Are Transports Obsolete?

It surprises me in this day and age that transports continue to be developed, and presumably sold. I know this has at least been in part to the physical media aspects of spinning one's CD library. Also, Transports, particularly of the cost no object variety, can be more 'sexy' than servers.

We 'know' that server technology has, for all intents and purposes, eclipsed transports in the last few years, but the best of the best transports continue to garner enthusiasm if not raves from some reviewers that I really respect.

Are there any out there that, having bought a server, have recently been drawn back or towards the world of transports?
What is your server and why and what transports have you or are you reconsidering?

 

I will keep my Denafrips cd transport .. for simple fact it is so much cost effective for the sound quality that I can achieve with it.

My 7x more expensive server/player, excluding 2x Uptone EtherRegen with external oxco clocks, for hires Qobuz streaming and music files, including hires dsd, on 2x 4TB internal ssd are the oladra upgraded Antipodes CX/EX to my upgraded Denafrips Tplus.

My Avatar tranport is synced to the upgraded oxco clock of the Denafrip Tplus for my more serious listening session that I revert to spinning the silver disc.

Cheers.

 

Agree with you 100%!

At this moment I am eagerly waiting for Audionote UK to launch their new cd transport mechanism.

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Belt-drive, a lot of panzerholz-like material and with a big/powerful motor.
It will likely break the ground in cd transports.
Peter said that it's a benchmark invention/product but I guess the price may be a benchmark too.

As I discovered lately: “wood may be the new black”

 

The problem is - those with huge collections of LPs, CDs and tapes are very much in the minority compared to those without, and the younger gen who (mostly) could care less about media, everything is streamed.

I have a large CD collection and I actually LOVE CD's!!!!! However I'm also a computer geek nerd. This is an advantage in the area of tech. People who love their transports/dac combos, turntables, reel-to-reels ....more power to them, they're great players. I just found that I can have the fidelity that I want, along with some automation. I'm debating adding DIRAC to my system and running it from JRiver as a vst. It's not the streaming for me (I don't own Tidal, Apple Music....I may own YouTube Hires...yes I do, but I don't use it ..my wife does), it's the tweakability. I'm also an old Naval CT....I remember sitting behind an old r390, or working AIT, or an Ullman system.....yeah tweaking city indeed!

 

Do Peter & his son Daniel of Audionote UK have a problem of too many LP?

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No of course!
It's a treasure cave!

And it forms a good corner for those Audio Note AN-E speakers!

 

That may be the reality but why is it a problem?

It's a problem if you're into physical media as less and less new music is available.

 

It's a problem if you're into physical media as less and less new music is available.

I am mostly into classical, and I find that most of the recordings I am most drawn to are not new. But I'm also thinking that many of the newer (a relative term here) classical recordings are also available on CD/SACD.

 

I am mostly into classical, and I find that most of the recordings I am most drawn to are not new. But I'm also thinking that many of the newer (a relative term here) classical recordings are also available on CD/SACD.

Yes, 95 % or more of them. Yet there are a few gaps appearing. Nothing to worry about yet in the grand scheme, but over time eventually it will have an impact.

I am still buying CDs while I can, don't plan to worry about computer audio yet. That would be a major headache as far as I'm concerned, contrary to what the file fundamentalists are claiming.