replacement transport for Museatex Bitstream DAC

LuSh

My trusty Museatex CDD transport has failed. John Wright at Museatex says he can't fix it....so...I'm looking for suggestions on a new transport. I had spent over $1k on my last transport and was looking for cheap suggestions which would sound better then my current Panasonic Blu Ray player (which I'm currently using via Optical output).

I have used a Logitech Squeezebox but I was never truly satisfied, I've decided to continue onward with my dated CD collection as physical media.

Any suggestions? Can a DVD or Blu Ray drive sound good as a CD transport? My experiences to this point have led me to say no. Using a Pioneer DVD (cheap) Panasonic Blu ray and Yamaha Blu Ray (Not Cheap) player have left me very cold on using video products as an audio transport. Simply put they don't have that hmmm foundation I would call it that was found in the Museatex dedicated transport. I'm anxious to hear of any suggestions.

steveinaz

I've tried my Panny BluRay against my CEC, and the Panny (like every DVD player I've tried as a transport) sounds bloated, rolled off, and lacks any sense of "attack". Why this is, I do not have a clue. The other players I tried were from Denon, Oppo, and a Panasonic DVDP.

When my now 6yr old CEC finally dies, I'll probably go with a mid-line Cambridge CDP, or possibly the Rotel changer.

LuSh

steveinaz:

That's exactly it, lack of 'attack' or lack of 'foundation' or presence is what I continue to hear. The faintest high frequency sounds are there (cymbals for instance) on recordings but are muted...

What scares me these days is not the upgrading, it's the downgrading. After years of enjoying something it's hard to lose the sound and try and replace it.

steveinaz

Sometimes I wonder if it's placebo---but it is very consistent, and oddly doesn't change from brand to brand. Maybe cheapo parts in the SPDIF outputs? I dunno. They claim the Benchmark isn't transport "sensitive"...****. If I can hear differences with my half-deaf ****, I'm sure many others can too.

Face

I'm fond of the new Cambridge 550C as a transport.



http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.php?PID=372&Title=Azur+550C+CD+player

heiney9

The new Squeezebox Touch and a Welborne Labs power supply is outstanding.

H9

LuSh

I agree about the Benchmark, when I had one you could tell the difference every time. I'm at a point now in my life I really would prefer to not hear a difference thereby eliminating another device. I'd be happy with a Blu Ray/Transport as I run an integrated audio/video setup.

I've used the Logitech Touch via Coaxial output running iTunes and Wav, the system was wifi and while some might like the 'open' sound, I found it was rolled off somewhat. I might just try to find an old CD player from 'back in the day' which weighted 30 plus pound and had a good transport in it. How about the Oppo's anybody have any luck? The Cambridge looks interesting. I appears to use two power supplies from the photo I see. The torridial is likely for the analog stages, iron core for digital switching.

steveinaz

I tried Oppo's mid-priced DVD (the model escapes me) same result; the CEC was noticibly (though subtle in the grand scheme of things) more musical.

I hear ya in the first paragraph. I was hoping to go to a single solution BluRay/transport concept. Maybe the new Oppo BluRay would be better in this regard?

heiney9

If you were running the stock switching PS with any of the Logitech SQB products that's the weak link even if you aren't using the analog outs. The difference is not subtle. I used a Boulder modded ELPAC with my SQB II and I use a Welborne Labs with the SQB Touch w/a modded Adcom GDA600 dac via coaz which to me sounds better than optical. A well designed linear PS with large capacitance makes a very big difference.

I'm just saying

Good luck with your search.

H9

steveinaz

PS design is probably why dedicated CDP's seem to trump DVD/BluRays at the transport role as well...?

dkg999

The Cambridge Audio CDP's are good transports, I'm just not a big fan of their implementation of the Wolfson DAC's. If all you need is the transport you could probably pick up a used 640v1 for cheap. Another option is a used Jolida JD100.

zingo

Agreed on the PS topic. My player (which is currently for sale ) uses separate power supplies for the transport, analog audio, video, and digital sections, and I do think that add a lot to the sound quality. Using a source that was built with audio in consideration makes a difference to my ear, whether outputting digital or analog.

Face

zingo wrote: »

Agreed on the PS topic. My player (which is currently for sale ) uses separate power supplies for the transport, analog audio, video, and digital sections

Esoteric does the same thing in some of their players.

dorokusai

LuSh wrote: »

My trusty Museatex CDD transport has failed. John Wright at Museatex says he can't fix it....so...I'm looking for suggestions on a new transport. I had spent over $1k on my last transport and was looking for cheap suggestions which would sound better then my current Panasonic Blu Ray player (which I'm currently using via Optical output).

I have used a Logitech Squeezebox but I was never truly satisfied, I've decided to continue onward with my dated CD collection as physical media.

Any suggestions? Can a DVD or Blu Ray drive sound good as a CD transport? My experiences to this point have led me to say no. Using a Pioneer DVD (cheap) Panasonic Blu ray and Yamaha Blu Ray (Not Cheap) player have left me very cold on using video products as an audio transport. Simply put they don't have that hmmm foundation I would call it that was found in the Museatex dedicated transport. I'm anxious to hear of any suggestions.

If a simple transport is what your looking for why not a older utilitarian ES platform? The chassis is solid, the mechanism is also solid and the early 777ES series didn't contain video, just multi-channel. Your a Museatex fan to say the least so a support system is all your really looking for correct? It's a fantastic DAC and subsystem to say the least.

LuSh

I connected my Laserdisc player (Pioneer CLD-703) via a coaxial cable last night and compared vs a Panasonic Blu Ray via optical. I'm never a big fan of quick A/B comparisons as my results usually have to be fleshed out over a course of weeks but I seemed to have noticed a slightly more laid back presentation with the LD player in the loop, everything was relaxed, not in my face. I was able to hear information more during complex dynamic passages. The Blu Ray seemed hmmm dynamic? But things got confusing during dynamic peaks. My DAC has both optical and digital coaxial inputs so I was able to sort of 'on the fly' switch.

If nothing more the LD player certainly is a lot more quicker switching tracks and loading a disc. Track switches are very quick actually.

heiney9

The difference could have been coax and optical. I tend to prefer coax all things being equal and having that option.

H9

LuSh

True. The coaxial was also a Moray James cable ($500) vs a $70 Acoustic Research optical.

heiney9

Tweaking and finding that combination of sound one likes is certainly an enjoyable part of this hobby, but it a can also incredibly frustrating. :).

H9

LuSh

It's funny, the more the years go by the more I try and re-create what I had...

steveinaz

I would think a Musical Fidelity X-ray would make an outstanding transport.