Swimming round in my sea of ever-expanding likes, the CD transport hunts with the large fish.
Which is to say I like a CD transport a lot better than a CD participant, the identical means I like my phono stage separate from my turntable. Whereas spinning information and discs isn’t rocket science, getting it proper from an electro-mechanical perspective to be able to ship a music sign for additional processing in pure, pristine, and seemingly untouched kind goes past mere rotation.
I first turned conscious of Jay’s Audio CDT3-MK3 CD Transport from Mike Trei’s glorious evaluation in Stereophile, which you owe it to your self to learn. When the provide to evaluation the very pattern from Mike’s evaluation got here throughout the wires, my response within the affirmative was returned earlier than the bits had an opportunity to relaxation.
As you may plainly see, the CDT3 is constructed from stable chunks of aluminum including up, together with what’s inside, to a whopping 48+ kilos of transport. The highest loading CD tray is roofed by one other good slice of aluminum and it slides with silky stable assurance, neither too free nor too tight. I additionally want a top-loader over a slot or disc tray, the latter all the time struck me as an excessive amount of vitality and transferring elements expended for present. Moreover, a prime loader jogs my memory of enjoying information, which is rarely a nasty factor. A carbon-fiber disc clamp is included that sits on prime of your CD when it’s enjoying.
Inside, the CDT3-MK3 depends on a Philips CDPRO2 LF CD drive, tuned by Jay’s Audio chief, Jay Hothat are not made however Jay’s experiences having loads of inventory readily available, Jay inventory piled hundred of CDPRO2 LFtogether with a bunch of goodies together with Talema encapsulated transformers, a Multistage Tremendous Regulator with boutique grade capsand Scientific Digital output isolation transformers. A low noise, low section noise, low jitter, extremely precision Oven Managed Crystal Oscillator re-times the bits earlier than they exit over I The CDT3’s entrance panel presents a nicely-sized show, energy button, and 5 playback perform buttons. The included distant is sort of tactical as a consequence of its personal aluminum heft and presents these similar controls and extra. The CDT3 sits on three Soundcare Superspikes footers (from SEAS) and all informed that is one hulking aluminum fortress of a CD transport that leaves little question your loved one silver discs are protected inside. I lately had the pleasure of reviewing two CD gamers—the Technics SL-G700M2 Community/SACD Participant that provides streaming performance (evaluation), and the Ayre CX-8 (evaluation) that additionally presents an non-obligatory streaming board. Suppose multi-function. However I haven’t reviewed a CD transport, sans DAC, since 2021 after I acquired to spend Barn time with the PS Audio PerfectWave SACD Transport (evaluation), which inspired me “pretty much as good a music supply as I’ve heard in barn.”, and the Cambridge Audio CXC CD Transport (evaluation). Seeing as greater than 2 years have handed, there’s no means I could make any comparisons between these transports and the Jay’s CDT3. When writing concerning the nitty gritty of sound and comparisons, time just isn’t on our facet. That being mentioned, I’ve hung out spinning CDs then and now so my impressions of the CDT3 will not be fashioned from a void. Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake’s The Latest Sound Round acquired to play in my Ayre CX-8 evaluation however I’ve by no means heard it sound as full, so completely captured and rendered in Barn, as by the Jay’s CDT3 feeding the Grimm Audio MU1 (extra information) over a size of AudioQuest Espresso Coax cable, which in flip fed the Barn resident Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC (evaluation) with the Grimm’s 4x oversampling engaged, out and into the evaluation Soulution 330 built-in (extra information) driving the Rockport Atria II (extra information). As you would possibly anticipate, that is one extremely resolving system, as resolving as I’ve heard in Barn, so I’m sure that the Jay’s CDT3 is one excellent CD transport as a result of it match proper in. With the Grimm MU1 within the system, streaming or serving from internally saved information has by no means sounded higher in Barn, however nonetheless CDs spun on the CDT3 had a bit extra readability, a contact extra untouched high quality as if silence was much more silent in comparison with information. It’s my expertise that lowering or seemingly eliminating noise from digital playback just isn’t solely subtractive, it’s the additive qualities that imply much more in terms of connecting to music. The obvious enhancements make issues sound extra like they sound in actual life, from Ran Blake’s piano and each final drop of sound it sends out into house to fade, to Jeanne Lee’s full vary of voice and emotion, which is about as full as you’ll expertise. I do know the music contained on this CD rather well, years of listening properly, and I’ve by no means felt as shut, as utterly linked, as I did by this beautiful system. When Blixa Bargeld, strings, and the jangle of distant bells introduce the primary and title observe from Einstürzende Neubauten’s 1999 EP Complete Eclipse of the Solarwhich acts as a type of prequel to 2000’s LP Silence Is HornyI felt as if I might inform how a lot Blixa weighed and which of his many haircuts he was donning throughout the recording. I’m speaking about supreme decision, however the type that resolves solely pure music info in opposition to pure, horny silence. Whereas I used to be joking concerning the hair, Bargeld’s vocals have been portrayed which such weighty presence, there was actually a way of his bodily dimensional kind current within the Barn. Alexander Hacke’s electrical bass was additionally totally