My CD-player stopped working. Does it make sense to invest in a new CD-transport?
My older CD-player stopped working, so I am considering whether I should go now for a new CD transport. Most of the time I stream audio (Qobuz) and I have a many €€€€ streamer and DAC. So no need for a CD transport?
However, though I haven't bought a CD for at least 10 years, some people say that a CD still sounds better than streaming. And I have a huge collection (classical, jazz, blues, pop). I was looking at the front loader Teac PD 505t or the newer model PD 507t (about €1000-1300). Does that make sense? Or just forget about CDs and CD-players, keep or rip some for the good memories when buying them, and donate or sell the rest? What do you think?
I suspect my response as worded comes across with an "edge" I wasn't originally cognizant of. My apologies. If memory serves, I paid 2k for the Moon and 2.5k for the Jay's. The latter just seems to extract more sonic information from the disc. I'm not technically astute, so this may not be what actually occurs. It's simply the best verbal description I can formulate for what I've heard.
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With respect, from my reading of the CDT2MK3, it outputs using I2S over an HDMI cable. This is not a native HDMI implementation! I2S performs no error detection and no error correction. It was originally designed by Philips in 1986 to allow two chips on the same board to pass 2-channel 16-bit PCM signals. Presumably to avoid paying HDMI licence fees, I2S is now being fed into HDMI sockets and then HDMI cables to transfer 2-channel digital between boxes. The lack of any error detection or correction means that cable lengths should be kept to a bare minimum. If this is not a warning, I don't know what would be. The fundamental proposition for digital is that errors can be detected and corrected So in view of the lack of error detection, let alone correction, I am not surprised that transports using I2S may sound different, but I agree with @malbers original proposition that only the separate DAC really matters for CD transports (with the qualification that they must natively output HDMI or similar) |
you may have cd’s that qobuz doesn’t have. I’m not buying any cd’s, but I know I have some that qobuz doesn’t. The question for me is how much would I listen to the cd’s that aren’t streamable.
probably very little if at all. But it would gnaw at me. Ideally you can get a decent transport for 300USD or less |
Peehaps the decision would be easier if you figured out the minimum quality/cost transport you feel is at the same level as your system, then evaluate if it is worth it. We do not know how much you like to spin CDs, only you can determine if it’s worth your money. This hobby, like most, is based in wants, not needs. |
