Pro-Ject CD Box DS3 "Redbook" Player


Leave it to Pro-Ject to actually listen to what audiophiles are asking for. This new CDP uses the same Streams Unlimited CD-80 Blue Tiger Servo as their $3200 CDT top loader. If it gets the same improvements from reading a CD and one can live with its own internal DAC, this could be a game changer for the low, low price of about $760 (€699).  

Here's the skinny.

All the best,
Nonoise

 

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The copy describing the SU CD Pro 80 servo says that its manufacturer (SU) is the most advanced servo manufacturer in the world.

Thanks @acresverde

That clarification makes perfect sense. I was pretty certain that Stream Unlimited touts the Blue Tiger CD Pro-84 servo as their best unit. I have no doubt that their CD  Pro- 80 servo is also quite capable. Teaming up with Stream Unlimited was a very smart decision by Pro-Ject. 

Charles

Our massive aluminum chassis provides the best basis for the CD drive and our BlueTiger CD-80 servo developed by Stream Unlimited is the most advanced on the market. 

That's straight from Pro-Ject's own website, which was the first that I linked to.
It's not until the 3rd review I linked to (in a follow up post) that states "manufacturer" and that copy has unnecessary and incorrectly hyphenated words which can be from a bad translation. In fact, that particular copy with the poorly hyphenated words is used in other publications announcements that came out later. Not all of them, but some.

That is some real nit picking. Does someone have an axe to grind, or what?

All the best,
Nonoise

@nonoise     Sorry about that last post. I'm not here to pick on anybody but, after using the link you provided of the review from High Fidelity whatever it appeared you got it wrong and I was just trying to clarify. That would have made you two for two in this thread, hence my comment (which many would have been much snarkier about). But you were right and I'm here to acknowledge same. If you go to the first link you provided it says plain as day exactly what you reported. So, again, sorry about that. Now the question is, as Charles pointed out, has the CD-80 supplanted the CD-84 as king of the heap?

@acresverde , Hey, it’s all good. It’s just that sometimes it can seem a bit confounding with the responses one gets. Hard to decipher intent.

As for whether or not the CD-80 supplanted the CD-84 is up for grabs. I’ve emailed Pro-Ject about that and have yet to hear back from them.

The way they describe it, it’s a 1:1 bit perfect rendering of the CD and that’s not mentioned in any of their other transports or players, save for the CD box RS2 T. This can all be an evolutionary and further development, or it could just be that due to the internal layout being different (top loader vs slot), a new board was required to occupy a different location and something new was worked out.

I also noticed that there are only two player/transports that use the Blue Tiger servos as none of the others mentions the use of them. I would imagine that just the use of them puts them in a higher category.

Time will tell until I hear back form them, but I plan on getting it and hopefully the reviews will address the matter.

All the best,
Nonoise

Time will tell until I hear back form them, but I plan on getting it and hopefully the reviews will address the matter.

All the best,

@nonoise69 

I was under the impression that you were getting the CEC TL5 transport based on your comments in another thread. I don't believe you could go wrong with either.  I definitely believe that you'll be very happy with the Pro-Ject.  The Stream Unlimited technology they utilize  is a difference maker in my opinion. 

Charles