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Transport for a dCS Delius - HELP



Hey all - first post!

I just purchased a dCS Delius off of Audiogon last week. Suffice it to say - it's AMAZING!!! I was planning to use my current Proceed PCD3 as a transport for the Delius, but it started to malfunction shortly after I got the Delius (Murphy's Law?)... It's at my dealer for inspection / service right now, but now I'm looking at transport alternatives. At the moment, I'm stuck using a Nakamichi MB-2 to feed the Delius and hear a huge difference between it and the PCD3 (when it was working), so I know that there's more to a transport than just 1's and 0's... My 2-channel system is as follows:

-Proceed PCD3 used as a Transport
-dCS Delius used as DAC/Pre-Amp
-Threshold T200 Amp
-Thiel CS 3.6 Speakers
-Transparent Super/Ultra Cables

Originally, I was looking at a Proceed CDD or possibly a CEC TL-2, but now I'm reading about these new DVD/SACD/CD (such as the Philips 963sa) players out there. My question is, do any of these "combo" units truly compare to a good "CD only" transport for redbook audio playback? Since there is no video in my 2-channel system, the video aspect of the combo players means nothing to me. This would be purely a 2-channel audio transport. I just find it hard to comprehend connecting a consumer DVD player to a DAC like the Delius...

Are my speculations correct, or are these new combo units the real deal??? If any of you have made the comparison between a mid/high end dedicated CD transport and one of the combo players, I'd really enjoy hearing your feedback / opinion!
gtb75

Showing 1 response by dr_joe

dr_joe
160 posts
 
I can't see the one-box units you mentioned comparing to a really high quality dedicated transport. But then I'm no expert. I'd say the best deal on a true audiophile transport would be another one-box unit: the Sony SCD-777ES CD/SACD player. Used, they run, typically, $1300-1600. Check the original Stereophile review, where they reviewer praises the unit as a state-of-the-art transport, plus you get Redbook and SACD playback as a bonus.

Good luck and happy listening!
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