CD Transport / Player Thread

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by MoatsArt, Oct 18, 2016.

  1. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

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    CEC belt drive is my dream player... sadly they are so expensive I would be much, MUCH better off investing in an analog setup ...
     
  2. Shutterbox

    Shutterbox New

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    You might want to also look out for (older) YBA CD players. There's CD1,2,3 and I remember all of them are belt driven models. I remember them being cheaper than the CECs
    There could be other French CD transports out there there also featured belt driven transport
     
  3. Merc

    Merc New

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    Yes I’m aware of other manufacturers using belt drive however if you look into the history of CEC they have designed and manufactured audio component drives since 1954 and most importantly I know someone locally that could do any repairs if ever needed .
     
  4. mrflibble

    mrflibble Friend

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    The vintage Rotel RCD-855 I bought six months ago has begun overheating and sounding very rough. Any ideas on what could be wrong and whether it is easily repairable? Guess I should open it up and see if anything is melting.

    EDIT: Okay, it is not overheating (that is just what my Mom thought). What happens is after about 50 minutes to an hour the sound gets very rough and distorted, this gets worse for a few minutes until eventually the unit stops playing. After waiting 30 seconds approx and then resuming playback the unit will function for a few minutes before distorting and stopping again. I'm guessing the problem is some bad capacitors rather than the CD mechanism?
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2018
  5. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    Yes OPPO 103.
     
  6. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    The manufacturing quality of the laser mechanism/transport servo motors is just el cheapo these days. But that's true of other stuff too. Quality manufacturing is becoming something of a lost art.
    Other than the laser the players drawer is another problem area, Rega, Naim and some others had the right idea in dispensing with traditional drawer style loading. Come a day you might push that eject button, but there's no deplane going on.
     
  7. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    My Oppo BDP-103D does not do this, though I do use a modded digital output board that replaced the original analog board. However, I've also had a BDP-105D hooked up to my Yggdrasil via regular coaxial out and never had the buy-better-gear light go on the Yggdrasil.
     
  8. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Does matter how many times I invest in streaming, a disk spinner is still my favorite format. Blocks off all the outside distractions (smartphone and tablets) and lets me focus on the music.

    I had plenty of disk spinners over the years. Here's what I remember:

    Cyrus CD6: This one was from the mid 2000s, and it has a disk tray loader (before Cyrus moved to slot disk drives, yuck). I got it locally in Jax via Audiogon for $500. Since it was a lowend model, it only had Toslink out and RCA outs. Sounded pretty freaking good. The built-in Wolfson DAC chip gave it the classic British sound (warmish on the highs, midrange like crack, good lows). Used the CD Player as a transport to an Audio GD Compass2 with dual WM8741 DAC chips via Toslink. Had some Grados in the past. Really good setup for the time. Sadly the CD Transport was going out so I was able to sell it for $500 to some guy in Hawaii. Miss that player, it was a classic.

    Harman Kardon HD7600: Got this one about seven years ago for $100 used with no remote. Basic Black Plastic Crap look, very solid CD transport. Sounded good as an early 90s CD player too. Did a good enough job as a Transport. Got rid of it due to I wanted a remote, and it was taking up space.

    NAD 5240: Got this one for $40 on craigslist. Unit didn't sounded too good. Also, no digital outs so I couldn't use it as a CD Transport. Sold it on craigslist for $40.

    Some JVC CD Player from the early 90s: Got it cheap off craigslist. No digital outs. Bright as fudge, but had the good JVC CD Transport that people were raving about back in the day.

    Marantz HD-CD1: This is my current CD Player. I got it last year for $599. To be honest I got rid of my CD Players before picking this one up. I could had gone used but I didn't want to deal with laser/drive problems, so I went with this unit. This is a minor step-up from their basic CD Players for $399 and $499. Excellent build quality for the price. I think the CD transport is a common basic one that is in a lot of CD Players for up to $2000ish (same unit in the Emotivas). I like the fake wood grain on the sides, and it is a smaller size CD player that's heavy at 12 lbs. Built like a tank. It is not made in the Marantz factory in Japan, but in a newer location for them in Vietnam (which is why they were able to sell this for $599). Three year warranty on top of the price makes this one a nice budget unit that doesn't feel like it's Black Plastic Crap (which is the feel I get from Cambridge Audio and NAD). The built-in DAC is the basic Marantz sound I guess. It's polite without warmth. Not bad in a $599 CD player, but at least the unit has toslink and coax out. Put a better DAC in the chain and it will do wonders for a CD transport. Does very well for the most part on poor conditioned discs (but it does skip at times). It's a keeper for the price, I do love the older CDPs that were built like a tank. If looking for a basic Marantz unit, I would look at the HD-CD1 and not the CD6006 or the CD5005. Yes, the CD6006 and CD5005 does a few more things better than the HD-CD1. However, the HD-CD1 cuts a lot of the BS and it only plays CDs and has a decent built-in headphone amp.
     
