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CD Player/Transports etc?

Does anyone know if the Audiolab transport is the same as or similar to the transport side of the Quad Artera Play?
Yes, very similar, having tried the Audiolab and the Artera Play+ I'd say the Audiolab is just the better transport, but the Artera Play+ is a lovely sounding standalone player, with a great headphone socket. Overlooked IMO.
 
Cheers for the replies all. I've got a cheap Marantz 6006 Brexit Edition to try as a transport, i'm sure it wont be as good as a dedicated transport i don't think the output is buffered like the NAD.

No idea what'll be like as a stand alone CD player tbh (it's got a 5 Star review from What Hifi so it probably sound ****), but it does have an Ipod input too which will come in handy, it can't be any worse in SQ than IPOD audio out can it.
The last dedicated transport i had was a Teac T1, I've still got the front panel from it (long story). If the Marantz isn't up to snuff i'll get a dedicated transport.
 
Good for you ....I'm using a Marantz 6000 OSE Ki, as a transport using its optical out into BenchMark Dac1 HDR and it sounds great and very musical, from time to time i do use its own dac via its RCA outs into the BM then acting as a Pre only ..but mainly its used as a transport ..sounds mellow with lots of detail some how, i suppose its the pro build BM Dac working its magic ..

Enjoy your 6006 ....
 
Using a Moon 260dt recently acquired. Seems they use their own drive in this and their £7500 CD player. Also 10 year warranty on the non moveable bits and plenty of spares too. Nice smooth drawer. Would have investigated the CEC belt drive as a top loader if I’d had the space.
 
Plenty of hi-end DVD players around for sub £100 these days that are excellent CD transports. Depends on whether you want new or not and what your budget would be if the Marantz doesn't work out I guess
 
The Oppo players make good universal transports, unfortunately they don’t make them anymore but do offer support. The newer 203/205 are silly money, I have the 103 and am very happy with it, ripped all my CD’s so sold the pukka CD players and opted for a Denon universal transport that proved unreliable, the Oppo has been solid and means I can spin the occasional Blu Ray, SACD and DVDA music disks I own.
 
People are making it sound like the second coming ;) The older version seems to get a fairly good write up in Stereophile...must be the cheapest component they've ever tested!

"The Marantz CD5004's measured performance indicates that its intrinsic resolution is better than is needed by the CD medium. That it can offer this level of performance for just $350 is astonishing.—John Atkinson"

I've been using a Pioneer multidisc player this afternoon as transport until the Marantz arrives, the Pioneer seems OK bit, into the same Dac switching between the two subjectively it sounds flat, uninvolving and 2D compared to the rip of the same disk.
I've just remembered i have had a Marantz CD player before with a tube output AH Tjoeb! was very euphonic!
 
Saw a recent rave review for a Metronome transport- 10 times the cost of a CXC. I'm gullible enough to consider it even if it was twice as good as my CXC. Doubt it, but has anyone made the comparison?
 
Saw a recent rave review for a Metronome transport- 10 times the cost of a CXC. I'm gullible enough to consider it even if it was twice as good as my CXC. Doubt it, but has anyone made the comparison?

There is also the Denafrips Avatar transport too at £1500, looks a well built toploader...

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Great thread, I have a chord DAC and I have been following many threads and reviews of transports for the last year.
CXC pairs well with Chord DAC.
Audiolab very well built , sound is again a personal preference and DAC depentent.
Moon excellent but very expensive, 10 year warranty does not cover laser .
Denafrips Avatar, right on the money but sales suspended as currently cannot keep up with orders / production, good transport but really shines when using clocked I2S output to Terminator plus DAC (4K.)
Jays audio (same company as denafrips) also produce a very good transport at 2.2k.
 
Ok so the cheap Marantz arrived, the good news is it works OK as a transport with CDs and the Ipod USB in thing on the front both work well via an outboard Dac, the sound coming out of the analog outs is as lightweight and wispy as Donald Trumps hair and about as natural as the hue of his face, simply appalling!
 
I looked at the CXC and the 6000CDT, and opted for the Audiolab as it had track programming and gapless playback. I don’t think the Cambridge transport does.
 
Using a Moon 260dt recently acquired. Seems they use their own drive in this and their £7500 CD player. Also 10 year warranty on the non moveable bits and plenty of spares too. Nice smooth drawer. Would have investigated the CEC belt drive as a top loader if I’d had the space.

would love one of these moon transports , they look very well made
 
An update...i had not seen anything negative written about the Marantz, so was at a bit of loss why it sounds so thin, well blow me over with a feather if the sound hasn't become fuller and much more refined, the top end has lost it's thinness, it's still a bit grey and controlled compared to the outboard Dac via it outputs, but at least now it's listenable.
 
Does anyone have any experience of the Cyrus XT Signature transport, sound appears to be great, reliability is another matter, I have looked up dealership map and hardly any dealer support left....
 
There’s a new Cyrus XR transport due any day so you might want to wait and either get the new one or a deal on the XT. Even though the XR range is positioned above the Signature it’s bound to impact on their sales, I’d be surprised if dealers didn’t knock the Sig price down to clear stock.

Where are you? There are quite a few dealers around including Richer Sounds. I counted about 2 dozen in London, there are still several around in Scotland.
 


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