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Help with choosing a CD transport

Hi Folks. I'd like your opinions on CD transports that are "Affordable" and or may be unusual choices. I have an Oppo 93 that I like a lot. When ithe 93 got sick for a while I picked up an Audiolab 6000 CDT. The Audiolab is a really nice unit once I got used to slot loading. Good sound and is heavy and apparently well built. I've run it constantly for weeks. My problem is the 93 sounds a little better. My system has some extra exuberance and the Audiolab exacerbates that. It' just a bigger relaxation factor with the 93. 
I wonder if there are some other blue ray players out there or CD players that also offer good performance as a CD transport. The 6000 was $550. In retrospect I could have gotten a pretty food CD player and used it as a transport all things being equal. Sony has some blue ray players with digital coax out for $100. Might be a sleeper.
I have considered the Cambridge transport but if you look at the on line reviews for Cambridge equipment they seem to have more than their share of reliability problems. I auditioned their stereo receiver and it was DOA. Had to get a replacement. 
Any ideas, opinions or suggestions. Thanks in advance. 
fredcdobbs
10 responses Add your response
soix
9,588 posts
 
Maybe consider adding something like a Wyred4Sound Reclocker to your current setup as it could help yield some improvement with any transport you use.

Another idea would be to ditch the transport altogether and go with something like an Innuos Zen server/streamer where you can load all your CDs right into it and have all your music at your fingertips.  You could also then explore the world of streaming and have a whole world of music to play.  Best of luck. 
facten
2,882 posts
 
You might find some help from responses on this other similar thread
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/advice-on-cd-transport
Ag insider logo xs@2x
tonykay
1,301 posts
 
Take a look at a pre-owned Oppo 105. They're available for around $1,000. 
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Get a JVC XV-N310 DVD player and use its digital output jack. They can be found on eBay for around $25! Excellent sound quality - it gets ALL the 0's and 1's to your DAC of choice . And has an excellent 24-bit ladder-type chip set built-in for playing CDs. I have one in use! Why spend more?
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
The JVC XV-N310 DVD player sounds astonishingly good playing CDs! Must be its internal 24-bit ladder-type chip set! Now if it only cost four-figures ...
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,407 posts
 
What about the Jays audio transport, it got great reviews?
jaybe
740 posts
 
You're not going to find anything that performs above average without spending at least $500, but more like $1000 is the threshhold for starting to get really good.
mooglie
101 posts
 
Something doesn’t sound right. That Audiolab should have lower jitter for the spdif than the Oppo 93. I have an Oppo 93 and used it as a transport for some time. It never sounded quite right to me, harshness in the highs, and after playing around with some  different transports found it was the culprit. So, I ended purchasing a dedicated transport.

Are you saying you prefer the Oppo 93 as a CD player (using the internal DAC) compared to the Audiolab transport to another DAC? Or, the Oppo 93 and the Audiolab are both being used as transports only,  and both are going to an external DAC?

What connection are you using? Spdif?  What kind of cable?

Perhaps you are hearing a higher resolution signal from the Audiolab and don’t prefer that sound?  You might trying a different spdif cable. They affect the overall sound pretty significantly.
fredcdobbs OP
128 posts
 
Thanks. I am comparing the 93 and the 6000 as transports only with Schiit Gugnier Multibit DAC. 
I have several Coax cables as I agree the difference can be significant. A now have a one meter length of Kimber D60, also a 30 and a Pangea cable selling for about $95. I expected nothing from the Pangea (Audio Advisor) and was well surprised because it added a lot of flushing out that was needed. Very good as are the two Kimbers. Just different flavors. These two inexpensive cables at around a hundred bucks sound better than two cables in the $350 range that I returned. Both were a bit blanched and lacked the fulness and heft of real music. 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Thanks. I am comparing the 93 and the 6000 as transports only with Schiit Gugnier Multibit DAC.
Get in touch with Schiit and beg when it's coming, rumors are they have one coming out.
You know Mike Moffat was the brains behind Theta Digital, so the Schiit one should be a beauty for Schiit money, with Mike doing the design.

Cheers George  
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