Why buy a CD Transport?

[Echolane]

I have to admit I have only a vague concept of what are CD transports.. They’ve just never been on my radar. As a result I have what might be interpreted as dumb questions, but sobeit, here goes....

-are they just a CD player without a DAC?
In which case, I will venture a guess that they might be desired because a transport would give the owner the flexibility of upgrading to different DACs while keeping the transport as a longer term investment?
Any other reasons to invest in one?

I have a much treasured Meridian CD Player, 508.24 and I’ve always loved the audio performance. It is down because of a cheap transport part that is no longer available. Could I keep it going by investing in a CD transport the output of which would be fed into its analog (correction: digital) inputs? Would I have to buy expensive because a cheapish transport might adversely affect the sound the Meridian sent on?

Supposing I had a small collection of SACDs and my hypothetical transport was SACD capable, presumably my DAC would have to be DSD capable too? I’m pretty sure I can answer this one myself - yes, of course.

 

[BlueFox]

Could I keep it going by investing in a CD transport the output of which would be fed into its analog inputs?

I think the output of a CD transport will be digital, which can’t go into an analog input.

 

[Echolane]

I think the output of a CD transport will be digital, which can’t go into an analog input.

oops, should have said digital inputs!
But the original question remains.

 

[LL21]

Speaking for myself:

1. If you love your Meridian CD player and it has digital inputs, then you can work with either a server system that sends the music to your DAC or with a transport.

2. In terms of transport, i always loved my Zanden DAC but 10 years ago, i could not afford the matching transport and genuinely enjoyed my Oppo player because it played movies, plus all the formats i could not play thru my DAC (analog outputs to my preamp)...and then I went digital-out to the Zanden DAC. It worked incredibly well for years.

3. Eventually, i traded in the Zanden DAC for a latest spec 4-box Zanden digital set which was both Transport and DAC and have never looked back. I love it. And this is despite the fact that it wont play SACD, DVD-A or Blu-ray music formats.

In sum, i think if you try a really high quality blu-ray player with digital out, you might find it works very well...and gives you further optionality to play other disc formats (DVD-A, Blu-ray, SACD) from the blu-ray player itself that you may/may not be able to play on your Meridian. Alternatively, you could go server (if you are inclined to do some work on burning, etc)...but if your DAC cannot play certain formats, then those files are out for you.

 

[rando]

Supposing I had a small collection of SACDs and my hypothetical transport was SACD capable

Does your hypothetical situation have any interest in Quad or MCH layer of these SACD?

The field opens before you considerably if the answer is firmly negative. You may even find decade old products languishing in the used market serve your purpose with economy. At the very least they greatly expand your available options. You may even uncover another of your preferred Meridian player that makes all this a wash.

Maybe? I found it telling Kal has moved on to 5.2.4. Any mention of MCH playback without at least touching on the current niche it has evolved into would be incomplete.



Adding to LL21's reply. Some good UDP's (universal disc player) will allow you to either a) Power down the video section. b) Output the disc data without going through the DAC section. c) Hook up a NAS/external HDD for playback using the built in DAC section through a proprietary app.

If ripping the SACD to ISO or DSF/DFF is more interesting you could start by reviewing the first post here and perhaps joining the discussion with any particular questions you might wish answered. Of particular initial worth is the very final section where this post detailing all current BDP/UDP capable of ripping to ISO was linked to.

 

[Echolane]

Speaking for myself:

1. If you love your Meridian CD player and it has digital inputs, then you can work with either a server system that sends the music to your DAC or with a transport.

2. In terms of transport, i always loved my Zanden DAC but 10 years ago, i could not afford the matching transport and genuinely enjoyed my Oppo player because it played movies, plus all the formats i could not play thru my DAC (analog outputs to my preamp)...and then I went digital-out to the Zanden DAC. It worked incredibly well for years.

3. Eventually, i traded in the Zanden DAC for a latest spec 4-box Zanden digital set which was both Transport and DAC and have never looked back. I love it. And this is despite the fact that it wont play SACD, DVD-A or Blu-ray music formats.

In sum, i think if you try a really high quality blu-ray player with digital out, you might find it works very well...and gives you further optionality to play other disc formats (DVD-A, Blu-ray, SACD) from the blu-ray player itself that you may/may not be able to play on your Meridian. Alternatively, you could go server (if you are inclined to do some work on burning, etc)...but if your DAC cannot play certain formats, then those files are out for you.