  9. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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  10. e.schell

    e.schell Friend

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    I've been wanting to spin up some of my cds as opposed to just ripping them and throwing onto a shelf... that Tascam cd-200 seems like a great entry level way of getting into feeding Gungnir Multibit... might have to snag one and give it a whirl....
     
  11. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    I've always been intrigued by the Tascam, but keep hearing that it's tray mechanism still isn't as solid as a lot of the vintage options.

    Still, convenience may win out in the end.
     
  12. Druid

    Druid Hyperactive Tree

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  13. Pogo

    Pogo Friend

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    A lot of my listening continues to be Redbook Cd,been using an excellent Onix CD3 (from the infamous AV123) for the last 8 years without hearing the need to upgrade or update. I am now using it as a transport into a recently acquired Modi Multibit via coaxial without being able to positively state that the Modi Multibit is better to my ears than its built in DAC section (BB PC1738). I also feed the Mimbys optical from a Tascam CDR900SL, yes a slot disc spinner. No contest here, the Modi Multibit is an obvious upgrade over the DAC in the Tascam(AKM?). Kinda fun having level meters during playback again, I rarely used the CDR as a CDP. The slot transport on this 2006 Tascam is very good,no audible jitter to my ears and it plays anything I stick in it. Haven't tried their new in house tray system
     
  14. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    So happy today. I picked up this for $50:


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    California Audio Labs ICON MK-II without the HDCD upgrade. Came with the remote, but not all the buttons work on it. Using it as a Transport on my computer desk (with my personal ThinkPad and dock above the unit), so no need for the remote. Got it hooked via coax (only digital output) to Modi 2 Uber. Sounds good and plays fine. I need to try out the analog outs from the CD Player. People still hunt for this in the wild.

    Real question is why this? When I buy so many CDs, I want to listen to them while I rip them. Nice to have a real CD Player on the desk while I do this task. Also, when I'm on my work Thinkpad (which is not my personal ThinkPad), I can still use my Schiit stack on this. Perhaps I should get a Modi Multibit Multibit and see how much better the Schiit stack on my desk gets with this CD Player.

    Also, this CD Player is heavy as fudge. Still happy I got this for $50. Had to give it a good cleaning before playing.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2018
  15. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    I never got into computer audio. I have to admit being somewhat intimidated by it as I'm a Luddite when it comes to all things computer-related.

    I have been a 2-channel guy for over 40 years, at times being into very high end gear. Right now, living in an apartment, I can't enjoy my 2-channel rig the way I used to when I had a house. I came to the conclusion about a month ago that I would sell off all my 2-channel equipment except for my CD/SACD player. I have a large CD and SACD collection.

    It's a Sony SCD-XA5400ES with VSE (Vacuum State Electronics) Level 7 mods and Terra Firma Uber clock upgrade. I bought it for a song at $850, as retail for the player and mods/clock would have been around $4500. The best way I know of to describe the sound is that it sounds like vinyl. I also have an Oppo 105 that serves as the DVD/BR player. Remeber whan CD players first came out in the 80's? That's a good way to compare the Oppo's sound to the modded Sony. The Oppo is just harsher and less detailed overall. It sounds digital with the accompanying glare.

    I'm a noob here. Whether you guys believe me or not, I don't care. But a good CDP can and does make a difference OR a good transport w/a good DAC. For me, I wanted to be able to play my SACD's as well as my RBCD's so my choice was simple. Keep my disc spinner.

    Below is a review of the modded Sony (I hope I can post this here; if not please delete):

    https://www.dagogo.com/vacuum-state...-sony-scd-xa5400es-or-yamaha-cd-s1000-review/

    As always, with a grain of salt.
     
  16. Bacobits

    Bacobits New

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    Something about a Schiit Transport coming?
    Anyone know anything about this?
     
