[dw8083]

FYI... This month's new issue of Stereophile (Feb. 2007) has an indepth review of the Transporter. The review also compared it to the SqueezeBox with an X-Ray3 DAC.

Check it out if you are interested.

-David

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw8083 /img/forum/go_quote.gif FYI... This month's new issue of Stereophile (Feb. 2007) has an indepth review of the Transporter. The review also compared it to the SqueezeBox with an X-Ray3 DAC. Check it out if you are interested. -David

said not as good as Ayre. lack emotion/human touch/thereness (is this even a word..ohwell..I made it up)

good for 2nd system or casual listening

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Note that there's a competitor to the Transporter called an SB+.
People who've heard both seem to compare the SB+ favourably. Either way, just ordered an SB+ which I'll be using for a digital input into my DAC. Should be here mid-Feb, I'll let you know then how I get on.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Sukebe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Note that there's a competitor to the Transporter called an SB+. People who've heard both seem to compare the SB+ favourably. Either way, just ordered an SB+ which I'll be using for a digital input into my DAC. Should be here mid-Feb, I'll let you know then how I get on.

linkee linkee, please?

 

[Konig]

SB+ = sb with upgraded power supply?

 

[morphsci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif said not as good as Ayre. lack emotion/human touch/thereness (is this even a word..ohwell..I made it up) good for 2nd system or casual listening

Really? That's not what I got from the review. Let's let others decide for themselves shall we.

Quoted from Wes Phillips review in Stereophile 2/07:91
" - I could distinguish small differences between the Transporter and the Ayre (C-5xe), but we're not talking night and day, just different shades of ahhhh.

The Ayre had a tad more shimmer in the upper registers, a slightly more physical presence, if you will, and noticeably more dynamic contrast than the Transporter. Was it a big difference? Until I attempted a side-by-side comparison with the Ayre, I wouldn't have anticipated much difference - not, I suppose, would I have noticed much if I'd rested a few minutes between the A and B portions of the comparison.

Because the Ayre C-5xe provides higher resolution than the transporter and I make my living comparing components, I'll continue to use the Ayre as my reference. But when I'm just hanging out and relaxing, I think I'd rather spend my time listening than searching for a skootch more resolution"

 

[Konig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by morphsci /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? That's not what I got from the review. Let's let others decide for themselves shall we. Quoted from Wes Phillips review in Stereophile 2/07:91 " - I could distinguish small differences between the Transporter and the Ayre (C-5xe), but we're not talking night and day, just different shades of ahhhh. The Ayre had a tad more shimmer in the upper registers, a slightly more physical presence, if you will, and noticeably more dynamic contrast than the Transporter. Was it a big difference? Until I attempted a side-by-side comparison with the Ayre, I wouldn't have anticipated much difference - not, I suppose, would I have noticed much if I'd rested a few minutes between the A and B portions of the comparison. Because the Ayre C-5xe provides higher resolution than the transporter and I make my living comparing components, I'll continue to use the Ayre as my reference. But when I'm just hanging out and relaxing, I think I'd rather spend my time listening than searching for a skootch more resolution"

let me translate what he is saying : the transporter is just as good as the ayre. Wait a minute, if i say that I doubt Ayre will want to advertise with us anymore. Ok, Ayre is slightly better.

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konig /img/forum/go_quote.gif let me translate what he is saying : the transporter is just as good as the ayre. Wait a minute, if i say that I doubt Ayre will want to advertise with us anymore. Ok, Ayre is slightly better.

actually the difference according 'stereophile' between Rega Apollo and the Ayre CDP was 'human force behind the notes'. And from my experience, Ayre is much better than Apollo. Its the little differences that separates good from great. and the $2000 in price jump in Apollo's case..

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Here's the link for the SB+

http://www.at-tunes.co.uk/

Can't say I understand all the differences, but I'm sure they include substantially better clock and standalone power supply.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif said not as good as Ayre. lack emotion/human touch/thereness (is this even a word..ohwell..I made it up) good for 2nd system or casual listening

Don't you just love these judgments by people who have never heard a product?

I jumped in early on the Transporter, and it was one of the best moves I've made. After owning it for several months, I'm still impressed by both the sonics and the convenience. I love having access to my music collection from my listening chair. The downside is that I use lossless compression, so I'm going to need a couple of terabytes more storage and time to do some serious ripping before the whole digital library is on the server.

Wes Phillips hit it dead on. It's a great source by any standard. At its price point, it has no serious competition that I'm aware of.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wes Phillips hit it dead on. It's a great source by any standard. At its price point, it has no serious competition that I'm aware of.

Err, did you miss the link I put in on the previous post?
The SB+ is basically a rebodied SB3 with major upgrades. Thus conceptually very similar to the Transporter. The price is slightly less than the Transporter. I've never compared to the two, so can't comment from experience, though the feedback I've seen on the net infer that the SB+ is at worst similar in ability.

 

[n_maher]

I'm still hoping that Slim decides to release a product somewhere between the SB3 and the Transporter. The jump from $300 to $2000 is not something my wallet can cope with!

 

[morphsci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif actually the difference according 'stereophile' between Rega Apollo and the Ayre CDP was 'human force behind the notes'. And from my experience, Ayre is much better than Apollo. Its the little differences that separates good from great. and the $2000 in price jump in Apollo's case..

Ummm .... NO. Different reviewer + different system = non-sequiter comparison. Using that reasoning the Super Bowl should be between Houston and Green Bay.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Sukebe /img/forum/go_quote.gif Err, did you miss the link I put in on the previous post? The SB+ is basically a rebodied SB3 with major upgrades. Thus conceptually very similar to the Transporter. The price is slightly less than the Transporter. I've never compared to the two, so can't comment from experience, though the feedback I've seen on the net infer that the SB+ is at worst similar in ability.

Yes, I saw that. I use balanced outputs, so the SB+ is not a real option for me. It also doesn't have the word-clock input, which is a major factor for those who want to slave to an external DAC. Nor does the SB+ have any of the digital inputs that allow the Transporter to act as a DAC for any digital source you care to use. I own a Squeezebox 3, and have heard the Boldercables modded SB3, which is a great improvement. However, the Squeezebox simply doesn't have the versatility of the Transporter. Even if the sonics were equal, the Transporter has a feature set that's far more advanced.

 

[morphsci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm still hoping that Slim decides to release a product somewhere between the SB3 and the Transporter. The jump from $300 to $2000 is not something my wallet can cope with!

That's true, but to bring the SB3 up to the transporter level you would at least need to run it into a good DAC. You would also likely have to provide a better power supply. Even on the low end, for example DAC 1 used for $500 and Boulder modified Elpac PS for $125 your at $925 + cables. If you went new on the DAC1 ($975) and went all out for the Bolder Power Supply ($750) your over $2000 right there. I'm not trying to be a squeezebox fanatic here but I have been looking at the same problem and I still keep coming back to the conclusion that at $1999 your going to have to come upon some extremely serious deals to match the quality, convenience and flexibility of the transporter. As always IMO.