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?
 
Last edited:
Do believe I understand that. Find it difficult to sit with someone and listen when they are “channel flippers”. Grew up enjoying pop/rock albums for their compositional value as well. Perhaps it is no so diff, in analogue or physical digital realms. We practice a physical meditation. The whole gestalt. It slows us down to sit for a while, and enjoy

* your bonus for being a possible contrarian is loads of inexpensive media.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lagonda
I have interconnected reasons not to embrace streaming. One is sheer self-defeating bloody mindedness fused w OCD levels of having avoided computers and computer interfaces in all other aspects of my life. From a pure hifi POV, it took me a long time to get into digital at all, even longer to find the CDP that ticks every box I can ask of it, and a long time also to get my vinyl to fully excel. Now I love both formats agnostically. And I'm not going to go thru the whole learning curve again effectively with a new format/collection of gear, my take already biased against and jaded because of my instinctual lack of connection to computers.
 
When I was doing a lot of listening and testing through headphones I noted that the same file resident on my hard drive sounded way better that the streamed version. I wonder how many have had the same experience and whether the difference between physical CD and stored file is similar.
 
When I was doing a lot of listening and testing through headphones I noted that the same file resident on my hard drive sounded way better that the streamed version. I wonder how many have had the same experience and whether the difference between physical CD and stored file is similar.

I've heard from many users that stationary file is better than streaming. As for physical CD vs stationary file, after many years I have finally heard file replay in another system that rivals physical CD.

For CD replay, I am making sure that the jitter is as low as from computer audio, with an Empirical Audio re-clocking system subsequent to my Simaudio Moon CD transport.

Best of both worlds from physical CD: low jitter as computer audio, but without RF noise problems often associated with the latter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CKKeung
Outdated ? They say that about tubes and vinyl.. Yet they’re what many prefer..
I don’t use mine much anymore, but I’m not giving it up.
 
A photo is worth a thousand words.
This is quaddiffusor's new acquisition :

IMG_2692.JPG

 
Is there any update on the Schitt transport as to its specifications or as to the timing of its release?
Good morning Ron, I’ve been following the main Schiit story on Headfi, where Jason leaks out some information about new products, etc.. No release date set, just forthcoming is all that’s mentioned. much of their current product inventory is on back order because of supply Issues. I am wanting the transport as well. The “Urd”, transport is being beta tested.

  • Urd. We’re going into beta on this, so we are close. You’ll see our transport/digital hub this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: matthias
Good morning Ron, I’ve been following the main Schiit story on Headfi, where Jason leaks out some information about new products, etc.. No release date set, just forthcoming is all that’s mentioned. much of their current product inventory is on back order because of supply Issues. I am wanting the transport as well. The “Urd”, transport is being beta tested.

  • Urd. We’re going into beta on this, so we are close. You’ll see our transport/digital hub this year.

Thank you kindly for this update!
 
Pardon me if this is a foolish question but why would you buy a new CD, not listen to it, then just rip it for streaming ?? Wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a high rez download ??
There are still plenty of titles that are only available via physical media as in can't stream on either Qobuz or Tidal. Apple Music doesn't count. :)

George
 
I still use transports. I have two transports hooked up to my dac now. One is a 47 labs flat fish, the other is a Vitus Audio MP-T201.
Interested in the Vitus MpT201 as I’ve just purchased a MP DAC and can find a used T201 or a DSC Vivaldi transport….
how do you find the t201 and has it been updated as it’s a bit hard to follow vitus upgrade history??
Thanks
 
There are 2 issues that affect file playback/streaming:

1) when tracks within an album/folder play consecutively one after another, there is significant degradation of sound in the way soundstaging collaspe and many subtle musical details are not being reproduced. This problem arises due to memory retention in playback software/hardware. The way to avoid this problem is to exit the album/folder before the current track (let's say track 1) ends, go to another album/folder to select a track to play it briefly (less than 10secs is ok) and then exit to go back to the original folder to play that track that comes next (track 2). By doing this, track 2 will sound open and dynamic with fully blosoomed soundstaging. OTOH, by allowing track 2 to be played consecutively after track 1 ends, track 2 will sound dulled and closed-in, with a sense of impediment being introduced to the flow of musical ease. If one enjoy listening to an entire album from beginning to end with consistent sound quality, file playback / streaming is not ideal

2) a lot of DACs have problem dealing with sampling rate changes as tracks with different sampling rates are played right after one and another. Frankly, I only began to notice this after upgrading to a streamer with higher res capability. previously with a streamer that peaks out at 44.1khz when I play normal tidal files or tidal MQA files. That's when the problem starts. I starts to hear audible artefacts when sampling rate changes, especially quite common when playing tracks from a recommended playlist. The problem with Tidal is that, even within an entire studio album by an artiste, there could possibly with sample rate changes! I notice this happening with both the meitner dacs, with some blu-ray players streaming files off storage devices, and with soundbars streaming from Tidal/Qobuz. It could possibly be an industry-wide problem.
 
Hi 3125simon,

Physically the Vitus MP-T201 is big and very heavy. Sonically, I would say it is as musical and as emotionally expressive as the Flatfish transport. I betters the Flatfish in detail retrieval. The same music when played through the Vitus sounds so much richer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Young Skywalker
Hi 3125simon,

Physically the Vitus MP-T201 is big and very heavy. Sonically, I would say it is as musical and as emotionally expressive as the Flatfish transport. I betters the Flatfish in detail retrieval. The same music when played through the Vitus sounds so much richer.
Thanks for the feedback.
I’ll use the transport of my Vitus SCD -2 which is very similar to the MP-T201, via SPDIF…
Let’s see how it sounds when my MP-D201 arrives
Thanks simon
 
Though sales have dropped drastically there's still a market albeit small for high end CD players and transports. There are people like me who don't find computer audio the least bit compelling sonically and this is irrespective of hardware, UI and operating software problems. The main challenge for new high end CD transport/players isn't computer audio but the great and cherished transports that some of these companies made a couple of decades ago are still in daily use.

david
My wife listens casually and dances to streamed music but for serious listening no computer based system I've heard sounds as musical as my Modright modified Marantz SA8005 sacd player with custom analogue tube (2 x 5687) output stage and separate tube (5AR4/5U4G) rectified power supply.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing