If you still spin CD's their is a reference level Transport for reasonable money

@aolmrd1241 ,
Srajan has that gift of gab, but he knows his stuff. There's a lot of word play going on with his style of writing and yes, sometimes my eyes cross but then it all comes together in the end. 👍

He's one of the few reviewers out there that has plenty of gear to try and he'll do just about every combination he can with what he has to determine what will, or won't, work with a given piece of equipment. 

All the best,
Nonoise

Hey Guys,

Srajan Ebaen, of Six Moon website, just completed his review on the transport.  He came to the same conclusions that I have reported here on this thread.  He was also kind enough to include my comments/viewpoints to other highly regarded transports in his extensive review.  Srajan, awarded a "BLUE MOON AWARD" to this great piece.

Guys,

Thanks for the update, I only read the initial impression but will read this thoroughly after getting the kids in bed tonight :)

Wig

It's a good read, @wig  Keep the credit card close by. : )

@ david_ten

I had no choice but to, especially after selling my PS Audio PWT a few days ago :) :) :)

Wig

I'm thankful for audiophiles like Teajay and Srajan who invested time, money and a whole lot of energy learning these new skill sets and I'm glad that I can keep spinning my shiny discs, being that it's on par with top flight mediums; no interest in servers or hi-rez...  

Wig

I just acquired a PS Audio PWD MK2 and may look into getting the matching PWD Transport because I still spin CD’s.

The one thing that gives me pause about this transport is the comment that they recommend it not be left on for any more than 24 hours at a time... I’ve never heard anything like this before. Leaving power tubes on while not playing music, sure. But a solidstate something should be able to be left on...and even sound better after 24 + hours on.
I’ve recently heard the Denafrips Terminator sound better after on for days.
Is there a chance that due to this fact one may never hear the transport at its best—after on for days?? And what will happen I’d on3 forgets to turn it off over night?

Hey jriggy,

You are confusing the CDT-2 MK3 with the CDT-3 MK3.  The CDT-3 MK3, because of the heat from its internal clock, it is recommended to turn it off after 24 hours.  The CDT-2 MK3 has no such concerns and I leave mine on all the time.

Oh, that’s good news! Thanks so much for clarifying this for me :) 

OK Kids, so Ive finally spent some time with the PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Red Cloud. Its what I expected for the most part. Look, its not a bad DAC, to me its run of the mill. Good. In no way great as far as I’m concerned, but realize, my reference is a Rockna Wavedream Signature Balanced .. to date I have not had a better DAC through here. Tonight Ive got a Vermeer Two which is the continuation of the French Company Audio Aero.. made some heavy hitter DACs back in the day. Its $20K so lets see how she does. I also have a MSB Analog DAC, another I’m not familiar with.

So the direct stream DAC is absolutely best on I2s in fact so much so that I would ONLY consider this DAC if you plan to use it with i2s or not purchase it at all.. I know much better DAC’s for $3K (Rockna Wavelight, Exogal Comet) which is what the real street price for the PS Audio is. Its rolled off on top. Absolutely zero leading edge, therefore not present nor 3D. Mid was grainy to me, and good bass. I am being objective and fair, if it was great I would say so and apologize for talking smack. I think the Metrum Acoustics Adagio does this type of sound better, because its R2R and NOS, but smooth musical and organic. The PS did not approach "real" in terms of the sound, the good thing is it only misses the boat for me because of what it does not do, not because it does anything bad. But the firmware updates and stuff ?? To me looks like a tool to keep the client base, if it changes things so greatly then at best you have a DAC in which you can not count on its character, because its always in flux.. so you must retune the rig every update. You guys should charge PS labor, for the re tune you must do each time. So I recommend Metrum Acoustics Adagio over PS. what I really dig about Adagio is it does not play DSD, but it does have a MQA module. So now when I tell someone the weak link is the PS , I know from experience .
@ Ducks2007 My opinion is polarized on pretty much all things. I’m an all or none OCD type freak that notices all the little things. I dont need credentials to make big statements, have you vetted your beloved reviewers and thier "credentials" ? Let me purge facts if thats what floats your boat. I design HiFi products, and Ive done this as a full time career for the last 15 years, Ive learned about audio from Mark Levinson, Neslon Pass, and Jeff Rowland (among others). I have owned an amplifier manufacturing company in California whose lineage went back to Altec Lansing. Ive sued a company in the industry for copyright infringement and won. Ive filed a patent for a connector that replaces both RCA and XLR as obsolete. I used to travel to other states to see the Grateful Dead, My girlfriend is Costa Rican, I drive a Volvo, I had Thai for Lunch, and I put on my underwear the same way everyone does this A.M. So I am a regular guy just doing my thing and my opinion is never worth any more than any other human. We are all equal in our right to talk smack. PS is the weak link in your rig.. get past it and new realms will open up to you.. Just sayin..
all the best gang, I’m going to disappear for a while. Find me on You Tube under "OCD HiFi Guy" I will post the videos I took of Rockna Wavedream Sig vs PS Audio Directstream DAC.. Happy Listening !

