All CD transports sound the same

Modern dacs, even very cheap ones do seem to accommodate all manner of donor transports, but the most important thing here *really* for me is how they operate - the user interface. I don't operate at the fussy end of the market though, so ymmv to be honest..

Yes they do Westie. We demonstrated 3 transports at Deco Audio, and then had to decide which was the best vfm. Although I have never heard one, this is my dream machine at a realistic price. www.audio-markt.de/_markt/item.php?id=3732654801

I get a good sound from my digital gear, and transport differences don't really factor into things at all for me here - it shouldn't really as jitter was sorted out many years ago in mainstream products. I have a bodged late Philips CD723 player (a late one mentioned on a tweaking site) and that's not too hot before or after tweaking.

My gifted Denon 1015 isn't the best as a stand alone player, yet sounds all but identical to the wonderfully 'solid' 1520 player as a transport here if nowhere else and these are the same as the Sony CDP-01 I now have. Copious use of ferrites on the power supplies and mains leads, which may have a positive effect in separating the music from the mechanics - they do for me if nobody else...

My input comes with all the caveats that this is only my own experience and my reservations regarding my aural memory.

My most relevant experience of transports was back in the early 90s. I had a DPA DAC which I used with a Denon 1520. I believed the mags about dedicated transports and sold the Denon to fund an Arcam 170. No way was it as good. The nearest I can get is to compare a 2 megapixel camera image to a 12 megapixel one. I put it down to the difference between 3 beam and single beam lasers, but have no evidence other than my hunch.

The only other bit of transport related experience I can give relates to the Rega Planet. Loads of people said it wasn’t a good partner for an external DAC and they were right. For some reason no DAC I tried really worked, including a few expensive DPAs which were great with other player I had.

So, based on my experience, I’d say transports do matter. Based on my complete lack of technical know-how, I’d also say I don’t have a clue why!

Yeah it’s that pesky jitter, innit?

Must admit I don't know what the correlation is between better and more discrete power supplies and sound quality or even if the science allows for such a relationship, but from purely subjective listening and looking at the design of the kit and what has been done in terms of the power supplies it does seem to be what makes the difference between a ho-hum sound and something really special.

Ultimately noise and distortion is what it is all about. Reduce them you get closer to the recording and therefore better sound. Higher Bit depths, sample rates, jitter-busting devices, bitstream, DSD, green pens, whatever, that is all just marketing bollocks and imagination.

I had Deltran equipped transports and DACs. I can’t say I noticed much improvement although I did like most of their DACs. I think I liked PDM2 the best but I’ve had so many I get confused.

It does but price is way too high for me. Please don't tell me it has valves in it or upsampling that you can't switch off.

I’m probably going to pick up a CD transport for a second system. I’d like it to be well built and cheap as possible. Any ideas? Or should I just go for a 1 box player?

I have a Meridian 507 that I use as a transport and a Trichord Research Digital Turntable transport, but most of the time, I seem to end up using the comparatively cheap Pioneer PD-S505 Precision CD player as my main transport. It just makes a really pleasant sounding transport that also sounds pretty nice as a stand alone player. A bargain really, although prices asked seem to vary between £100 to £200.