Schiit CD Transport on the way soon.

Any opinions on reliability and experience Cambridge customer service?

Yeah, I had one, it was good better than the other cheap UK slot loaded other one that some like here, even started a thread on it here for memory.
But an old Teac VRDS-7 that I gutted the dac out of, to make it a dedicated transport sounded much better. And on the scope had a far better squarer cleaner eye pattern. 


Cheers George

Given all the uncertainties of the Schiit player (will it appear? when? cost? reliability?) I've pretty much decided to buy the Cambridge CXC V-2. It's been around for ~5-6 years, has a good reputation for sound quality and I haven't found any online complaints about reliability.

Any opinions on reliability and experience Cambridge customer service?

@kacomess prego
 @georgehifi  I think it was the USB.  BTW, it is going to have USB-C out connector for USB.

I hope it’s a minimalist design like the 47 Laboratory Flatfish CD transport

 Don’t think so, they’ve already said something about it being able to give out a few different output configurations, that’s why the delay probably, as I think it was either the usb or hdmi a while back that was giving troubles with certain dacs.
I haven’t listen to it all but the post above yours of mine has more info in the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFt8u9stoKQ

Cheers George

I contacted them about 1 year ago about it and they said they're considering it. I'm glad they're more definitive. 

I hope it's a minimalist design like the 47 Laboratory Flatfish CD transport or a skeletal design along the lines of their SOL. And please offer black as well as silver.

More info on the Schiit transport, starts at the 27min 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFt8u9stoKQ

Cheers George

That Xj13 is a beauty. Thank goodness Jaguar had the presence of mind to resume building the rest of the D-types from the early fifties back in 2018: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/02/08/jaguar-resumes-production-iconic-d-type-racing-car-salon-retromobile/

And if you have any money left over from your audio purchases, you can always request one from their offices, stateside:https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1118322_jaguar-land-rover-building-classic-car-department-in-us

My dad used to work on cars as a side job and brought home a customers XK-120 for me to drive around the block. It was beautiful, but a clumsy car to drive. It could have been just the condition it was in.

All the best,
Nonoise

There's clearly stuff going on at Schitt with this second factory/center opening in Corpus Christi, and the Sol being put on indefinite hiatus.  I imagine they're also affected by the issues with parts supply.  People have been complaining about the wait time for units that are in current production, so it's not as if they have any slack to take up.

Thanks for your comments Nonoise and docknow. I'll search for an alternative. Further suggestions welcome!
Keith

It’s like Jaguar and their XK-E back in the days. Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car ever designed and they only fetch a fraction of what a used Ferrari would, due to so many being made compared to the relative scarcity of Ferraris.

XK-E one of the most beautiful car made https://ibb.co/CJkGn3j
Beaten only by the XJ13 https://ibb.co/WvhTBX4    https://ibb.co/B2dYsgx

From the most recent Schiit video on YouTube, I think they said there are beta test boxes that test the compatibility of Unison output with other non-Unison DACs going out to reviewers.  From my understanding these are not beta units of complete Schiit Transports.  My guess is those comes later, after they are sure they can make Unison output compatible with the rest of the USB inputs.

So the project is still moving forward, but don't hold your breath, yet ...

Well, that cheap CD sled in the TEAC PD-H600 made Product of the Year for Absolute Sound back with it's release. Philips laser sleds are rarer, harder to get and therefore more costly, so there's that. 

It's like Jaguar and their XK-E back in the days. Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car ever designed and they only fetch a fraction of what a used Ferrari would, due to so many being made compared to the relative scarcity of Ferraris. 

It's all a crap-shoot, really. Good luck.

All the best,
Nonoise

Good idea! Naive perhaps, but would some ultra-cheap CD "sled" equal the sound quality something more costly? I know this is a disputed topic (at least by manufacturers) and I admit to being swayed by clever advertising. I am open to opinions and/or suggestions!
Keith

👍
If it's just the CD sled you're worried about, you can find them online a lot easier and cheaper than any Philips unit. I saw some in England going for about $25.

All the best,
Nonoise

Nonoise,
It seems the TEAC PD-H600 has been discontinued with doesn't auger well for company support, if needed.

I fear the Schiit CD may have vanished into the ether as it's been rumored to exist for a long time but yet it never appears. Supposedly, it was in beta testing a few months ago so, if that's true, maybe there were problems.

