dCS Puccini CD transport noise


Hello,

I recently bought a new Puccini CD/SACD player. Sound quality is outstanding, and, compared to my previous player (Mark Levinson 390S), a vast improvement.
However, I have one issue. The CD mechanism, when playing discs (or with the pause function activated) is quite noisy. It is a combination of a whirring sound (the spinning disc) and a more constant rustling sound. It is clearly audible from my listening position (3.5-4 meters from the player), e.g. when playing piano and choral music (not to speak of late evening listening). I find this rather annoying, especially as the noise comes from a position squarely in the stereo picture (player on a rack between speakers)

What are the experiences of other Puccini owners in this regard?
richterian
That does not sound normal. My XDS1 has the same drive mechanism and there's no such noise. You have to put your ear up to the drive mechanism (within a foot) to hear it.
I agree that this is not normal. Mine is as silent as it should be. You should go back to your dealer and get a replacement as it is still under warranty. This is a fundamental quality control issue with regard to the whole transport mechanism and a repair job may not solve it permanently - a bit like a new car with a serious engine problem. Send an email to dCS - they have been quite responsive and helpful to me for my past queries.
I vaguely remember that DCS may now be using some TEAC/Esoteric OEM mechanisms. If this were the case, some noise can be heard on some units. It is worth pointing out that noisy TEAC transports do not presage imminent failure... They truly are rock-solid and reliable. If mechanism were not Esoteric instead, a call to the dealer or importer may be in order. G.
it is not normal, Puccini's transport is smooth and almost dead silent.
Contact your dealer for replacement,
Correct. They are very quiet and not one of those units where the noise is a known issue. Great unit-you should be able to enjoy a quiet one. Hope you didn't get yours from sound by singer.
Dead quiet.

Are you putting the Puccini on a dedicated rack?What sort of footers are you using?I would first check that the Player is set absolutely levelled on the rack...
How can it be normal when you're not even comparing the same transport?

Assuming that there is noise using the P-03 (VRDS-Neo), such noise (as you are well aware) comes from the ceramic ball bearings used which are not a part of the VOSP design:

http://esoteric.teac.com/resources/pdf/TransportsEsoteric0408pq.pdf

I understand that you were frustrated with the P-03 but your comments are, at best, irresponsible.
My friend has a Esoteric SA-50 which features VOSP(Vertically Aligned Optical Stability System), the same using on a Puccini. He encountered the same problem as mine.He sold the SA-50. I am responsible for my comments.
So, the VOSP's non-existent ceramic bearings made the same sound as the ceramic bearing in the VRDS-Neo?
I had one to listen to and it was noisy also but got another one and it was not.

PO3/d03 I had a few different combo's "LARGE money" and was shocked with how noisy the transport was and when I commented about such it was kinda ignored as to say it's okay and the norm, sorry but now for me.

I currently have a MBL 1621a and it's dead quiet like I expect it to be. How does one listen to music at low levels and not get distracted never mind if there happens to be low passage and you hear this, for me I would loose concentration and be distracted by such and ruin the whole experience, this all has me scratcing my head.

It was bad enought during day light hours but when the lights went down it seemed to be magnified, drove me nuts to the point of just turning off my system.

If you go and listen to a live performance you don't hear something whirling "spinning" during a intimate or quiet passage.

Come on you manufactures get you stuff together, you are charging us large for this crap.
Thanks for your valuable feedback. I got a replacement. While less noisy than the first item, there is still very significant whirring for my taste, especially with SACDs. I checked a few other Puccinis at dealers - some were quieter still, but none so that I would be able to listen to Debussy, Ravel, Ives, art songs etc without noticing. For me it's hugely distracting. The importer told me that it is basically inherent to the open design of the transport mechanism in which the spinning disk drags the air with it, producing the buzz.
As a solution I thought initially of upgrading to the Scarlatti, but I was informed that due to its heavier build, the transport is certainly not quieter than that of the Puccini. Can Audiogon members confirm that?

I am now thinking of building a plexiglas cover to put over the player, or of changing altogether to another brand, painfully as that may be both financially and soundwise, as I find the Puccini bewitchingly good. Could you recommend CD-players with SACD capability and high quality digital volume control that could match the Puccini? I am thinking of the Accuphase DC800/DC801 combo, or DP-700 player, or the Wadia 781i. Any comments on these vis-à-vis the Puccini? I would plug the player directly into a Krell FPB 400cx (speakers: SF Amati Anniversario). I especially value low-level resolution, tonal accuracy and imaging.
hi. i own the puccini and have also had transport issues. as you know both the puccini and the scarlatti have esoteric transports, though they are of different qualities. there are a number of relevant posts and many users of the scarlatti on this forum.
you must have super-sensitive hearing because whenever i hear the tranpsort i just turn up the volume and that does the trick : )
your least expensive fix would probably be making/ordering a custom box, which could also reduce vibration. the other obvious answer, which I and many others are wrestling with now, is to take the transport out of the loop. with respect to the puccini, this means buying the U-Clock and serving it AIFF files via USB.
best wishes,
Update: thanks to dcs which provided me extraordinary care and went above and beyond to solve a problem that neither they, nor i created, my puccini is back, running and sounds great! to follow up on the current thread. if i put in something very light, like solo piano, try "after the rain, the soft sounds of eric satie," i can hear the transport moving. unfortunately. if anything else is happening, i.e., solo piano and violin, there is enough happening to obscure the transport noise. as is well known, dcs does not make the puccini transport, it is esoteric. i welcome comments from other puccini owners.
Mine is dead quiet. My XO3SE was noisy if I were 6" from it. You must have phenomenal hearing.
Every unit I have heard you can hear when listening to a quiet passage and that's sitting 10 feet away which to me is distracting and taking me out of the moment.

Really leaves me scratching my heard, the money this costs and they can't get this perfected.
I recently bought a Playback MPS-5, second hand, which also has an esoteric mech. It sounds great but the mech is noisy, if I put it on pause I can hear it from my listening position.
when playing it makes a whirring sound which seems similar to what other have heard and can be heard above the music at low level, from a few feet away.
I'm reading this thread for the first time, and I am in shock. Given the price of both CDs and Esoteric products, these transports should be dead quiet.