So many people prefer to play digital via a physical CD and the good, old CD transport vs. a digital file. What could it be about the CD vs. digital file or CD transport vs. digital transport that people find the old way of doing it more palpable , more "real"?
What COULD it be about files vs CDs that many find CD transports more "Real" than digital transport?
- Thread starter caesar
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One word: Noise
I used to believe a CDP was better, but I believe files off a decent server can be as good, even better than spinning the silver discs. But there are some amazing CDPs out there, so not as clear as it may seem. USB IMO has partly ruined the servers chances. But, think about it, why would a laser picking up data off a spinning mechanical device sound better than a 'perfect' copy of the original file from the studio (both as RedBook) off a static SSD?
But then, why does vinyl sound 'better'? Go figure.
Hi Kal, I understand it's a controversial subject, but I wonder if you would hold the same opinion if you compared your Baetis server vs. a top of the line Esoteric transport.
The answer is complex I feel but I can try to quantify a few points
One is a cd transport is optimized for cds and in doing so has a sound quality that is voiced for us. No matter what some feel there is nothing absolute in digital. It's all made up from many bits and pcs put back together.
A SHM sacd is not better just because of the remix and mastering
It's also better from the media that is used in making it.
Rip it and the 1/0 are the same but sound different based on the many variables used to process it.
There is no final voicing of end sound . Just what we pick
Having a CD player that I do in my umt plus gives me a slightly different view. If I kept using just it my taste would be skewed to it I suppose. I rarly play Any discs. But for those who do I'll bet they would prefer it to a server. That I mostly use.
One is a cd transport is optimized for cds and in doing so has a sound quality that is voiced for us. No matter what some feel there is nothing absolute in digital. It's all made up from many bits and pcs put back together.
A SHM sacd is not better just because of the remix and mastering
It's also better from the media that is used in making it.
Rip it and the 1/0 are the same but sound different based on the many variables used to process it.
There is no final voicing of end sound . Just what we pick
Having a CD player that I do in my umt plus gives me a slightly different view. If I kept using just it my taste would be skewed to it I suppose. I rarly play Any discs. But for those who do I'll bet they would prefer it to a server. That I mostly use.
IMHO you are omitting the most important part - people prefer a matching CD transport, sometimes dedicated to the DAC. IMHO it is not a question of generic transport versus server, but an optimized player + DAC system versus file server. Again IMHO what makes it a winner is that in a CD transport based system the whole set is a controlled match, something that very seldom happens in servers. We have however examples of it, such as the Trinity server /DAC or the Lampizator server.
Dunno but I do not know if any Esoteric transport will output multichannel in an accessible format. Do you?
,
+1 as well. Also, having just self installed the new USB 5 card into my Yggy, I don't find USB to be a compromise at all. All those USB things are now out of my system. For good.
I switched to a good server when we did a blind comparison of it vs a dCS transport (and the rest of the dCS chain - clock, upsampler and DAC). Guessed the transport 100% of the time.
My theory: the physical media (coupled with the transport) is the weak link in the digital chain.
Using one of the better programs for copying CD's to your computer insures that it is a bit-for-bit copy. We also used an extremely high quality 24/96 A to D converter on analog (turntable) input and, blind, could not tell the difference.
Just sayin' !
My theory: the physical media (coupled with the transport) is the weak link in the digital chain.
Using one of the better programs for copying CD's to your computer insures that it is a bit-for-bit copy. We also used an extremely high quality 24/96 A to D converter on analog (turntable) input and, blind, could not tell the difference.
Just sayin' !
Hi Audioguy, considering that you were able to guess the CD transport 100 per cent of the time opens the possibility that some may have a different preference than you and actually prefer the sound of that transport to the digital server.
I am all for synergy, and agree with you that those who are lucky enough to have synergistic components in their system do get better sound. Yet if someone is a CD transport guy, he will be happy running a top of the line Esoteric in his Vivaldi system rather than a digital server (if he can't get the Vivaldi CD transport).
Most anything is possible. But for the two of us who participated, the benefits of the server were abundantly clear. All of the things that most audiophiles cherish (space between notes, silence where there should be silence, soundstage size, attack, etc) were clearly on the side of the server. The guy who owned the transport (and who participated) was more than a bit chagrined in that the cost difference between the server and transport was huge!!
All that notwithstanding, most certainly others could have preferred the transport. That is why there is more than one amplifier manufacturer, speaker manufacturer, etc.
Can you give us more details - models used and system used in the test? I find impressive that you got the transport every time. Although in the long term I prefer the transport, I am not able to separate them blind with 100% success in listening tests.
It would be nice to know the methodology you used for the tests.
X2 agree except the premise that vinyl sounds better. Sounds better at what source price point? I still believe (reinforced via my experiences) that $ for $ digital yields superior sonics vs. analog. Probably levels out ~$20K, but digital continues to improve $ for $ as technology costs drop and designers further optimize which is in its infancy vs. analog.
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No absolution in one over the other but I think a well made server is more versatile and can be used on any dac
The transport lovers like to hold the media like vinyl and I do feel the overall connection to there dac as Ina stack.
Msb , Vivaldi and the rest top stuff with pride of ownership sprinkleled on top.
The transport lovers like to hold the media like vinyl and I do feel the overall connection to there dac as Ina stack.
Msb , Vivaldi and the rest top stuff with pride of ownership sprinkleled on top.
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