CD Transport/DAC Amp

pgmcw161

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This may seem a rather daft question, so forgive me; however, the answer ought to be quite simple.

Briefly, can I attach a CD Transport to an amp with integrated DAC? It's certainly got the right connections?

I'm keen to make use of my sizeable CD collection and I'd like something to match the dimensions of my Quad Vena amp. I'm particularly keen on the Audiolab M-CDT. Just want to be sure before I buy that the integrated DAC is okay and that the transport doesn't require an entirely external DAC.

Many thanks
 
pgmcw161 said:
This may seem a rather daft question, so forgive me; however, the answer ought to be quite simple.

Briefly, can I attach a CD Transport to an amp with integrated DAC? It's certainly got the right connections?

I'm keen to make use of my sizeable CD collection and I'd like something to match the dimensions of my Quad Vena amp. I'm particularly keen on the Audiolab M-CDT. Just want to be sure before I buy that the integrated DAC is okay and that the transport doesn't require an entirely external DAC.

Many thanks

Yes you can, little point in paying for two integrated DACs unless the one in the amp is rubbish, which it isn't.

The problems could come later if you decide to upgrade the amp to one which does not have an integrated DAC. The Quad Vena is a great little amp, I am however not familiar with the M-CDT, that is I have heard of it but not actually heard it in any system.
 

ISAC69

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It's better to use CD transport with a DAC than dedicated CDP if you have a good DAC already.

You should consider the Cambridge CXC or the Cyrus CD t which seems better options than the Audiolab M-CDT .
 
ISAC69 said:
It's better to use CD transport with a DAC than dedicated CDP if you have a good DAC already.

You should consider the Cambridge CXC or the Cyrus CD t which seems better options than the Audiolab M-CDT .

The Cambridge is cheaper but not small form factor. Can you explain why these are better options than the Audiolab transport?
 

muljao

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If you could do without a display a Blu-ray disc player for about 90 pounds would do the job. Many say the dac is what sorts the sound anyway. This is what I have in both my systems. Just because it works for me does not mean it is good enough for you
 

chebby

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Dedicated transport only devices tend to be way more expensive than a normal budget CD player.

Get something from Richers for £150 - £180 and use it as a transport. (Or buy one second hand.) Yes you can just connect it digitally to your Vena. Most CD players - even budget ones - have digital outputs. Make sure you check before purchase.

Yes, you've paid for another DAC, but the dedicated transports still cost a lot more.
 

muljao

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Admittedly I didn't Google the exact size of the quad vena, but I know it's narrow, as are my ,2 Blu-ray players, something I thought about, so they may not be to off the wall a suggestion. I suppose it depends if they would sound good enough as a transport, but yes they are not a dedicated transport. We often tend to make suggestions based on our own ideas even if we mean the best
 
pgmcw161 said:
This may seem a rather daft question, so forgive me; however, the answer ought to be quite simple.

Briefly, can I attach a CD Transport to an amp with integrated DAC? It's certainly got the right connections?

I'm keen to make use of my sizeable CD collection and I'd like something to match the dimensions of my Quad Vena amp. I'm particularly keen on the Audiolab M-CDT. Just want to be sure before I buy that the integrated DAC is okay and that the transport doesn't require an entirely external DAC.

Many thanks

As you can see it is not when people don't answer your original question. ;-)

The point of matching dimensions seems to have been missed also. Most, though admittedly not all, CD / bluray players come in at or around a 'standard' size of 435mm width.

chebby is certainly right about the pricing.

The Cambridge CXC transport mentioned does get good reviews.

It has always been my assumption that what the manufacturers save on not including a DAC in their transport-only devices is offset by the increase quality/ cost of their drive mechanisms. Could be wrong but some of the transports you see use some of the most expensive (and hopefully reliable) drive mechanisms around. These are probably much better than the cheaper bluray / DVD drives seen in cheaper players and computers. Many use top-loading designs that cut out any unreliable drawer / slot-loading mechanisms employed elsewhere.
 
muljao said:
Admittedly I didn't Google the exact size of the quad vena, but I know it's narrow, as are my ,2 Blu-ray players, something I thought about, so they may not be to off the wall a suggestion. I suppose it depends if they would sound good enough as a transport, but yes they are not a dedicated transport. We often tend to make suggestions based on our own ideas even if we mean the best

I can understand your reasons for offering alternatives believe me (I'm using a universal player). I tried to answer the OP's question only.
 
chebby said:
As I found recently, small CD players are also priced at a premium.

The Pro-ject CD Box S is smaller than the Audiolab and £100 cheaper at 'only' £299. (Black or silver.)

Ok it has an internal Burr Brown DAC, but you don't have to use it. Just plug in to your Vena with a digital cable. If you ever upgrade to a dedicated amp in the future then the Pro-ject will work well without requiring extra expenditure on a DAC.

