CD Player / Transport with Digital Out

[habb1]

Hey all,

As I just found - a CD Player without DAC is called CD Transport, which then has only digital outputs.

So, if taking in consideration lets say a Blu-ray player with only digital outputs e.g. Sony UBP-X700, will it provide the same quality as McIntosh MCT80 to my DAC?

If not, what I am missing here? Wondering what kind of benefit can be from 2000$ CD Transport in comparison to 200$, is this the snake oil case or there is something more to it?

 

[DVDdoug]

As long as it can play the discs it should be the same.

As I just found - a CD Player without DAC is called CD Transport, which then has only digital outputs.

My Blu-Ray player doesn't have a DAC (Just an HDMI output) and I call it a "Blu-Ray player".

 

[Killingbeans]

If not, what I am missing here?

Prestige

Mechanical reliability and noise level (acoustic, not electrical) might be a consideration, but sound quality isn't.

 

[Victor BR]

Really?
What about:

CDT-8 Pro​

EUR 995.00
The NuPrime CDT-8 Pro is a highly accurate professional music CD transport with powerful DSP-based decoder that provides all Red Book error-correction capabilities with master-clock control of the entire decoding system, thus lowering jitter significantly. The transport’s single speed minimizes vibration and unbalanced discs. A selectable sampling rate converter (SRC) samples the CD format to a higher sampling rate (up to PCM 24-bit/768kHz and DSD256) with ultra-low jitter and distortion.

 

[Jimbob54]

Really?
What about:

CDT-8 Pro​

EUR 995.00
The NuPrime CDT-8 Pro is a highly accurate professional music CD transport with powerful DSP-based decoder that provides all Red Book error-correction capabilities with master-clock control of the entire decoding system, thus lowering jitter significantly. The transport’s single speed minimizes vibration and unbalanced discs. A selectable sampling rate converter (SRC) samples the CD format to a higher sampling rate (up to PCM 24-bit/768kHz and DSD256) with ultra-low jitter and distortion.

What about it?

 

[Killingbeans]

Really?
What about:

CDT-8 Pro​

EUR 995.00
The NuPrime CDT-8 Pro is a highly accurate professional music CD transport with powerful DSP-based decoder that provides all Red Book error-correction capabilities with master-clock control of the entire decoding system, thus lowering jitter significantly. The transport’s single speed minimizes vibration and unbalanced discs. A selectable sampling rate converter (SRC) samples the CD format to a higher sampling rate (up to PCM 24-bit/768kHz and DSD256) with ultra-low jitter and distortion.

It might help if your DAC is terrible at handeling jitter (doubtful, but I'll roll with it). But why try to fix it with a €1K CD transport? Why not just get a decent DAC for a fraction of the cost?

 

[Aldoszx]

From my point of view, any old PC CD-ROM with digital out could be a very good CD transport as long the mechanical is good and could read any disk.
I have a lot of them and I'm pairing with any DAC which has an spdif input.
No jitter and no SQ problems so far.

 

[Inner Space]

The data stream should be the same as anything else, therefore not problematical. On the downside, disc handling and TOC-reading can be slow, on a multi-format player. Over, say, a five-year duty cycle, cumulatively you could waste literally dozens of hours waiting.

 

[Hapo]

...I have been wondering these same things as I pack up a $600 CD transport for return...do we even need one...???...

...how do they sell CD players that cost four figures or more...???...do people still buy those...???...

 

[Godataloss]

I'm wondering why one of the Chinese Hifi firms don't manufacture an inexpensive CD transport to go with their dacs. I'd love something in the sub $300 range that was small and simple. I have them all ripped, but I enjoy the experience of physical media.

 

[TheBatsEar]

I'm wondering why one of the Chinese Hifi firms don't manufacture an inexpensive CD transport to go with their dacs. I'd love something in the sub $300 range that was small and simple. I have them all ripped, but I enjoy the experience of physical media.

You could do it yourself:

CD-ROM Digital out to TOS-link out Conversion

 

[pjug]

Hey all,

As I just found - a CD Player without DAC is called CD Transport, which then has only digital outputs.

So, if taking in consideration lets say a Blu-ray player with only digital outputs e.g. Sony UBP-X700, will it provide the same quality as McIntosh MCT80 to my DAC?

If not, what I am missing here? Wondering what kind of benefit can be from 2000$ CD Transport in comparison to 200$, is this the snake oil case or there is something more to it?

One thing you lose with blu-ray players like the Sony are controls and display on the face of the player. Of course a couple thousand $ is a lot of money to pay for just that. I'm using a blu-ray player for transport and I do miss controls and display on the player, though. If money were no object then something like the McIntosh might be attractive to me.

 

[Godataloss]

You could do it yourself:

CD-ROM Digital out to TOS-link out Conversion

I barely have time to listen to music these days. Kicking around snagging one of these https://tinyurl.com/m5vvspjx

 

[sq225917]

Just buy an old transport, or the audiolab 6000 model, that's a good transport with well buffeted output.

 

[kongwee]

Jitter correction. CEC transport has lower correction need. As far as I know, CD transparent for these audiophile system doesn't have checksum like you have in PC.

 

[Angsty]

I'm wondering why one of the Chinese Hifi firms don't manufacture an inexpensive CD transport to go with their dacs. I'd love something in the sub $300 range that was small and simple. I have them all ripped, but I enjoy the experience of physical media.

A $33 DVD player with digital out can do the job.

Sony DVPSR210P DVD Player

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007F9XHBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C5B65796KM65PQ074SBM

A refurbished NAD player is in the $300 range:

NAD Electronics C 538 CD Player Factory RefurbishedDefault Title

NAD Electronics C 538 CD Player Factory Refurbished For over 45 years, NAD Electronics has earned a renowned reputation for creating great sounding products at amazingly affordable prices, and nowhere is this more evident than in NAD’s CD players. When it comes to CD players, NAD’s veteran...

www.safeandsoundhq.com

 

[Godataloss]

Just buy an old transport, or the audiolab 6000 model, that's a good transport with well buffeted output.

This seems like what I'm looking for. Thank you.

 

[freemansteve]

I'm betting the guts of most CD players and transports come from a small number of common sources - laser assemblies, control chipsets, crystal clock ICs, drive motors etc. I can't see many small audio manufacturer having resources to make their own lasers and chipsets - unlike, say Sony.

The case may be fancy though, and the lunches for reviewers will be lavish....

 

[MCH]

Mmmmmm... be careful. If with "one of the Chinese Hifi firms" you mean Topping, I must tell you that I have precisely this same Sony DVD and it doesn't work with my topping dac (d30pro).

 

[TheBatsEar]

Mmmmmm... be careful. If with "one of the Chinese Hifi firms" you mean Topping, I must tell you that I have precisely this same Sony DVD and it doesn't work with my topping dac (d30pro).

Exquise me? Why not?