What CD player/transport has the most stable mechanism?
Probably Esoteric, their evolution of the legendary Teac VRDS cd drive. Here are some pictures for you to see just how robust they are: http://http//www.6moons.com/audioreviews/esoteric18/transports.pdf |
Good question, I knew someone would ask. It's because I like to dance when I listen to music, and when I do, the CD skips. I also use my telescope from the roof, and you can see the every day vibration through the eyepiece. Seems to me that isolation is something that isn't taken as seriously as it probably should be. BTW, I live on a busy city street and you can feel it when a bus or truck drives by. Thanks for the tip about the Esoteric line. I was looking at that, but I hate dropping big coin on technology that's about to become obsolete. Years ago I sold my Tandberg tape player for that very reason. But hey, sometimes to have to pay to play. I just wish, when you read reviews on digital equipment, they would talk more about this topic. I find that it is largely ignored. Thanks again! |
hgonzal---The stability of a transport is one thing, it's ability to provide isolation from external bumps and vibration another. Though you're not asking for info on isolation equipment, that is exactly what will provide you with what you are looking for. The best are the microscope platforms by Newport and MinusK, but they cost in excess of $2000. A "medium" priced alternative is what folkfreak recommended, the Seismic Platform by Townshend Audio of England, priced under $1000. Cheaper yet, and just as good, is a trio or quartet of Townshend Seismic Pods, individual footers that come in different weight ratings. Details are available on the Townshend website, as is a video discussing and demonstrating the effectiveness of the Seismic products. If you're a DIYer, you can make an airbearing isolation platform by putting a very slightly inflated inner tube between two planks of wood, MDF, granite, whatever. If you then put a trio of roller bearings on top of that, and your CD transport/player on top of them, you will have very effective isolation down to 5Hz or so, at relatively low cost. The old rubber isolators, Sorbothane and Navcom, provide isolation down to a not-very-low frequency, and their use results in rather soft, "spongy" bass. Isolation cones and spikes are also good down to the mid-teens or slightly lower---not low enough. Below that frequency they act as couplers, not isolators. |
As @bdp24 mentions above, isolation could help you "get by" with a less expensive CDP. Another alternative for the DIYer is a sandbox isolation platform. http://www.cognitivevent.com/sandbox.html |
That you all for that information. I'll look into it. The only reason my original query did not include isolation materials was because I figure that a well-built player on an isolation platform would always outperform a jumpy player on the same platform. But maybe I'm wrong about that, what with the possibility of mismatched resonant frequencies and such. Just one more follow up question. I noticed that the Esoteric line advertises a VRDS-NEO transport mechanism down to the K-05 player. The K-07 player does not include it. Should I not look at the K-07? It's more in my wheelhouse price-wise, but this will probably be the last player I ever buy. I don't want to be disappointed. Thanks in advance. I'll look into picking up an old SONY. |
@hgonzal Bear in mind that other manufacturers such as DCS use Teac VRDS drives as well. For example there’s a Paganini just listed today that has the Teac VMK-5 drive. Teac have stopped selling drives to third parties unfortunately so there will be less of these in the future also think about the DAC you are using this with as all these manufacturers have their own proprietary interfaces that will be superior to plan vanilla connections Finally additional isolation will help no matter how good the drive.. many DCS and Esoteric users use Herzan platforms under their transports for example |
Yeah, I noticed that part about proprietary interfaces. I understand why they do that, but that's not going to work for me. BTW, thank you for pointing out belt-drive systems. I didn't know such a thing existed. That is exactly why I started this thread, to find out about stuff like that. I used to be really into this stuff, I remember when Stereophile was just a pamphlet, but I lost interest some time ago. I listen to music every day, but I'm just not that interested in the gear anymore, at least not enough to keep track of the latest new thing. It's funny, I think a lot of time people are more into the gear than the music, which is fine of course. I've always had an interest in astronomy, but mostly it's because I love messing around with mirrors and the other optical components. It's strangely addictive. |
The one that doesn't have a drive at all! I've found that ripping my discs to my BSOUND Vault 2 and sending the data via an MIT Magnum Digital Coax to my amp has improved what I thought was already superb sound. I had a Krell Cipher but the sound now is actually better...sounds like a mike feed from the studio!! |
What CD player/transport has the most stable mechanism? Teac Esoteric VRDS can't beat it supports the whole disc. http://usr.audioasylum.com/images/0/1191/p03_vrds_neo.jpg Cheers George |
Hi dave-b. I don't have any idea what you just wrote. It's Greek to me. BTW, I once worked with a Greek fellow and asked him what they said in that circumstance. He said Greeks say that's Chinese to me. I don't know why, but I always found that funny. Thank you to everyone for their input. I'm going to check out that Esoteric transport. |
Bonjour from France, Consider CEC players with their Wellfloat board: http://www.cec-international.com/PAGES/s18.html JL |
Agree the Esoteric is unbeatable. I have the K-01x and it is the 6th in a long line of hi-end CD and CD/SACD players I've owned and is head and shoulders above the rest - not only for its panzer-solid transport, but it has an incredible DAC that is so impressive and analog-like I doubt I'll spin another album. |
I am new to Audiogon but have asked myself the same question as hgonzal. I have been looking at the ARC CD players using a Phillips Pro mechanism. I know they use this transport in commercial CD jukeboxes, so it must be pretty good. I have looked at the Esoteric and the Teac transport is very good as well. |
Of all the spinners I tried over the last 15 years: Krell, McIntosh, Wadia, Linn, it is Naim CDX and CD3 that have the most transportation screws. Once released, and in CD3 its a full-time job to keep it level while removing them all, CD mech "floats" inside the box. You can tap, dance, bang your head against the wall (Naim is real good at making you do such things) but there is no skipping. Do not know about Naim "entry-level" players |
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Hi again!I was the person who first posed this question. It's always nice to bring up a topic that people are interested in.A number of people recommended the Esoteric Audio K-05, and a number recommended isolation platforms. I didn't pursue the isolation route, so I can't comment on that. But I did pick up the K-05 and it is very, very nice. It was more money than I wanted to spend, but when you put a CD in the tray and press Play, it sounds like a Ferrari. I'd be curious about lower cost options, but if you can spring for the Esoteric, I don't see how anyone would be disappointed. |