Ambiguity by the company contributes to idle speculation like I'm engaging in at the moment.

Thanks for the TEAC PD-H600 suggestion, though!
Keith

I'll speak for myself but I think a lot of us are jonesing for the unison usb connection into our schiit dacs.

   I was going to recommend the TEAC PD-H600 but noticed it's going for over $900 used and when new, sold for $999.
   If you could source one of those from someone who doesn't know any better, you'll get a great, half width sized CDP that's built like a tank, with trickle down from Esoteric. 
 
All the best,
Nonoise

I bought a Marantz HD CD-1 as my backup transport/player. It's quite nice and ~ $500

And here is news as of yesterday (which I posted to another thread on this topic already):
As an update to this, my NAD transport died. I hope(d) to replace it with the long-rumored Schiit CD. So, I wrote to Schiit asking if:
1) The company is actually building this unit and,
2) Approximately when it would be released and,
3) Tom E. replied,

"Hello Keith,

Thank you for your interest. I apologize, however we are unable to discuss new products and/or upgrades/updates before release. I am sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

It's unclear to me why much more specific information was posted by Mike Moffat in April and now the company won't comment. I'm really not sure if Schiit has abandoned the CD idea or if it's had some development or performance issues. Any updates will be sincerely appreciated!

This is what they told me back in January:

We can't comment on future releases or release dates but will make an announcement as soon as we have something.

Great: Keep on them and send another email if they don't reply, I hanging to see what response you get.

Cheers George

My NAD CD unit expired just recently and I've been considering the Schiit player as its replacement. I wrote to the company asking for an estimated release date but I've had no reply as yet. If I get a response, I'll post it here.
Keith

See thread over on Steve Hoffman forums.

The two Schiit principals talked in an interview about major manufacturing difficulties.  Very likely the hiatus will become permanent.

@twoleftears 

Where did you hear that the Sol was discontinued? I’ve read that’s it’s “on hiatus” on account of parts availability. It’s still on the Schiit site as “out of stock”.

Long story short: currently in beta testing.

There it is! 48th min, and still coming 😵

The Schiit Sol has been discontinued.

Hope the same fate doesn't await the other kind of disc-spinner.

Any of you Yanks got any more info on the Schiit Urd progress, or anything else about it??

Cheers George

Yeah!!! I'm hanging for it too.

Cheers George

This audiofool is ready!

More info on the coming Schiit Urd CD transport posted 4 days ago by Mike Moffat..

Baldr (Mike Moffat Sponsor:) Schiit Audio
Please forgive me if any of this seems redundant or condescending. Prior art transports require physical media in the form of a CD and convert it to S/PDIF output, either TOS, coax, or both. The Urd converts the physical media data to S/PDIF coax and USB. In addition there is an additional USB input so that the client may choose between said USB input or the CD playing in the transport. Therefore the input sockets are the USB (Unison) and the equivalent of a socket, the data on the CD which is playing. The output sockets are S/PDIF (coax) and USB (Unison).

Now the Unison USB input we know works with every USB output that Schiit users have. Making the USB out work with all USB inputs we could find was by far and away the most time consuming of the development process of the Unison USB input. On the URD we also have a Unison USB output. This faces a similar design challenge in that we need to make the Unison USB output work with all USB inputs we can find.

To make this process move along faster, we have built a simple USB switch, with two switchable Unison USB C inputs and one Unison USB C output. The idea is we send these out to Beta evaluators before we send out Beta transports to verify that they may work with as large a sample of D/A converters as possible. It will do little good if the transports’ USB out do not function with untested D/A converters.

Once we are satisfied that we work with most/all of the D/A converters in the wild. We may begin to send Urd Beta units out in the field.

I hope the above may be useful.

Cheers George

Any update on Loki Max and Urd CD Transport?

Found this posted by Schiit owner Jason Stoddard two days ago. The "URD" he mentions is the name of the "new" Schiit transport with Unison USB board .

https://ibb.co/LhG4W5p
https://ibb.co/JmxJDjp

Cheers George

So, its been a while. Any sign of this Schitt transport?

