How Good a CD Transport is Required to Sound Better than Streaming?

There seems to be a fairly solid consensus (Lucasz Ficus, LL21, Al M, etc.) that CD playback or computer file playback, or perhaps both, sound better than streaming (assuming, of course, that all other variables, including the DAC, are held constant).

But I assume that one cannot assume that any device that can spin a CD necessarily will achieve better sound quality than will streaming.

So how good a CD transport does one need to achieve CD playback which sounds better than streaming? Where do the lines (rising sound quality of better transport and streaming sound quality) cross?

 

I can guarantee the high end capabilities of the Jay's Audio CDt3 Mk3 transport with a Philips CDM 2 laser mechanism. I had two CD-Rs that played up to Track 9 of 23 and 24 tracks on CD burners, CD players (even one with the famed CDM 9 laser mechanism), Alesis Masterlink and my computers. Apparently, these are discs were fading away. They may have been low quality discs or heat may have been a factor as they were gifted to me and old discs. The Jay's play the discs PERFECTLY. I copied the discs to my Alesis and saved the music onto new CD-Rs and on back up drives. If the Jay's can copy nearly extinguished information, imagine how good it is at retrieving everything on a disc (I have 16,100 CDs).

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. Is WAV the highest-quality audio format?
No, WAV is not necessarily the audio format providing the highest quality files. This depends on a lot of factors like bit depth, sample rate, and compression levels. As such, FLAC files can rival the quality provided by WAV.
2. Is there a quality reduction when you convert WAV to FLAC?
As FLAC is a lossless compression format, there is no data or quality loss when WAV files are converted to FLAC files.
3. Why does FLAC sound better?
FLAC can sound better than WAV files in some cases because it uses the lossless compression technique. Therefore, it can offer better apparent sound quality while consuming less storage space in comparison to WAV files.
4. Is FLAC better than WAV?
Whether FLAC is better than WAV depends on the user's specific requirements, as both audio file formats are suited to specific applications and unfit for others. FLAC uses lossless compression and generates files with smaller sizes. WAV, on the other hand, is simpler and uses uncompressed files that are larger in size.
5. Is WAV lossless?
Yes, WAV is lossless because it is an uncompressed audio file format. As such, there is no data or quality loss.

The useless drivel one finds on the internet should always be treated with a healthy grain of salt!

 

My cd transport quit (sounds like a broken belt). I am burning a few cds to my harddrive with Exact Audio Copy. I will post my findings in another day or so.

 

After spending a few hours listening to a select variety of cds thru my headphone rig, I have to report that they have never sounded better.

They now have a more open and relaxed presentation, more graceful if you with a noticeable lack of digital haze and fatigue while allowing one to hear the full quality and resolution limits including its timbre and harmonics, leading to a greater level of sonic contentment and completeness.

On the minus side, I have always found cds to be noticeably anemic in its bass compared to the greater fullness and resolve of a good vinyl pressing. This didn't improve.

This is the first time that I have been able to listen to cds through headphones where I didn't feel compelled to turn it off.