Wig , I look forward to your comments!  Now I don’t know if you ever experienced this before waiting on a delivery of a new component is that linear time seems to slow down,. 

Mike all though my own experience comparing digital front was on a different scale I have settled with my own Rockna dac and look forward to your comparisons of your Rockna Sig and that of the Vermeer and MSB dacs .

@ in_shore

Will do and it’s going to be a treat since I have upgraded an already spectacular SW1X DAC II reviewed a few months ago to an SW1X DAC III now, which I will have in 8 days or so that will compliment my Jay's CDT2 MK II Transport:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/sw1x-audio-design-dac-ii-absolute-top-tier-ref-nos-dac

SW1X DAC III

http://sw1xad.co.uk/product/sw1x-dac-iii/

Wig

Right on ,

@wig I'm also very interested in your findings, as I am considering this transport as well, to replace my Musical Fidelity M1 and my April Music Stello CDT100. 

@wig 
I was hoping to get an analysis of sorts over your last Transport...but with a new DAC at the same time that will not be possible. 

Maybe someone else has one on order that is dropping it into a farmiliar situation. 

jriggy,

Hopefully others who are still spinning CDs will chime in after purchasing this CD Transport which I find the build quality, fit and finish to be Outstanding!

Burning in on my sound-bar until my DAC arrives by the end of next week and it reads discs within 3 seconds which is quite impressive...

Wig

While I am looking for a new transport, sadly Jay chose not to include TosLink

@wig 
please still let us know. With the familiarity you have with your DAC, maybe you will be able to quantify its upgrades and see what the Transport may be adding...maybe.  

Hey wig,

Are you close to sharing what you think of the Jay's Audio transport's sonic performance?  A few listeners, last week, were quite impressed in the improvements they heard in my reference system over the CEC double belt transport.  Everyone comments on it's build quality and beautiful appearance.  They all assumed that it must retail for at least 8K to 10K, until I inform them that it's much less expensive.  Then they are quite shocked you get this type of value for such a reasonable price.

@teajay when will your review on the Jay's be published

I check hometheatrereview.com every day and every night; hoping; praying; to see a new article by Terry London. alas, there is none.

Hey k4rstar,

I have three reviews in-line to write, so the review on this transport won't be done for awhile.  If you want more information, please send me an Email through the GON and I'll be happy to discuss the details.

Hello Terry

I used to use CEC TL 0x about 15 years ago for 3 years.

It had a very sharp focus and details.

I still miss it sometimes.

Do you think that Jay’s CDT-2 Mkii could be better than CEC TL0x in terms of focus and details?

thanks in advance

Thomas

Hey Thomas,

The answer to your question is yes.

Just unboxed and set my CDT-2 up .......

