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CD transport? need advice.

post #1 of 49
4/30/11 at 3:48am
Thread Starter 

 

Hi all,
 
      Recently I'm trying to get a CD transport to pair with the Wyred DAC-2 and my moded WA22, since I finally realize it's a bit insane to rip the whole cd collection of mine. Due to the balanced design of WA22, it would't wanna take anything from SE,  so I'm looking for a transport only. A CD player with balanced out is probably a bit too pricy, right now I can't be more happier with my DAC and I still use my computer as my main transport for the obvious reason( i'm lazy ), so I don't wanna spent too much on the transport.  I wonder if the opamp and outstage or whatever makes a difference on the transport since i'm gonna use the DAC-2 to do the converting. Or in other words what dose it take to make a good cd transport? 
 
I got my eye on two cd players so far, the Music Hall 25.2 ( I noticed there were two version of this, the newer one has better cd transport component) with underwood LV1 mod, or the Cambridge 740. My budget is under $800 for brand new one, although a used player around $500 seems more reasonable to me. 
 
 
Many thanks
 
 
Bruce 
 

Edited by BrucYSN - 4/30/11 at 3:52am
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post #2 of 49
4/30/11 at 6:04am

If you want to be VERY cheap, just pick up a cheap DVD with coax S/PDIF output player and use that. Pick up a 75 Ohm cable (I recommend Blue Jeans' Canare offerings) and hook it up.  Otherwise, a second-hand CD player with digital out would do the trick too. There are a couple of small form-factor CD players out there, but a second-hand regular player would get you a decent remote control.

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post #3 of 49
4/30/11 at 12:54pm

That's a pretty good budget. You could get a cheap dvd player and get mediocre results. Or you could look for a used Theta Data Basic, PS Audio Lambda, Audio Note CDT-Zero, Audio Research CDT-1, EAD-T1000, Theta Pearl, or Classe CDT-1, Parasound C/BD-2000. There may be others that I can't think of at the moment. The Theta Data Basic is top notch on a budget and shows up more often than others. The Parasound is also a gem with its belt drive. Get any of those transports and a Virtual Dynamics digital cable and you'll never want to go back to using the pc as transport.

 


Edited by computerparts - 4/30/11 at 1:39pm
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post #4 of 49
4/30/11 at 8:52pm
Thread Starter 

 

Thanks for the advice, I guess what matter is the transport component only after all. The reason I wonder is that there was sale of music hall cd player with mod opamp and stuff for a tempting price.

Quote:
The Theta Data Basic is top notch on a budget and shows up more often than others. The Parasound is also a gem with its belt drive.

Hmmm these two seems interesting, especially the belt drive lol I wonder if you can share more details about the player you mentioned ? 

 

Best

 

Bruce

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post #5 of 49
4/30/11 at 9:31pm

Audiogon has amazing deals on used CD transports and CD players for under $550.

 

I just did a quick search and there are currently some nice offerings from:

 

Wadia | Cambridge | Arcam | Theta | Classe | Parasound

 

Theres also a nice Naim available if you can stretch you budge a bit.

 

 


Edited by sk3383 - 4/30/11 at 9:35pm
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post #6 of 49
5/1/11 at 2:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrucYSN View Post

 

Thanks for the advice, I guess what matter is the transport component only after all. The reason I wonder is that there was sale of music hall cd player with mod opamp and stuff for a tempting price.


Hmmm these two seems interesting, especially the belt drive lol I wonder if you can share more details about the player you mentioned ? 

 

Best

 

Bruce

 

The main difference is often the power supply. The power supply in a cd player has to power not only the transport section but the dac section as well. You may think hey that's no big deal, but the power supplies found in the cd players at this price point leave a lot to be desired. In a dedicated transport, the power supply does not have to compete and they are often better than the ones in cd players. I have found some good sounding cd players which aren't bad transports. But a dedicated transport always sounded better. I currently own the Theta Data Basic and with my dac, it's nearly indistinguishable from my turn table. For what it's worth, I also owned the Theta Jade previously which is Theta's top of the line transport. The Jade is good but the Data Basic is just special IMO. I don't have any experience with the Parasound transport, but it has received good reviews.
 