  17. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    I've had a 2-channel speaker system (full active Linn+Naim) that I was running until about 2000. After marriage, moving twice and having a child, I haven't had a chance to set up that system again because of room configuration and space limitations.

    One of the components in my old system was a Meridian 500 CD transport (a disc reader only, with no DAC). I thought I'd bring it back into service for my desktop system. When I purchased it around 1996, the Meridian 500 was regarded as one of the top high end CD transports. Mine has been sitting on a shelf in the garage for the past 15 years. It had accumulated a good layer of dust and grime, some of the screws for the case had rust, and connectors had some oxidation. However, it cleaned up nicely, especially with its glass top.

    I fired it up and it began working again, except that the drawer tray tended to stick and stop part way. I searched the web and found that Meridian owners have had this issue with older units. I opened it up and lubricated mechanical parts but the problem was that a motor drives a rubber belt to move the tray, and the belt was slipping on the motor pulley. Over time the rubber belt was probably becoming dry and less flexible, providing less grip. Someone recommended applying toothpaste to the belt, and this worked great.

    This thing is heavy and solidly built. When I opened it, I found that the just top of the case alone probably weighs more than some entire CD players. I connected it to my Soekris dac1541, which feels like a flimsy toy in comparison.

    It sounds great, although I only have about a dozen CDs handy at the moment (my CD collection is packed away in boxes). Most of my listening will continue to be on streaming services (Tidal, Spotify, and now Qobuz), but I will be digging out CDs that didn't make it to streaming.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  18. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    I thought I had posted in here but evidently not. I'm currently "rediscovering" CDs and finding that buying them is so much nicer than vinyl right now. I've gone from 3-4 total three weeks ago to about 60-ish? Haven't counted but in any event, they are cheap and as I'm "rediscovering" they can sound fantastic. I've spent a good bit of time acquiring "best of breed" CD pressings to compare against similar quality vinyl masters and I've had some ties, and some wins for each format. LZ Physical Graffiti, for example, is a clear win on vinyl compared to two different CDs I've tried. RHCP Mother's Milk (AAA release) is actually a win via MFSL CD over my original US vinyl. There are others, but I digress.

    It was this thread, I believe, that turned me on to TASCAM. I found a Cd-500b for $189 on eBay and it has been terrific, feeding my month-old Yggdrasil 2A via AES/EBU. It has been so impressive to me that I plopped down $2k for a Jay's Audio CDT-2 Mk 2 which I will hopefully have by Christmas. As I learned quite plainly with vinyl - source matters, and so I'm very curious to see if the same gains can be had in SQ for CD as they were with vinyl simply buy buying a "spinner" that was over-engineered and built with SQ in mind, only, opposed to the TASCAM which has a ton of prosumer features I will never use.

    Lastly, I did a couple head to heads - nothing exhaustive* - but compared a couple perfect EAC rips of CDs I owned via Sonore MicroRendu > Yggdrasil A2 USB vs the TASCAM via AES/EBU. Maybe it's just the input itself but I was getting the slightest glare/haze via USB/MicroRendu vs CD in the upper ranges. Cymbals felt less splashy and, in the best way I can describe it in text, felt more digital/pixelated via USB. Transient attack seems sharper and the overall presentation seemed to have more scale and more decay from CD vs USB. In a word, CD sounded closer to vinyl than I ever expected it would, and USB sounded like... USB. Recalling an older PC audio setup that went i2s into an Aqua DAC (this was 3 years ago so specifics are long gone), I still prefer the sound of CD + Yggdrasil 2A over that older setup, but there are so many variables in play it's really not apples to apples.

    So anyway, enjoying building a different side of my music collection and rediscovering CDs!

    Nothing exhaustive* - as I learn more about my preferences within this hobby, physical media is something of an implicit bias for me so I would take my listening results with a tiny grain of salt. I have no interest in streaming or digital files in my audio room when I'm sitting down to listen. Something about the physical media draws me into the experience more, so that is certainly at play in my brain during those couple evaluations I performed.
     
  19. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

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    I am currently using a cd transport with Gungnir Multibit.
    I wonder is there a cd transport that can output usb audio so i can play my cd's
    through my pc so i can use EQ?
    I have tried with an ordinary usb cd/dvd burner from plextor but the sound is trash.
     
  20. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Got the Jay's player in today. Will be listening heavily over the holidays to see how it stacks up against the mighty TASCAM .
    [​IMG]
     

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