Me and my Vena? I rarely play my CDs, as they are mostly ripped now, but on occasions I use my recently acquired Sony BDP S4500 Blu-ray player (digitally connected to the Vena DAC) and it sounds excellent. It only cost me £75 (and has zero audiophile credentials) so it may not appeal to you.

Good point about ripping as the OP has a Vena anyway.

Only £299?? Good job you didn't look at the CD Box RS. ;-)
 

chebby

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Al ears said:
chebby said:
As I found recently, small CD players are also priced at a premium.

The Pro-ject CD Box S is smaller than the Audiolab and £100 cheaper at 'only' £299. (Black or silver.)

Ok it has an internal Burr Brown DAC, but you don't have to use it. Just plug in to your Vena with a digital cable. If you ever upgrade to a dedicated amp in the future then the Pro-ject will work well without requiring extra expenditure on a DAC.

Me and my Vena? I rarely play my CDs, as they are mostly ripped now, but on occasions I use my recently acquired Sony BDP S4500 Blu-ray player (digitally connected to the Vena DAC) and it sounds excellent. It only cost me £75 (and has zero audiophile credentials) so it may not appeal to you.

Good point about ripping as the OP has a Vena anyway.

Only £299?? Good job you didn't look at the CD Box RS. ;-)

I was considering it but took the advice of someone here and bought the little Sony BD player (replaced a larger and much older player so no increase in 'box-count' or cables).
 

chebby

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As I found recently, small CD players are also priced at a premium.

The Pro-ject CD Box S is smaller than the Audiolab and £100 cheaper at 'only' £299. (Black or silver.)

Ok it has an internal Burr Brown DAC, but you don't have to use it. Just plug in to your Vena with a digital cable. If you ever upgrade to a dedicated amp in the future then the Pro-ject will work well without requiring extra expenditure on a DAC.

Me and my Vena? I rarely play my CDs, as they are mostly ripped now, but on occasions I use my recently acquired Sony BDP S4500 Blu-ray player (digitally connected to the Vena DAC) and it sounds excellent. It only cost me £75 (and has zero audiophile credentials) so it may not appeal to you.

However, as someone who once packed a Naim CD5i-2 back in it's box for six months (before selling it) because it was totally out-gunned by lossless rips played through a £100 DAC, I am not easily given to old 'philosophies' or system hierarchies any longer. If a Sony BD player can digitally communicate perfect HD movies then it's a good enough 'transport' for a bit of hi-fi audio!
 
chebby said:
Al ears said:
chebby said:
As I found recently, small CD players are also priced at a premium.

The Pro-ject CD Box S is smaller than the Audiolab and £100 cheaper at 'only' £299. (Black or silver.)

Ok it has an internal Burr Brown DAC, but you don't have to use it. Just plug in to your Vena with a digital cable. If you ever upgrade to a dedicated amp in the future then the Pro-ject will work well without requiring extra expenditure on a DAC.

Me and my Vena? I rarely play my CDs, as they are mostly ripped now, but on occasions I use my recently acquired Sony BDP S4500 Blu-ray player (digitally connected to the Vena DAC) and it sounds excellent. It only cost me £75 (and has zero audiophile credentials) so it may not appeal to you.

Good point about ripping as the OP has a Vena anyway.

Only £299?? Good job you didn't look at the CD Box RS. ;-)

I was considering it but took the advice of someone here and bought the little Sony BD player (replaced a larger and much older player so no increase in 'box-count' or cables).

A wise and much cheaper move I am sure. ;-)
 

pgmcw161

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Wow - I didn't expect such a response and I'm really grateful. It's been really useful and I've learned a lot. Thanks to everybody for your answers - really insightful stuff! Great to know, in the simplest sense, that the transport method would work through the Vena.

Regarding the Cambridge Transport, yes I have heard good things, but it's just too big, and would, I think look a bit out of place next to the Vena. I know Cyrus products are well regarded, but I've always found their design really wanting - also it's really expensive (particularly for something that looks like it might have been the first ever CD player!).

I'm particularly interested in the opportunities for money-saving here. One of my subsequent considerations was going to be a narrow Blu-Ray, so I'm excited to know that there's some options there. I currently use a Blu-Ray player to listen to my CDs, but I find it a little laborious because it's connected through the TV, meaning that i have to turn on the TV to play CDs. Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way round, though. So, how about this: chebby, when you listen to music through your blu-ray, are you able to connect the player straight to the Vena using coax or optical and control your music without the TV? Or does the TV always need to be on?

Brilliant advice on the Project CD player, too. It's something I'm now considering seriously. Design is really important to me and it was one of the big factors behind choosing the Vena; I think the Audiolab CDt looks great, so does the Project does too. The narrow Sony Blu-Ray looks interesting too.

