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If the DAC is the same, how different do CD transports sound?

One interesting topic of discussion here is how audible the differences are between CD players when they are used as transports only — or when they are only transports to begin with.

In other words, in a comparison which keeps the DAC the same, how much difference can be heard between CD transports?

This recent video by Harley Lovegrove of Pearl Acoustics provides one test of this question. It may not be the ultimate test, but he does describe the experimental conditions and informations about the qualifications of the listeners.

He comes to the main conclusion here: https://youtu.be/TAOLGsS27R0?t=1079

The whole video is worth watching, I think.

hilde45

Showing 1 response by mistercrash

mistercrash
20 posts
 

When I compared my Sony HAP-Z1ES streamer to my MBL 1621A transport, I could not distinguish a difference when they were running through the same DAC, an MBL 1611F. The rest of the chain was an MBL 6010D pre-amp, MBL 9007 monoblock amps, and MBL 111E speakers. I played the same song through both simultaneously and switched back and forth between them. They sounded identical to me. 

I sent the output to my headphone amp as well and kept playing music and switching between sources on the fly. Again, I wasn't able to detect a difference.

This was my experience: others may have different experiences. But in my system, my $2,000 streamer equaled my $20,000 transport.

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