[pataburd]

knowhatimean,
Great call!
My CD-Rs play on the CXC without the Herbie's Super Black Hole.
However, the CD-Rs also play when using either the Gien [all carbon graphite] or SID disc mat. These are "full coverage" mats that make a positive improvement: smoother overall presentation, better separation and spatiality, more well-defined bass and treble, etc.
Thanks again!
Will a/b the CXC and the 6000CDT a bit more later, but it looks like a "slam-dunk" for the Cambridge at this point.

Cambridge CXC
Chord Qutest
ecp DSHA-3F
Focal Utopia

 

[pataburd]

Walk that back a bit: not all my CD-Rs play on the CXC.
The CD-Rs I really want to listen to do not play.

 

[pataburd]

. . . as an aside, the Herbie's Super Black Hole is a much better mat than the Gien [and the Gien is better than the SID].
Better focus, sense of space and overall resolution.

 

[knowhatimean]

Thank you for the insight.
Will try without the Herbie's "Super Black Hole" disc mat.
. . . but it sort of defeats the whole purpose of the mat(s). . .

Have been using RDC cones, or Herbie's Gabon ebony hemispheres, or Magnetic Floaters or Ginkgo mini-cloud isolation underneath the CXC all along, not the stock feet.

 

[Signal2Noise]

I have the CDT arriving tomorrow. I discovered I missed listening to physical CDs and wanted to buy a CD transport. My collection of over 1600 compact discs have been ripped to FLAC and I listen via SONOS, Bluesound, and/or Cambridge CXN. In fact, I own a lot of Cambridge gear: CXN, CXU, CXA60, Azur 650A & 650C, DAC Magic 100, and I was considering the CXC transport but I thought it is time to try "new sounds". Also, the form factor and aesthetic of the 6000CDT drew me to it over the CXC.

I also just bought a NAD C368 that I plan to connect the CDT to via a Silnote Morpheus digital cable (also have AudioQuest and Amazon Basics coax and optical to try). I am excited to have a listen.

I plant to get the Audiolab 6000A one of these days too. Love the look of Audiolab.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

I took delivery on one of these today and after getting it set up in a headphone system I thought to myself, why did I wait so long before I bought one? This thing is solid and has a simple understated beauty to it. I own several DACS but using an Audioquest coax I hooked up the $100 Modi 3+ and Kimber Kable to an Asgard 3. Focal Clear Pros for headphones. I was really skeptical that s transport would make a big difference in how a CD would sound. I've been using a Marantz CD5003 for a transport and thought it did a good job. It was a jaw dropping experience hearing a CD play using the transport. It's like veil has been lifted from the music. And that's with a hundred dollar DAC. No scratches on CDs but I'm going to keep checking.

 

[The Jester]

Walk that back a bit: not all my CD-Rs play on the CXC.
The CD-Rs I really want to listen to do not play.

Are the ones that don’t play recorded with the same file type as the ones that play ok ?
Had my CXC for a few years now and more than happy with it ... once the warranty runs out there’s a few easy internal mods that make subtle improvements, re routing signal cables further away from power cables, damping material on larger flat metal panel area’s etc ....

 

[pataburd]

Same file type; some played, others did not play on the CXC.