

@happyship: I'll await their arrival with interest.

RE: "audiophile Geisha", what I meant to convey was that the delicacy required to handle/operate the Pro-ject would come naturally to a Geisha. 

Perhaps I'm particularly ham-handed but I have zero ergonomic issues operating the Simaudio transport. 

IMHO that's not a big deal. 

Indeed, the "repeat" sign does not appear when you choose 'shuffle', only the shuffle sign. alltough when choosing shuffle, repeat is troggled on automatically without the repeat warning on the display, and cannot be turned off.

Shuffle wouldn't be doing something crazy like automatically turning repeat on, so you need to physically turn it off?

There are new CD transports coming from Schitt and denafrips.

My guess is an "audiophile geisha" is an audiophile who's gentle and of diminutive stature.

Perhaps anyone who's not butch, awkward or clumsy.
 

all other cd players I had stopped after reading all the tracks in shuffle/random mode. And switch itself off if you forgot it; compulsary in the EU!

@deralte why is this an issue?

exactly: shuffles all the tracks and keeps on playing for ever and ever. 

Curious, what exactly is a "audiophile geisha"?

Are you saying it shuffles all the tracks and once all tracks have been played it keeps on shuffling them as if repeat had also been selected?

Perhaps not conventional, but I could live with that.
 

I bought the Rs2 T a week ago. There is another issue not mentioned here: the shuffle function does not work as it should. Instead of reading all the tracks just once in random mode, it continues playing them for hours, days, weeks. It just never stops!  I contacted the seller about this issue but no answer until now. The design of the lid and the hinges makes me think of kitchen gear.I had a LEAK CDT for a while, and it had just the same problem with shuffle play. 

Terry London at Stereo Times found it can be improved with a better power supply. His suggestions seem reasonable.

Sounds like a winner that just needs a bit of extra stability for improved usability since it already has its own internal isolation.

ISOAccoutics Orea could be solution if the suction is adequate.

Thank you for the review. My old Sony is starting to get flaky and I was looking at the Pro-Ject as a possible replacement. Now to find a replacement.

All the best.

JD

@dynamiclinearity 

"I agree it’s poor design. But a good solution is a heavy weight such as the old VPI brick which will also reduce cabinet induced microphonics"

Just curious, have you listened to this transport? One point of agreement by posters on this thread is the "excellent " sound quality. What induced cabinet microphonics? The chassis is solid aluminum and properly damped. A VPI brick would very likely over damp and be counter productive. I believe this would diminished the fabulous transparency it provides.

Charles

I agree it's poor design. But a good solution is a heavy weight such as the old VPI brick which will also reduce cabinet induced microphonics.

The top and bottom of the Oreas act like suction cups to whatever they sit on and hold above. I found that out trying them in various places on my gear and it was a PITA to unstick them with one hand while holding up over 40 lbs with the other so I can see them holding the Pro-Ject firmly in place (when affixing them to the bottom and avoiding the units feet). Some minor movement may result but it shouldn’t make it a deal killer as papadog pointed out.

Lots of things to consider.

All the best,
Nonoise

It seems like it might be hard to beat for the price.

Can the feet be replaced with something heavier to increase stability?

Maybe a heavy plate could be placed between the unit and the feet with longer screws.