Yeah I thought the same, so a couple of days ago asking when it’s going to be a become a reality. And got this back. Yes, No, who knows!!!
Cheers George

Hi George,
I’m sorry but strict employee confidentiality agreements prevent me from commenting or speculating on future products that might/might not be in development.
Best, Daniel

So, its been a while. Any sign of this Schitt transport? Anyone got one in beta test? Jay's has come out with their mark III board with oversampling, so the Schitt is getting more and more competition before they even release!

I can’t speak highly enough of Schiit. My Yggdrasil GS, Saga, and Loki are all tremendous values. No Fufu factor, just performance. When I look at so much of the high end these days, the value part of the equation just seems lost, as the companies chase the same folks that are making top end Burgundies such lousy values. As I look to replace my 45 year old Audio Research preamp, Audio Research and the like seem totally out of the picture. Thank goodness for Schiit (and companies like Rogue!).

Is it mentioned whether there will be a remote?

Have to, I don’t know of any even going back to the first CD that didn’t have one.
Maybe basic one though, Schiit’s not known for pandering to "glitz queens" with wow factor looks, led’s and read outs, they just concentrate on what sounds good. 

Cheers George

... though I'm sure the Hegel looks, feels and sounds stunning on its own. I hope schiit can conjure something special here, as they have with many other of their products.

I'm very impressed with their amplifier components and DAC, and have ordered a turntable from them, to arrive soon.
Is it mentioned whether there will be a remote?

I certainly hope it sounds better than the $5000 Hegel with its "agricultural sounding" disc tray and average AKM 4490 chip, especially since I’ll be plugging it into Schiit’s bifrost multibit.
I’m sure there’s a reason the Hegel costs 5 grand but I can’t be bothered to find it. $1200 seems awful fair to me now.

(Quotes from a review)

Hope it sounds as good as the new Hegel Mohican CD transport, which in an a/b  Darko prefers by a lot over the $3K Mytec Brooklyn Bridge streamer.
https://youtu.be/vgmzh77KMCU

Cheers George

It's designed manufactured by Schiit California, which is part owned by Mike Moffat, if he had anything to do with it, which is very likely. He was the brain trust behind everything good that came from Theta Digital back in the day they ruled the digital domain.

Cheers George  

Mentioned the price to be around $1200 in the video. Was hoping it would be under 1k... Guess that's a serious transport mech..
Should I buy Sol or transport first? I don't want the Sol to go away.. is it a permanent fixture of Schiit's lineup?

Anyone heard anything about the RRP for it yet? Hope they keep it under $1k

On another site it’s rumoured to have this transport laser/mech, if so looks like it could output SACD (dsd)
https://45db3c5b-5b34-44dd-959a-e407b22b10ae.filesusr.com/ugd/a83b4d_bd03da721f94481582667f1ab980f2c...

The SANYO SF-HD850 laser looks to be a top model for Sanyo lasers.

This CD player uses it https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/goldnote9/2/ in the article they said the same transport laser/mech is also used in the $20K DCS Rossini transport!!!!!!!!!

Stereophile: DCS Rossini
The front-loading CD mechanism is the Stream Unlimited JPL-2800 SilverStrike.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-rossini-player-rossini-clock

Also in this Bryston BCD-3
https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/cd-player-reviews/bryston-bcd-3-cd-player/

And someone said it also used in this Wadia CD S7i
https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/cd-player-reviews/wadia-s7i/

Cheers George

Schiit's having a great year.

Apparently a very good year, it goes to show Schiit make a great sounding products that are far cheaper than the more expensive stuff which has magnetic appeal to the "glitz queens" that love to put their equipment between the speakers to show it off and gaze at it, trouble is it screws up the imaging bad, anything between the speakers does.
 
And paying less for good sound quality, and not paying as much for the looks, is their sales criteria.
I'm all for it, as you listen with the ears and watch the imaging with your eyes, and if there's something in front of you "glitzing away madly", your not listen or watching the music's imaging 

Cheers George 

This is fantastic news! The gadget seems to be promising (or at least interesting) as well. Schiit's having a great year.

Knowing Schiit, you'll get the basics, even the looks, and the larger manufacturing percentage costs will be spent in making sound good. And that's ok with me.

Cheers George

I hope it has the features other CD drives or CD players have such as shuffle, program and feature mine has shuffle delete and also comes complete with remote control.