Late to this thread but I'll add my recent experience adding a Cambridge Audio CXC V2 transport to my system. First, I want to say that none of my music listening set ups are optimized for neutrality or analytical clarity. I would even say that they might not even be revealing (gasp) but they all produce enjoyable, musical experiences. Back when people could come over they often commented on how good the HT system sounded. I even have an audio engineer friend who after visiting asked me to give him a list of everything in my desktop chain so that he could reproduce it at a second home.
For years I've used an Oppo universal DVD, SACD, DVDA player and a Marantz UD5005 - also universal only a Blu-ray drive instead of DVD. The Oppo to a DAC sounded great but had no SQ advantage over my streaming set up in my home office using a RaspberryPi/Allo DigiOne. I had wanted to use it to listen to SACD and DVDA discs but it would only output 16/44 to an external DAC. It did sound nice playing those high resolution discs using it's internal DAC outputting via RCA outs but I felt the 2005 DAC could be bested in 2021 So I sold it on eBay.
I've always been pretty happy with the Marantz via HDMI out to my Marantz HT Receiver (SR 6005) but the tray opening and closing mechanism started failing about the same time it became pickier about what discs it wanted to play. I had the drawer repaired but a month later it would give me a load error for most discs. Time to find a replacement. Maybe I jumped the gun on selling my Oppo too soon after the Marantz repair.
I have somewhere between 900 and 1000 cd's so I am not about to abandon the platform. CD playback is a mature technology while streaming is still in it's infancy. Coincidentally, there are just as many people claiming that all CD/Blu-ray/DVD players used as transports (sending signal to DAC via Coax) sound identical as there are people saying streamers sound identical because bits are bits. If this is true than everyone should just use the $10 Bit Perfect plugin with iTunes and buy the cheapest Hello Kitty portable DVD player and be done with it. Software and hardware implementation play big role in how electronics work but to each their own. I tend to gravitate to finding a nice analog sound that is engaging even at low volumes and I'm open to trying things out to find SQ improvements. Especially when they don't break the bank.
I've been looking forward to the upcoming Schiit Urd CD transport as the "last CD player I'll ever have to buy".
@Baldr knows a thing or two about digital transports and his 1991 Theta Transport based on a laser disc mechanism is still prized by owners and sought after on the used market. I signed up for the Beta test and hope to be included but who knows when that will happen and if I will be included. I found myself without a disc player for the first time since 1985 so I jumped on a refurbished CXC V2 from the Cambridge Audio eBay store for the bargain price $349.00.
Adding the CXC to the Bifrost 2 via Blue Jeans Cables coax in my headphone/office rig easily justified the purchase. The transport edged out a RaspberryPi 4/Silent Angel VitOs Roon endpoint in a head to head comparison. It didn't trounce the streamer but there was an improvement in SQ. Not enough for me to want to go to an all CD system because the convenience of streaming my local FLAC files and Tidal access is just too good of an experience. Also, the full sized CD player is too big for my desktop and listening nook.
Next I moved it into the Living room home theater rig in the place of the Marantz UD5005. I've never felt the Marantz lacked anything and would still be using it if it worked properly. I could easily hear the difference between CD and SACS/DVDA/Blu-ray Audio discs on this system but those formats are expensive and very limited in title selection and availability. After hearing CD quality on Schiit multibit DACs I started selling off my high resolution discs and buying used CDs. My HT set up doesn't have a multibit DAC and instead just relies on the one in the receiver which sounds pretty good in my cavernous room with windows, glass door and a 17' high wall of photos printed on metal. Not the best room for high end audio.
The CXC v2 is connected to the Marantz receiver using a Morrow Audio silver coax because it's flexible and I had it lying around. Playing a CD sounds great like this. Really dynamic and engaging. I was actually surprised because I pulled my Allo DigiOne out of this system because it sounded thin on the Coax to the Marantz. I had assumed that there was an internal optimization for HDMI being that it was a HT receiver. Must've been something else interfering with the endpoint because it's on equal footing to other sources in my office headphone system.
With one player being broken and one sold, this can't be a direct comparison but I do know how those players sounded in my audio chain and have no problem saying the CXC V2 sounds better to me. Build quality seems pretty good - it doesn't feel like a $99 box store Blu-ray player. If it wasn't for the upcoming Schiit transport I'd be happy with this for the forseable future. Actually, I will probably leave this in my HT system and add the Schiit Urd to my headphone/office system If I can swing it financially.
I would say that if you have a lot of CDs and need to replace an aging CD player you should audition a CD transport before making a decision. The Cambridge Audio CXC V2 is a great value, especially if you get it factory direct refurbished.
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