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Considering buying a CD transport

My current disc spinner is a Cambridge Audio 751BD which I'm now mostly (except for SACDs) using as a transport, as I vastly prefer the sound of my Bryston BDA1 DAC to what comes through the CA. Even through the Bryston DAC, CDs can sound shrill. The CA works extremely well for DVDs, Blu-ray discs and SACDs, but I don't think I'm enjoying my rather extensive CD collection as I should. Would a separate transport make enough difference to be worth considering? I've been reading reviews of the Cyrus CDt which are tempting, but I'd like to hear some real-world opinions first. Unfortunately, there are budgetary constraints, so I would like not to exceed about $2K.

The rest of the system: Hegel H200 integrated, Proac Response D2s, REL S2 sub, Clarus Aqua analog interconnects & speaker cables, Nordost coax.
cooper52
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
If that's the case, I'd suggest that it wouldn't be worth it to upgrade the transport alone. I'd rather see the money go into a dac if yours wasn't up to snuff, but I don't have any experience with the Bryston and know it's got plenty of fans around here. 
An in-home borrow or demo would be the way to go for sure. Cheers,
Spencer
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,236 posts
 
Hello Copper52, 
The PS Audio PWT is a top tier transport, the sound quality is wonderful. You can find them used for under 2K. You have a large CD collection and the PWT would represent excellent value. DACs get the vast majority of the attention yet many people who are digital knowledgeable say the transport is as important if not more so. I purchased a PWT used nearly 7 years ago and it has been superb in my system. 
Charles, 
maxima95
289 posts
 
drubin - I have a Pro-ject CD Box RS CD transport and it is very good.  It is likely better with the  Pro-ject Box RS Uni power supply - I have been unwilling to spring for it.

Though there may well be one, I have not encountered a player serving as a transport that was as good as a dedicated CD transport.  There are noticeable differences among transports as well.  
zavato's avatar
zavato
1,391 posts
 
Sim Audio Neo 260D is an excellent transport and fits in your price range. Cables between the transport and DAC make a difference. Many advocate with an extremely short digital IC or if that's not doable, then at least 1.5 m. Also note that ther Bryston DAC isn't the last word on dacs 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

I have tried the Oppo BDP-83 (predecessor to the Cambridge/93) and it is a rather bright/harsh sounding transport. Even a really cheap Sony BDP bluray player has a vastly superior coax output (much smoother with more bass and body - less bright harshness). I’ve had bad experiences with earlier Pioneer bluray transports as well. You could try upgrading to a Oppo 103 (as these are much better as transports and it will send 24/192 over the coax! - also has much more music formats / streaming). At $500 and with the Oppo 30-day return policy, it’s almost a no risk / no brainer.

Bryston stuff can have a tendency to sound bright/shouty - try a fuse upgrade to something like a Isoclean or Synergistic RED. (The REDs have less resolution if you need to back off on the high frequencies) Make sure your digital coax is at least 1.5M (I use 6 feet). Shorter digital cables will cause reflections and the sound can be brighter - makes a mess of the sound.

Also, CD music may sound harsh/shrill due to the limited 16-bit resolution. A nice tube preamp (like mesch) or a Class A preamp can help tame and smooth over some of this very limited 16-bit resolution.

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