If I can control my CDs through a narrow Blu-Ray without having the TV on, and if the sound isn't compromised, then I think I might be onto a winner. You guys are on the verge of saving me a lot of money and I can't thank you enough!
 
pgmcw161 said:
Wow - I didn't expect such a response and I'm really grateful. It's been really useful and I've learned a lot. Thanks to everybody for your answers - really insightful stuff! Great to know, in the simplest sense, that the transport method would work through the Vena.

Regarding the Cambridge Transport, yes I have heard good things, but it's just too big, and would, I think look a bit out of place next to the Vena. I know Cyrus products are well regarded, but I've always found their design really wanting - also it's really expensive (particularly for something that looks like it might have been the first ever CD player!).

I'm particularly interested in the opportunities for money-saving here. One of my subsequent considerations was going to be a narrow Blu-Ray, so I'm excited to know that there's some options there. I currently use a Blu-Ray player to listen to my CDs, but I find it a little laborious because it's connected through the TV, meaning that i have to turn on the TV to play CDs. Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way round, though. So, how about this: chebby, when you listen to music through your blu-ray, are you able to connect the player straight to the Vena using coax or optical and control your music without the TV? Or does the TV always need to be on?

Brilliant advice on the Project CD player, too. It's something I'm now considering seriously. Design is really important to me and it was one of the big factors behind choosing the Vena; I think the Audiolab CDt looks great, so does the Project does too. The narrow Sony Blu-Ray looks interesting too.

If I can control my CDs through a narrow Blu-Ray without having the TV on, and if the sound isn't compromised, then I think I might be onto a winner. You guys are on the verge of saving me a lot of money and I can't thank you enough!

Surely if you used a BluRay player you'd connect it direct and just use the remote to control it like any CD player. It wouldn't have to go through a TV. Perhaps, even, get a second cheap player just for your music and leave the one you have connected to TV alone.
 

muljao

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If you bought either of theodels in my signature and connect to your amp via coaxial, when you turn on and enter a disc, press play and the disc will play. This sounds obvious, but with so many menus on players today it's handy, as the disc takes precedence over other functions, making the fact it has no display a bit more bearable.Another handy function of both these are their ability to connect over DNLA and both also play flac through usb. Obviously there are other probably better options, but it's your Vena dac that decides the sound quality.

It's possible CD transport are better made etc, but if you have to replace something every few years that is so inexpensive to start with, it might be an option
 

pgmcw161

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Thanks both for your help here. I've been going at this backwards and making a really stupid mistake. I've just connected my current blu-day straight to the Vena through coax and immediately changed my whole way of looking at this. I think for now that'll do the job [embarrassed face].

I think Blu Rays are changing a bit at the moment with the whole 4k thing, so I'm going 'stick' for the moment with my LG BP645. Once 4k's sorted I'll try and get something to at least match the proportions of the Vena.

Really glad I posted here - turns out the answer was not as simple as I'd thought! Thanks again everybody!
 

ISAC69

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There are 2 problems with Audiolab CD transport there is no display and there is no remote control so without the Audiolab DAC it is useless !

From my experience CDP is a bad transport I notifyied HUGE IMPROVEMENT once I bought the Cambridge CXC dedicated transport and if you can spend more the Cyrus CD t is even better .
 

beaker_07

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I have a similar type situation to the original poster.

I have a Marantz CD6000 OSE and was thinking of replacing it with a CD6006 or a Cambridge Audio CXC transport - I was advised before to either stick with the CD6000 or audition it along with the others. As I have read with intersest in this thread some people use a cheaper blu ray player as a cd transport and connect this to their amp digitally. I have a Panasonic DMP-BDT 300 basic blu ray connected to my Denon AVRX2300 via a HDMI cable. I'm not sure if i could connect it to the amp via a digital lead for audio only as well as the HDMI without having to take one lead out would this give comparable sound to say the CD6006. I have also recently re ripped my cd collection to apple lossless files to be used on my desktop and have been reading various opinions on cd player vs lossless files quality. I think I would still like a cd player as well as the computer to listen to my favourite music on?
 

Samd

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The two Optical Ins are both assignable through the software so you could keep your HDMI as is and assign one Opt In to a separate function. The CXC though is really good!
 

beaker_07

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Thanks Samd - so I can connect the blu ray to the amp via the 2 connections - how do i select hdmi for films and optical for music? Would you recommend a CXC over a Marantz? Prices at the moment are quite similar.
 

ISAC69

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To use the Cambridge CXC transport you need a decent external DAC otherwise it's useless. Do you have a DAC in your system?
 

beaker_07

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Is it as simple as connecting the CXC to the amp via an optical digital lead or is there anything else I need to do? I assume you would recommend a CXC over a Marantz?
 

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