I'd recommend the x3 (83, 93, 103, etc.) line of Oppo players. They go for half of the audiophile favored x5 line. The robust mechanicals are the same.
Which good CD transports can be found in the used market?
I've used the Mac "Superdrive" cd/dvd transport that came with my Mac Mini to play and rip CD's into iTunes. So i know that I'm not getting the best quality 1's and 0's I listen to. As I'm retired and on a budget, am unable to go out and buy a Cambridge CXC or the like. Which older-model cd players, dvd players or stand-alone transports do you suggest I consider ...and at what price might I be able to find them? Thanks, people!!
14 responses Add your response
Re/VRDS---If I recall correctly --some versions of that transport are not deserving of the VRDS signification. See Lampizator website ---likely his older webpage and he has some examples on there of so called VRDS that are obvious ploys on close examination. Suffice to say if I were to consider buying a VRDS I would want to be sure that it was the real deal . Heres a link I just re-found http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/REFERENCES/TEAC-T1/VRDS-T1.html I have 3 vintage transports here ,, all using what are considered to be the best of the Philips transports. My Museatex C-lok has the CDM1 mk2, It has been gone through by Stephen Sank who is a microphone restorer among other things . He very much favors the Museatex and grabs them whenever and wherever he can. My PS Audio Lambda has the CDM9 pro and my Rotel RDD980 sitting on the shelf uses the CDM9. CDM9 is generally thought of as the last of the best made Philips. The best part is my Lambda and Museatex cost me 400 or less. I saw a Lambda on Agon with an asking of $1k just this year. My Rotel cost me $150. The Lambda sees the most service as it is in my main system. The Museatex in the bedroom and not used much. It probably has one of the hardest to read screens in the business.. not much went into it re/ making the print stand out nor the lighting. Have to be a few feet away at the most. lol That was probably the case with a lot of 90's units. Well, that doesn't affect the sound nor does one sit and watch the screen while listening to a cd. |
any pioneer elite unit makes wonderful transports and some have four DACS which makes great CD Players also. I have found the following to be outstanding transports. 1. Pioneer Elite DV-09; Built like a tank, seriously overbuilt and outstanding transport. May not play all types of discs. 2. Pioneer Elite BD-09; wonderful Transport and CD player 3. Pioneer Elite DV-79AVi: great transport and also great CD player 4. Pioneer Elite BDP-95 Any of these can be had for a small amount of money. People "upgraded" because they wanted 1. a Blue ray play, so they sold the CD player. But, if you only want a CD Transport, the DV-09, BD--9 and DV-79AVi are hard to beat as transports. 2. HDMI for their blue ray players. Same arguments as above. 3. loading speed. I have compared these as transports only into my Audio Research DAC 8 and they are absolutely wonderful. Also, the DV-79AVi, BD-09 and BDP-95 as CD Players are very close to the transport/DAC combination using the DAC 8. Four internal DACs go a long way. The prices are very low for each of these, from $150 to around $800 tops. you can't beat these for the money and sound quality. Anything under $2000 new today would have a very hard time beating these units. Also, they look great with the dark wood side panels. I still have my original Pioneer Elite PD-65 in my office and it sounds and looks great also. Enjoy |
Depending on your budget, CEC makes some of the best transports available. Here is a CEC CD player, but it would make a really sweet transport, (has AES/EBU, Coax RCA and toslink outputs). https://www.audiogon.com/listings/cd-sacd-players-c-e-c-cd3300r-cd-player-silver-62-off-with-remote-... This was just posted for sale and will not last long. No affiliation with the seller, just pointing out a GREAT deal. Also, the Rotel RCD-1072 makes a fantastic transport. |
test to be sure they are bit for bit accurate if the OP wants - tho I'd bet they already are then... get a nice recently made DAC if his is old and maybe this: http://schiit.com/products/eitr |
if your rips are accurate bit for bit, a transport cannot improve things there is software that can check for accurate rips but I don't bother with it, I just turn on the checking in iTunes when I rip a CD there are many things related to the DAC for you to spend money on, so don't worry about a lack of holes to toss $$ in |
Teac or Esoteric they have the VRDS system. Just make sure the model you look at doesn’t have KSS151A laser, as they are unobtainium. Theses models don’t have the KSS151A laser. ESOTERIC P-0 VRDS-0 – Sanyo SF-C93 / SF-C99 ESOTERIC P-01 VRDS-NEO – SPU3110 ESOTERIC P-02 VRDS-NEO VMK-3.5-20S – SPU3162 ESOTERIC P-03 VRDS-NEO VMK-3.5-20S – SPU3162 ESOTERIC P-05 VRDS-NEO VMK-5 – SPU3162 TEAC VRDS-T1 VRDS CMK-4 – KSS-240A BTW Some of the better Wadia's also use the Teac VRDS system Cheers George |
