Jay's Audio CDT2-MK2
@teajay Yeah, it's really great. This thing is built to last. Very impressed with it. It's odd that there is no instruction manual but honestly I think I know how to use a CD player at this point in my life. It's fun to spin redbook again! Hey, I seem to recall someone wrote about a source where they sell the mechanism that's in this unit for not very much money. I thought I might like to buy one as a spare while they are still available, but I can't find the post that mentioned this. Any idea where to find this? Thanks! |
I am also milking the last life out of a Wadia 8 transport and have had my eye on the Jays transport. Great to see that it is offered in black or as you say very black which is fine as it will be going behind some wire mesh doors, after you get it settled in would love to hear what dac you are using with it, which cable you are using to link them and your impressions of it after the newness wears off. Enjoy the music. |
A quick search turned up this unit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/One-PHILIPS-CDM4-4-19-laser-head-NEW-OLD-STOCK/123719550892?hash=item1cce4287ac:g:UmEAAOSwsTxXkhS4 and this: https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=philips+cdm4 You may have to do a little more digging to find others out there. All the best, Nonoise |
@snackeyp , thanks for the impression! Glad that you like it. Yeah, we thought it’s pretty intuitive to use, hence omit the instruction manual. Some photos of the very limited Black CDT2-MK2 https://www.jays-audio.com/post/cdt2-mk2-in-black-limited-ed Thanks @nonoise . CDT2-MK2 uses CDM4/19, you nailed it :) Hope it helps! Best, Alvin @ Vinshine Audio |
@ snackeyp, thanks for sharing your experience with the CDT2-MK2 .. been curious about this transport. I hope I'm adding to this thread but I'm wondering will a CD player such as the Jay's audio CDP-2 ($1k more) always be better than a transport connected to an external DAC? At least from this brand? @alvin1118, as an example, would a Ddenefrips DAC connected to a CDT2-MK2 sound better than Jay's CDP-2? or @ snackeyp would the CDP-2 sound better into your analog inputs of your Lyngdorf instead of the CDT2-MK2 to your AES/EBU? I may be asking for an answer that may only be obtained through trial and error. |
@hrabieh In my experience the separate transport and DAC set up has always sounded better, but I'm sure there are no absolutes here. I have no experience with Jay's CDP-2 but I can imagine if it's built to the same standards as their transports it's probably a pretty good player. Plenty of high end CD Players include a DAC. A good transport is a better option for folks who have a specific DAC they want to use for their digital system. I also have a music server that runs through my DAC, so I wanted to run my transport through the same DAC. If you have multiple digital sources you want to run through the same DAC it's usually cheaper to buy a stand alone transport. If you do buy a CD player that has its own DAC, I recommend choosing one that has digital outputs so that you can bypass their DAC if you find another one you like better. Some CD players also have digital inputs to allow you to run other source components through the onboard DAC of the player. This is a nice feature when the player has a state of the art DAC built in. It allows you to run all your digital through one input on your amplifier for one. Another thing to mention is I have had bad experiences with CD player mechanisms failing over time. The Jay's transport is very well built, so my hope is that it will last longer than some other players I've had (not low end ones btw) that did nothing but disappoint. |
For now all I can say is it was worth every penny spent. my hope is that it will last longer than some other players I’ve had snackeypAnd to protect your new purchase, I suggest you get a new genuine Philips CDM-4 laser to store away for it, as they are getting very rare to find new and genuine. Here are two new genuine that are listed, whole mech/laser and the other just laser. https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Genuine-NEW-Philips-CDM-4-CDM4-laser-lens-with-Mechanism/172263656780?epid=20021718453&hash=item281bb6cd4c:g:vxkAAOSwcEtZi9Vk https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Genuine-NEW-Philips-CDM-4-CDM4-laser-lens/172814662088?hash=item283c8e79c8:g:sG8AAOSwrhBZAuwM Cheers George |
Hi Guys I have owned many cd transports and dacs . The best I have heard so far is the Jays Transport with Mojo Audio R2R Ladder Dac with Black Cat Digit 75 digital cable. my next purchase will be a Denafrips Terminator along with Black Cat Tron Jays Transport deserves the best. Its like listening to the best analog system with the dynamics of cds. |
@georgehifi I purchased a CDM-4 unit from one of the ebay links you sent. Thanks for providing this info. The unit arrived this week and I just have a question. Is the Jay's Audio unit a modified version of the Philips mechanism? The one I received looks a bit different from the one in the CD transport. I'm wondering if Jay's uses the guts of the Philips mech and has some of their own original parts as well? I know the clamp is not included in the Philips mech but I'm wondering what else is modified? My question is partially meant to make sure I got the right thing, since I will likely not need to use it for a very long time, if ever, and I'm also just curious how Jay's constructed this great transport. Thanks for any insight you might have. |
Is the Jay’s Audio unit a modified version of the Philips mechanism? I doubt very much if there’s any laser modding going on, maybe someones fibbing on what’s inside. I went with what nonoise said in the 5th post that it was a Philips CDM4 Same as in this ad pic no 9 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Jays-Audio-CDT-2-MK2-Audiophile-CD-Transport-Player-Hi-Fi-Philips-CDM4-Movement-/262906620499 Take some pics of both and post them up free at https://imgbb.com/ and post the links here to them so we can have a look, at any differences. Cheers George |
I can understand preferring a color for your equipment. I tend to prefer black myself, though I also like silver. But to insinuate that the color black itself is somehow problematic (which is what you're doing when you say "the color (black) of the unit has nothing to do with its sound quality", and then go on to praise the sound quality) is problematic. |
I have no idea why this is even being discussed. My note about the color is simply related to aesthetics. I do not believe the finish on the hardware does anything to change the sound quality of the equipment in question. I prefer black because the rest of my gear is black. I like the look of silver components. I just prefer all of my gear to match. |