1. I have a hard time discarding things I paid a dear price for, and I paid a dear price for the Meridian when it was new. Nevertheless, putting things down in black and white here suggests that the most practical thing is to say goodbye to the Meridian and replace it with something that plays SACD, at least. I do have the OPPO UDP-205 in my TV system In another room, too bad I don’t have two!

2. I am a bit at a loss to understand this paragraph... are you saying you sent the output from your Oppo player to your Zanden DAC in spite of its inability to deal with any formats other than CD? I think I’m missing something here.

3. I can certainly understand why you like your Zanden product. I bought the Berkeley Reference Series 3 DAC despite the fact that it wont process SACD, DVD-A or Blu-ray music formats. But I wish it did SACD/DSD and I am looking around for a practical way to add it to my main audio system. I foolishly passed on a second UDP-205 and I now regret it.

 

[Echolane]

Does your hypothetical situation have any interest in Quad or MCH layer of these SACD?

The field opens before you considerably if the answer is firmly negative. You may even find decade old products languishing in the used market serve your purpose with economy. At the very least they greatly expand your available options. You may even uncover another of your preferred Meridian player that makes all this a wash.

Maybe? I found it telling Kal has moved on to 5.2.4. Any mention of MCH playback without at least touching on the current niche it has evolved into would be incomplete.



Adding to LL21's reply. Some good UDP's (universal disc player) will allow you to either a) Power down the video section. b) Output the disc data without going through the DAC section. c) Hook up a NAS/external HDD for playback using the built in DAC section through a proprietary app.

If ripping the SACD to ISO or DSF/DFF is more interesting you could start by reviewing the first post here and perhaps joining the discussion with any particular questions you might wish answered. Of particular initial worth is the very final section where this post detailing all current BDP/UDP capable of ripping to ISO was linked to.

I have zero interest in multi-channel. I am strictly a two-channel dinosaur.

it Is clear that we have well passed the peak days of owning and playing the shiny physical disc. when Oppo decided to quit making DVD players it was a clear message to anyone who will listen. Which means that there should be top quality players leaking into the used market for quite a few years to come. Because I am still clinging to owning vs depending only on streaming.

....Maybe? I found it telling Kal has moved on to 5.2.4. Any mention of MCH playback without at least touching on the current niche it has evolved into would be incomplete. .....

Hate to admit ignorance, but I don’t understand your above remarks. Can you clarify?

Nor did I understand your final paragraph. Would you mind posting a link to the discussion you are referencing?

 

[Joe P]

Your Berkeley Audio DAC Reference Series 2+ doesn't do SACD/DSD :http://www.berkeleyaudiodesign.com/alpha-dac-series-2

It does do HIREZ PCM.

If you want to spin discs, I'd look for a used PS Audio Memory Player which can play Reference Recordings HRxs, DVD-As, CDs and has a AES/EBU output which Berkeley recommends.

 

[ddk]

I have to admit I have only a vague concept of what are CD transports.. They’ve just never been on my radar. As a result I have what might be interpreted as dumb questions, but sobeit, here goes....

-are they just a CD player without a DAC?
In which case, I will venture a guess that they might be desired because a transport would give the owner the flexibility of upgrading to different DACs while keeping the transport as a longer term investment?
Any other reasons to invest in one?

I have a much treasured Meridian CD Player, 508.24 and I’ve always loved the audio performance. It is down because of a cheap transport part that is no longer available. Could I keep it going by investing in a CD transport the output of which would be fed into its analog (correction: digital) inputs? Would I have to buy expensive because a cheapish transport might adversely affect the sound the Meridian sent on?

Supposing I had a small collection of SACDs and my hypothetical transport was SACD capable, presumably my DAC would have to be DSD capable too? I’m pretty sure I can answer this one myself - yes, of course.

AFAIK there aren't any CD transports with a DSD output you need to buy an actual disc player with built-in DSD DAC and can only get so called native DSD from it's analog outputs, same with hi Rez DVD. I don't know who makes a universal disc player these days for all those formats at a price that you can afford or will sound as good as your old Meridian but you can still find very good CD transports out there.

david

 

[LL21]

1. I have a hard time discarding things I paid a dear price for, and I paid a dear price for the Meridian when it was new. Nevertheless, putting things down in black and white here suggests that the most practical thing is to say goodbye to the Meridian and replace it with something that plays SACD, at least. I do have the OPPO UDP-205 in my TV system In another room, too bad I don’t have two!

