Schiit URD CD Transport SOON?

I have two transports - an Atoll DR200 Signature and now the Schiit Urd.  I’ve used the Atoll transport the past few years, connecting to an Yggdrasil OG (now Yggy+ LIM), with a Jorma SPDIF cable.

I purchased the Urd as it is my understanding is that this is Mike Moffat’s attempt at creating an improved interface – the Unison USB which uses the USB Word clock to synchronize the flow of data from transport to DAC.

For the Urd I am using a Kimber Select Cu USB-C to USB-B cable.  I believe that people are going to find out that different USB cables sound different.  I would caution the use of adapters, as I believe they would degrade the sound.  I tried another USB cable that uses silver plated copper, but it sounded a bit lean to my liking.  And ,I did not want to wait through a long burn in period for it to open up.  The Kimber USB cable broke in quickly and is a very nice sounding, coherent, cable.

The Urd through USB sounds better than the Urd or Atoll SPDIF.  The soundstage is stable and natural sized.  Imaging is a bit more precise than the SPDIF connection.  Resolution, pitch, dynamics, PRAT, noise level and decay are all very, very good.  The sound is fluid and effortless.  I can’t find any real faults.  The Unison USB definitely sounds “more analog” than the SPDIF connection.

I also briefly listened to the Urd SPDIF using the Jorma cable.  Compared to the Atoll, the differences are less than the Unison USB.  I didn’t critically listen to compare the two, but noted the PRAT jumped out as a difference.  The Stream based Urd sounds a bit more relaxed than the somewhat more energetic Teac based Atoll.  With SPDIF, these two transports are closer in performance, and one might prefer one over the other.

The build quality on the Urd appears to be very good.  The functions on the Urd are very, very basic – Play, Stop, Eject, Forward and Reverse.  The remote works well.  I found the Urd to be somewhat quirky about having the function buttons pushed too quickly, and can lock up, causing the need to toggle the power switch.  Once I learned this behavior, I have been more deliberate, and no longer experience this problem

I believe the Urd represents a very good value for the performance level it achieves.   I’d highly recommend an audition to anyone considering a new transport. 

I now have about 120 hours on my URD.  No problems reading CD disks (or CDRs).  It did not sound too great right out of the box, but now is sounding really good.  I have so far been using the SPDIF coaxial output exclusively, feeding a Denefrips Pontus II 12th.

This transport needs between 100 and 150 hours of burn in before making any serious observations.  I have not noticed anything that sounds out of balance, or an emphasis in any particular aspect of the sound.  At this point I like what I am hearing.  This looks like a very solid transport, and I will eventually begin listening via the USB connection to see if there are further sonic gains.

The replacement unit that I received was DOA, the CD drawer would not open. Schiit sent a RA for the unit along with an email stating that "we are working our best on fixing the issues with the URD". Per their website they are now not shipping until October. Really a shame, waited 2 years for it.

Sorry to hear your unit was DOA.  Sort of strange since Schiit says they run units for a day before shipping.  I wonder if the few issues I have heard about are centered in the Stream Unlimited drive / electronics board, or the Schiit boards?  I have had no issues with my unit (now over 120 hours of play).

 

creativepart OP

123 posts

07-12-2023 at 11:37am

audphile1

There’s no planned release date. It was on display just for Schiits and giggles.

Any yet, now, it’s available for purchase a mere 18-days after your insightful comment.

That’s awesome! But I just don’t give a Schiit