So far it's destroyed my previous transport (Musical Fidelity M1 CDT). More of everything, and it just puts everything together much better. Images are denser. The picture is more coherent 

This is with less than a couple hours on it. 

lordcloud, I have the a Terminator and CDT2-mk.2 transport using the I2s connections and the pairing is excellent.
I like it much better then my PS Audio Memory player and Directstream DAC combo.
The Terminator is open, has great prat, and dynamic with very good micro and macro detail. I think it is transparent and not colored. What it isn't is dry, thin, sterile, and fatiguing. 
Tonally, it sounds natural with nice texture and has some meat on the bones  (which to me is how a lot of acoustic instruments sound) but still has bite when a trumpet is blown harder, IMHO.  

This one could be his reference dac now.

https://hometheaterreview.com/lab-12-dac1-special-edition-reviewed/?page=2

@snopro 

Thanks for your insight. After doing more research, as of right now I'll be going with the Terminator. It seems to fit the bill for what I'm looking for, versus what I can actually buy. Had I the money, I'd be looking at a Aries Cerat Kassandra, MSB Select II, or TotalDac Twelve.....but the Terminator seems awesome, and I'm loving being able to use I2s. Though I could save up longer and get an Aqua Acoustics Formula......I think I'll be happy with the Terminator. 

Thanks again. 

Lordcloud, bring the transport to skip's

@lordcloud  Congratulations on going forward with the Denafrips Terminator.

I was planning on responding to your post which I believe you have self-removed. If you would like my take on the questions you raised, feel free to reach out via PM. I second @snopro  's assessment. 

All the best.

Are these being shipped from the USA or overseas. If overseas are there any tax issues?

Post office doesnt collect Duties/Taxes etc.  If you use UPS/FEDEX/DHL your screwed and you will be subject to fees.

@mboldda1 

He's about 3 hours away fro me now, but who knows. 

I ordered mine through Mike Powell and didn't have to pay any additional fees that I'm aware of. It was delivered by DHL. 

@david_ten 

Yeah, I did some research and saw what dac you were referring to. It isn't balanced and therefore won't work for me, but I'm still on the lookout to see if there's a dac I'd rather have besides the Terminator. 

@snopro 

I've also heard the Aqua, but not in my system. The system I heard it in is great, but I couldn't say exactly how much of that is the Aqua, though I imagine it is a sizable amount.

At this point, the Terminator is my choice, but since it will be after the holiday when I'm able to pull the trigger, I'm on the lookout for something that may be better for me. I'm really looking for as much transparency, information retrieval, and neutrality, that I can get for my money. 

lordcloud good luck with your search!

@lordcloud  Again congratulations on going with the Terminator.

If you are still evaluating DACs, you may want to consider the Rockna. There is one currently listed on Audiogon.

As you know I am very happy with the Terminator's performance in my system. However, these are personal journeys and if you are looking at other DACs, I think the Rockna should also be on your list as should the Aqua Formula xHD.

If you do get one or more in, be sure to share your comparative findings. All the best.

@wig How do you rate your CDT2 Mk2?

@garrard


I had CDT2 Mk2 connected to EmmLab Dac2 for 2 weeks.

It is not better than CEC TL0x that I had used 15 years ago.

But it is very close.

Please note that used CEC TL 0x still cost 10K.

CDT2 Mk2 provides good details and well balanced sound stage.


teajay OP1,254 posts10-05-2018 9:10pmHey Thomas,

The answer to your question is yes. Report thisshkong78207 posts10-05-2018 5:35pmHello Terry

I used to use CEC TL 0x about 15 years ago for 3 years.

It had a very sharp focus and details.

I still miss it sometimes.

Do you think that Jay’s CDT-2 Mkii could be better than CEC TL0x in terms of focus and details?

thanks in advance

Thomas

^^^
Thanx for the input, that means it was great in your system.

At this point, one of the few transports I'd take over my CDT-2 MK2, would be the CEC TL0x. Or the Kalista transport.

I wish my current DAC had an HDMI I2S input, so I could hear the transport at its best. 

^^^
Which DACs have you tried with your CDT2 and have you tried S/PDiff and AES/EBU?

@ garrard

I'm really enjoying my CD2 MKII, definitely hearing better extension on top and bottom octaves with more precision in imaging and sound-staging. 

Wig

@garrardI

I have only used the transport with my modified MHDT Labs Pagoda.