Toroidal or EI transformer in CDP

Clipdat

Simply put, from a sound quality perspective, does having a Toroidal vs. a EI transformer in a CDP make any difference?

cnh

Actually it cannot be put that simply because ALL toroids are NOT equal. Some are much better than others. And in that case there may be some toroids that do not match or exceed a good EL design/construction which also involves just how it is integrated into the rest of the CDP power supply design.

Others will chime in, of that I have no doubt!

cnh

Clipdat

Interesting. Thanks for your insight!

If it matters, I'm comparing the Marantz CD6004 (EI) with the NAD C546BEE (Toroidal).

cnh

That's a tough call. I have not heard the NAD but the Marantz is not bad in that price range. You'd really need to hear both and decide what sound you prefer. Evidently the NAD uses Wolfson DACs and the Marantz Cirrus Logic. But even there, the DACs alone do not tell the entire story, it depends on how they are integrated and implemented into the rest of the system.

I will say that I have a Pioneer BDP 51fd that uses Wolfsons and it sounds quite good on CDs, though! I actually use it more for CDs than blu-rays.

cnh

Clipdat

I will look around and inquire with the bay area hi-fi shops to see if they carry both models and would be willing to let me demo them.

Feels a bit awkward doing that though and then walking out and ordering one online for a lower price and to avoid sales tax.

pitdogg2

Feels a bit awkward doing that though and then walking out and ordering one online for a lower price and to avoid sales tax.

Well most good audio stores have some movement in their pricing, tell them what you are doing and see if they meet you close. Can't hurt to ask.

nhhiep

in general, EIT has lower signal noise than Toroidal, but has bigger physical size, more expensive than Toroidal to get same Watt. it's like NA vs Turbo engine kinda thing. I once read an article where John Curl said that if $ and size aren't issues, he would use EITs in all of this design. In a normal home setup, we aren't likely to hear the different because of too many other factors.

Clipdat

nhhiep wrote: »

In a normal home setup, we aren't likely to hear the different because of too many other factors.

Great point!