Silly Question...does a transport have a "sound" ?


I'm thinking of upgrading to a dedicated transport (like an Accustic Arts Drive I, AM Mephesto II.X or even a ML 37) from the Sony DVP-9000es I'm using now. I'm locked in on my dac (Kora Heremes II), which I love.

My question is, do transports from different manufacturers have significantly audible "sonic signitures" that I should consider when deciding what to mate to the Kora? (e.g., hifi-ish/fast/cold/analytic vs. analog-like/polite/bloomy/warm).

To go even further down this slippery slope, are there discerable differences between, say, a Teac VRDS 3.2 mechanism and a Phillips CDM Pro2 or a C.E.C. belt drive?

I've read a lot of posts here and on AA that've provided some clues, but was wondering if anyone with significant experience with multiple brands of transports could share some of their experiences.

In other words, is the transport "sound/signiture" something worth paying a lot of attention too, or should I just worry about mechanical things like stability, isolation, etc. Thanks.
garyk
Thanks again to Sean and Metralla fo their insights.Off to another great day in the Year 2005
My two cents worth. It is not fair to compare a good mod to a stock unit. There is a guy here in NJ who modified a Pioneer 65 and it sounds out of this world. That being said, in his system we tried six different transports that were not modified and we found the biggest differences came from the digital cable. But it all comes down to system matching as for example my Pass Labs gear did not mate very well with my buddies Talon speakers but sound great on many others, so go figure.

Happy Listening.
Transports have a reasonable change is sound in my system. I have a few choices to pick from and a few sound terrible at large volumes and a few sound very nice. I wish I could test them all but that isn't possible. I feel that any change for the better is worth it. and setteling is the key if you have a great system. Dula low subs and two great speakers with lots of power and good cables make me happy with some ss and tubes to boot. Don't forget the dac and some vinyl