 

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post #7 of 49
5/1/11 at 6:27am

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by computerparts View Post



 

The main difference is often the power supply. The power supply in a cd player has to power not only the transport section but the dac section as well. You may think hey that's no big deal, but the power supplies found in the cd players at this price point leave a lot to be desired. In a dedicated transport, the power supply does not have to compete and they are often better than the ones in cd players. I have found some good sounding cd players which aren't bad transports. But a dedicated transport always sounded better. I currently own the Theta Data Basic and with my dac, it's nearly indistinguishable from my turn table. For what it's worth, I also owned the Theta Jade previously which is Theta's top of the line transport. The Jade is good but the Data Basic is just special IMO. I don't have any experience with the Parasound transport, but it has received good reviews.
 

 



Completely agree. Try to find a CD Transport first!!!!

 

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post #8 of 49
5/1/11 at 9:49am

If you can stretch your budget some I would recommend a used  Muse Model 9 that offers great value for the money.  These can often be found used on places like Audiogon for a $1000 or less.

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post #9 of 49
5/1/11 at 11:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by computerparts View Post



 

The main difference is often the power supply. The power supply in a cd player has to power not only the transport section but the dac section as well. You may think hey that's no big deal, but the power supplies found in the cd players at this price point leave a lot to be desired. In a dedicated transport, the power supply does not have to compete and they are often better than the ones in cd players. I have found some good sounding cd players which aren't bad transports. But a dedicated transport always sounded better. I currently own the Theta Data Basic and with my dac, it's nearly indistinguishable from my turn table. For what it's worth, I also owned the Theta Jade previously which is Theta's top of the line transport. The Jade is good but the Data Basic is just special IMO. I don't have any experience with the Parasound transport, but it has received good reviews.
 

 



X2



Quote:
Originally Posted by sk3383 View Post

Audiogon has amazing deals on used CD transports and CD players for under $550.

 

I just did a quick search and there are currently some nice offerings from:

 

Wadia | Cambridge | Arcam | Theta | Classe | Parasound

 

Theres also a nice Naim available if you can stretch you budge a bit.

 

 


Absolutely spot on advice.......X2

 



Quote:
Originally Posted by sk3383 View Post

 



Completely agree. Try to find a CD Transport first!!!!

 




Yes by all means look for transport only (used or new).

 

Here is a link to a great transport within your budget range if you want to buy new (I would suggest going the used route first though to see what can be had from Audiogon). http://www.pacificvalve.us/LiteCD21.html

 

 

Peete.

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post #10 of 49
5/1/11 at 2:09pm

I own a Pacific Valve Vanguard CDM12 transport which I run through a DacMagic to a WA22. I like the CDM12, it's build like a tank, even the remote is heavy and it's well within your budget. However, I'm not certain it's still available. If you're interested give then a call.

 

http://www.pacificvalve.us/VanguardCDM12.html 

 

 


Edited by fatcat28037 - 5/1/11 at 2:13pm
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post #11 of 49
5/1/11 at 5:02pm

Hmm, considering those prices, I might have to get a good transport myself.

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post #12 of 49
5/1/11 at 8:18pm
Thread Starter 

ye I didn't know there were so many choices under this budget, I was looking at a CD player like Sony NES990ES or something like that, I might not have remembered the model number right, but since the power supply is so important I guess I would just get a transport since a full CD player isn't gonna do me much good. Thanks for all the advice lol It really helps and narrow my search !! 

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post #13 of 49
5/2/11 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 

One more thing though, I just missed a auction on Ebay for a Theta DATA II, I wonder though, how reliable are this vintage transports?  Will It ask for a nice power cords? 

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post #14 of 49
5/2/11 at 8:09pm
Thread Starter 

I also wonder how is muse model 8 ? compare to muse model 9?

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post #15 of 49
5/2/11 at 9:50pm

The Theta Data II is good if you don't have a problem with its functionality. It's slow to read and load discs and it doesn't really like cd-r. There are no available parts for the Data II whereas there are for the Data Basic. The most common problem with the Data Basic is the tray gear often strips, which is a very easy fix. I never owned a Muse Model 8 or 9 but I did own the Model 5. The 8 and 9 are supposed to be better though. The Model 9 I believe is a full player and not just a transport. There are parts available for the Model 5 but I don't know about parts being available for the 8 and 9 since they are dvd based. I have yet to come across a transport that benefits from a power cord change. In my experience, it's the dacs that are more sensitive to power cord changes.

 


Edited by computerparts - 5/2/11 at 10:00pm
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