2. I am a bit at a loss to understand this paragraph... are you saying you sent the output from your Oppo player to your Zanden DAC in spite of its inability to deal with any formats other than CD? I think I’m missing something here.

3. I can certainly understand why you like your Zanden product. I bought the Berkeley Reference Series 3 DAC despite the fact that it wont process SACD, DVD-A or Blu-ray music formats. But I wish it did SACD/DSD and I am looking around for a practical way to add it to my main audio system. I foolishly passed on a second UDP-205 and I now regret it.

Hi...what i am saying is that for Redbook...i used to go digital out to my Zanden DAC...it sounded better than the Oppo internal DAC by far. However, for SACD, DVD-A and blu-ray, i just pushed play on the Oppo and went RCA-out to my preamp (ie, using the Oppo DAC). hope that makes sense.

As for meridian, i understand what you are saying...and if you love it, i would suggest the above solution might work for you...and there are no doubt a number of great universal players out there with digital outs for redbook, particularly in the second-hand market.

 

[Lagonda]

1. I have a hard time discarding things I paid a dear price for, and I paid a dear price for the Meridian when it was new. Nevertheless, putting things down in black and white here suggests that the most practical thing is to say goodbye to the Meridian and replace it with something that plays SACD, at least. I do have the OPPO UDP-205 in my TV system In another room, too bad I don’t have two!

2. I am a bit at a loss to understand this paragraph... are you saying you sent the output from your Oppo player to your Zanden DAC in spite of its inability to deal with any formats other than CD? I think I’m missing something here.

3. I can certainly understand why you like your Zanden product. I bought the Berkeley Reference Series 3 DAC despite the fact that it wont process SACD, DVD-A or Blu-ray music formats. But I wish it did SACD/DSD and I am looking around for a practical way to add it to my main audio system. I foolishly passed on a second UDP-205 and I now regret it.

How does the Oppo compare
to your Meridian ? I found mine bested especially in the transport section, even by older high end CD
player’s. Maybe the Meridian can be
repaired, often you just need a new
laser-head. The Chinese have made a few previously discontinued heads available.
I found lasers for my
Krell KPS 25 sc that way.

 

[WDW]

Have a dCS Bartok and recently added a CAMBRIDGE CXC transport. Nice unit. Well built for the price point and sounds surprisingly good. Use a Kimber Spdif digital cable to the DAC. Haven’t spun any discs since selling my Levinson No.39 CD player and moving to a server based system some years ago.....CDs sound better than I all had assumed them to be when computer based audio moved to the fore. Check out a vid from the Audiophiliac where some mods are shown....Dynamat applied to the inner case, etc...best $600 you could spend if your DAC is up to snuff

 

[microstrip]

I had great experience with CEC TL51 series CD players used as CD transports. They use a belt mechanism and optical elements from Sanyo that are easily available at low cost. A very interesting option for the Devialet's, for example, that dislike a reader with lean sound.

 

[rando]

Hate to admit ignorance, but I don’t understand your above remarks. Can you clarify?

I will clarify only that which pertains to the directions you have not eliminated.

Everything was aimed at maximizing SQ of audio discs. Blu-Ray and Universal Disc Player's have additional options to make them perform closer to a transport or simple CD Player. Mostly this deals with eliminating as much interference from and preventing routing of audio through the video sections. Your Oppo has some of this functionality whether you realized it or not. If cables are plugged into any of the audio outputs it will not be sent out through HDMI.

Final part dealt with the stereo layer of a SACD needing to be downsampled to a level at or below your DAC's maximum sample rate, 32/192. 44.1K based SACD would be downsampled to 24/176 and 48K to 24/192. Taking care in how the conversion is done pays dividends. Software using files stored locally is a very good place currently.


The really simple answer you keep pointing towards is keeping your DAC + all other current equipment and finding another CD player. There are tons and it should have no issues playing back the RB stereo layer present on any hybrid SACD. This just leaves the problem of system matching. Everything I'm reading tells me this is probably the route to happiness for you.

Nor did I understand your final paragraph. Would you mind posting a link to the discussion you are referencing?