reproduced with distinctive tone, weight, texture, and pressure whereas the varied and varied percussive noises, N.U. Unruh is credited ‘enjoying’ jet turbine, this beautiful slowly menacing music stuffed the Barn and my senses with kissable tactile goodness. Gorgeous. Eradicating the Grimm MU1 from the system, operating straight from the CDT3 into the Mola Mola Tambaqui with a size of AudioQust Diamond AES cable, I famous some sonic modifications to the system principally by way of a lack of decision and nuance, however I’ll cowl this in higher element in upcoming the Grimm evaluation. I’ll observe that if you happen to’re constructing a CD-playing system and are on the lookout for supremely good efficiency, the Grimm MU1/CDT 3 will get you there. Shaking system context up, I moved the CDT3 to the Barn’s B-Aspect the place it was joined by the Auralic ARIES G1.1 (evaluation), used for streaming so not within the loop when the CDT3 was in use, and the totaldac d1-unity (evaluation) feeding the evaluation pattern Audia Flight FL Three S built-in amp (extra information) driving the DeVore Constancy O/96 (evaluation), all powered by an AudioQuest PowerQuest 707, with the parts sitting on a Field Furnishings Modular rack, wired with AudioQuest cables. I began the place I left off, with Blixa & Co. tearing issues up and the CDT3’s excellent transparency confirmed up on this system context as properly. I’ve mentioned if earlier than but it surely’s price repeating, Einstürzende Neubauten care about sound high quality and Complete Eclipse of the Solar isn’t any exception, presenting this at instances raucous music totally fashioned in beautiful element. I do know the totaldac’s sound in and out (and sideways), having paired it with a number of gear from both facet, out and in, and the Jay’s CDT 3 actually introduced out its greatest. Totaldac’s, each one I’ve heard and I’ve heard a bunch, excel at texture, tone, and backbone with out ever sounding synthetic or enhanced, and with the CDT3 these strengths performed out to their fullest. Good. Joshua Abrams 2012 launch Represencing presents one other, albeit completely different, huge sound world with a stellar forged of a dozen musicians becoming a member of Abrams who performs guimbri, a 3 stringed goat skin-covered bass as a foundational aspect. It was right here, on this system context, that I gave the CDt3’s 4x upsampler a spin and I most well-liked going native with the totaldac d1-unity because the 172.4kHz upsampled knowledge/music sounded a bit too uptight for my style, giving all the pieces a man-made sounding edge. That mentioned, that is utterly DAC-dependant so your DAC and outcomes might differ. The excellent news is it’s a swap and utterly as much as you whether or not to have interaction or not. Again to operating native 44.1kHz, Represencing is an entrancing report, meditative and splendidly advanced each rhythmically and timbrally, and this technique delivered the products in wealthy, full taste. Whereas under no circumstances an apples to apples comparability, this similar album performed again from a ripped copy by the Auralic ARIES G1.1 into the totaldac by way of USB sounded simply pretty much as good, with no considerable variations price noting. I assumed I’d verify in with a well-known voice and an oldie however goodie from 1986, Nick Cave & The Dangerous Seeds Your Funeral… My Trial. As soon as once more going native (decision), Nick & Co., that includes Blixa (that Blixa) on guitar, “Stranger Than Kindness” was all creepy carny goodness. You might keep in mind a number of tracks from this report, like “From Her to Eternity”, as featured in Wim Wenders splendidly touching movie Wings of Wantand I might see the Dangerous Seeds performing in that smoky black and white Berlin bar in Barn. Good. For an additional curve-ball non-apples-to-apples comparability, I streamed this similar report by way of Qobuz, going by the ARIES G1.1 into the totaldac by way of USB, and the streamed model sounded notably extra diffuse, as if somebody turned the lens giving all the pieces a softer and fewer distinct focus. I’ll share that USB is amongst my least favourite digital connections and I a lot want AES, particularly with the totaldac, so the CDT3 additionally had the AES connectivity benefit. If the CDT3 had a USB out I’d have reversed connectivity but it surely doesn’t so I didn’t. With that in thoughts and by comparability, the CD spinning on the CDT3 provided a tighter, extra resolved, and richer sound that made falling underneath the spell of Your Funeral… as straightforward as listening. To my thoughts, and in my expertise, the Jay’s CDT3-MK3 CD Transport, particularly when paired with the Grimm MU1, was greater than as much as the duty of enjoying in a system that delivered among the highest degree of sound high quality I’ve skilled in Barn. When a part of a inexpensive but very compelling system, the CDT3 feeding the totaldac d1-unity provided the type of replica that leaves the gear behind inserting me within the presence of the music being made. In both context, I can consider no increased reward. Jay’s Audio CDT3-MK3 CD Transport Specs Design Spotlight: Supported Codecs: Redbook CD, CDR, CDR/W solely** Notice: * The dimmeable show might activate the place there’s a sign to set off it to activate; the sign is usually a distant management sign, or an inner CDM4/19 processor sign. It’s regular and shall not be seen as a defect. ** Redbook CD transport solely. Doesn’t help HDCD/SACD/DSD Digital Output: COAX (RCA/BNC) 2v @ 75ohm ; AES/EBU 5V @110ohm
Value: $4998
Firm Web site: Jay’s Audio
Grasp Distributor: Beatechnik
I2S Output: HDMI i2s LVDS, RJ45 i2s LVCMOS
Sampling Price: 44.1kHz, 176.4kHz
Clock-Output: 10MHz / 5 V p-p / 50 Ω
Clock-Enter: 10MHz / 0.3 – 5 V p-p / 50 to 75 Ω
AC Energy: 110V/230V, 50-60Hz
Dimension: 450mm x 380mm x 150mm
Weight: 22KG
Guarantee: 12 months
