What is a transport? - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

ArmAndHammer · #1 (**permalink**) 12-09-2008, 08:34 PM

I was reading a thread about a Sony DVP-S7000 and it was described as being a great CD player OR transport. All this time I thought transport was just another word for player but I guess I am wrong?

krmathis · #2 (**permalink**) 12-09-2008, 08:43 PM

This is my understanding of the word.
A transport is a standalone device which play back audio, then bring it on to a different device which decode/process the audio signal. Example a CD player, computer or DAP where the device only play back the audio, then send the digital stream to an external DAC for decoding.

Edit.
A CD player consist of a transport (the parts that turn and read the disc) and a DAC (the part that decode the digital audio signal). They can either be combined in one unit, called a CD player. Or in two separate units, the transport and the DAC. The same goes for computers, DAP's, turntable/RIAA, and more...

SundayDuffer · #3 (**permalink**) 12-09-2008, 08:48 PM

Short answer:
CDP Compact Disc Player
CDT Compact Disc Transport
DAC Digital-to-Analog Coverter

a CD player consists of a transport and DAC (digital-to analog converter). The DAC is usually built-in.

Some folks like go separate. You would then need to components...the transport + the DAC .

ArmAndHammer · #4 (**permalink**) 12-09-2008, 10:22 PM

Ok. That clears it up for me. Thanks.

HeadFi Fanatic · #5 (**permalink**) 12-09-2008, 10:45 PM

Ok question about computers. So the transport is the one that processes and delivers the digital signal itself right? Then the DAC takes this digital signal and converts it to analog.

I'm confused. Is the cpu the transport or the onboard soundcard? I'm using a DAW program and the dsp effects and a high polyphony literally overloads the cpu causing my music to stutter. I need something to aid the cpu in processing this digital data. Can an external DAC serve as a transport (particularly the emu-0404 usb)? Or is processing sound externally a bad idea?

ArmAndHammer · #6 (**permalink**) 12-10-2008, 01:18 AM

The way I read it the computer would be the transport and if there is an onboard sound card then it is a player rather than a transport. Computer is a transport when you use an external DAC.

krmathis · #7 (**permalink**) 12-10-2008, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmAndHammer

The way I read it the computer would be the transport and if there is an onboard sound card then it is a player rather than a transport. Computer is a transport when you use an external DAC.

Yeah, that's my understanding as well.
Hopefully that's understandable from my post above.

Jolida302 · #8 (**permalink**) 12-10-2008, 01:00 PM

Drive is a better word.

VicAjax · #9 (**permalink**) 12-11-2008, 04:49 PM

a transport simply spins the disc and reads the digital information off it, and delivers that elsewhere to be converted to analog information.

Drumonron · #10 (**permalink**) 12-13-2008, 07:41 PM

My understanding is that a transport, simply put, is that which feeds the amp. for example if one is using an external dac....this dac would transport the analog audio to the amplifier. The source would be the device that holds the files/audio....a cdp if going directly to the amp would be the source and transport. My wadia with the Ipod classic is the source and the transport is the dac1. so:
ipod in wadia itransport->Benchmark DAC1->Headamp GS-1->AKG701.....this is heaven.

Wadia defines it as follows:

"Transports
A "transport" is the digital link between a media source such as an ipod, a computer, or musical disc, and your home audio or audio video system. Wadia Digital recognizes that many digital sources lack the connectivity and quality you expect when enjoying your favorite music, so Wadia has developed several components that will help you get the most value, performance, and connectivity from your digital media sources."

I think it's a pretty good definition.

memepool · #11 (**permalink**) 12-13-2008, 08:44 PM

Well with tape machines, analogue or digital, they also refer to a transport. In this case it's the mechanical drive system which passes the tape past the play heads where it's turned into an electrical pulse in the case of analogue, or passes to the DAC as a datastream in the case of digital.

So you broadly you could say it's the mechanical moving part of the replay chain which allows the data to be pulled off the media. In the case of a computer this would be the HD but in the case of solid state RAM based DAPs for instance can you still really use the word transport?