In fact, two links exist in that paragraph. Below is a bare link you need only click on to have it open in a new tab. Be warned this is quite frustrating even for those with a high level of computer proficiency. For a small number of SACD it might not be worth the effort.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/28569-sacd-ripping-using-an-oppo-or-pioneer-yes-its-true/

 

[Joe P]

AFAIK there aren't any CD transports with a DSD output you need to buy an actual disc player with built-in DSD DAC and can only get so called native DSD from it's analog outputs, same with hi Rez DVD. I don't know who makes a universal disc player these days for all those formats at a price that you can afford or will sound as good as your old Meridian but you can still find very good CD transports out there.

david

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ihib-ps-audio-directstream-memory-player-black-transports

 

[ddk]

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ihib-ps-audio-directstream-memory-player-black-transports

It doesn't have universal DSD output, you're still locked into closed system.

david

 

[Echolane]

I will clarify only that which pertains to the directions you have not eliminated.

Everything was aimed at maximizing SQ of audio discs. Blu-Ray and Universal Disc Player's have additional options to make them perform closer to a transport or simple CD Player. Mostly this deals with eliminating as much interference from and preventing routing of audio through the video sections. Your Oppo has some of this functionality whether you realized it or not. If cables are plugged into any of the audio outputs it will not be sent out through HDMI.

Final part dealt with the stereo layer of a SACD needing to be downsampled to a level at or below your DAC's maximum sample rate, 32/192. 44.1K based SACD would be downsampled to 24/176 and 48K to 24/192. Taking care in how the conversion is done pays dividends. Software using files stored locally is a very good place currently.


The really simple answer you keep pointing towards is keeping your DAC + all other current equipment and finding another CD player. There are tons and it should have no issues playing back the RB stereo layer present on any hybrid SACD. This just leaves the problem of system matching. Everything I'm reading tells me this is probably the route to happiness for you.



In fact, two links exist in that paragraph. Below is a bare link you need only click on to have it open in a new tab. Be warned this is quite frustrating even for those with a high level of computer proficiency. For a small number of SACD it might not be worth the effort.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/28569-sacd-ripping-using-an-oppo-or-pioneer-yes-its-true/

I have read that thread in some detail in the past and my aging brain is no longer willing to make the effort to get into something like that. Anyway, neither of my Oppo players are capable. It is a handicap that my DAC doesn’t do DSD but it does do hi res PCM. No doubt my cheapest solution is to send my smallish collection out for copying and convert the DSD to PCM. But perhaps if I keep my eyes open I will fall into a good player and I would prefer that to sending out for copies and this is in line with your recommendation. A friend of mine bought an Ayre CD/SACD player in pristine used quality and for a good price.

I bought my first Oppo, the 83SE precisely because of the way it keeps analog separate from digital and allows one to stay analog. I’ve always used the analog connections and still do with my newer UDP-205.

 

[Echolane]

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9ihib-ps-audio-directstream-memory-player-black-transports

Something to dream about. I like the design of the PS Audio DAC a lot and this would be a beautiful pairing. But I passed up their DSD DAC to get my Berkeley DAC, in no small part because the source and the price was so very attractive.

 

[Echolane]

How does the Oppo compare
to your Meridian ? I found mine bested especially in the transport section, even by older high end CD
player’s. Maybe the Meridian can be
repaired, often you just need a new
laser-head. The Chinese have made a few previously discontinued heads available.
I found lasers for my
Krell KPS 25 sc that way.

The Meridian has been down three years. I do Know it sounded better than my older OPPO 83SE. I would expect it to sound at least as good as the Oppo 205, but thats Just a guess.
I haven't looked into finding a transport for my Meridian recently. I think it’s hopeless now that CDs have largely fallen so out of favor. I think I need to say goodbye.

 

[Echolane]

Hi...what i am saying is that for Redbook...i used to go digital out to my Zanden DAC...it sounded better than the Oppo internal DAC by far. However, for SACD, DVD-A and blu-ray, i just pushed play on the Oppo and went RCA-out to my preamp (ie, using the Oppo DAC). hope that makes sense.

As for meridian, i understand what you are saying...and if you love it, i would suggest the above solution might work for you...and there are no doubt a number of great universal players out there with digital outs for redbook, particularly in the second-hand market.

Ah, got it, thanks for clarifying. Good idea!