[djbnh]

In 2018 I opened this topic.
My friends whispered to me that something bigger was planned after the CDT-8. And that should be a CDT-10.
The CDT-10 is now playing in my NuPrime chain.
I am thrilled and would like to take this opportunity to thank Rustidoglim for publishing my little report.
https://nuprimeaudio.com/nuprime-10-series-system/?v=3a52f3c22ed6
I'll stick with it until someone can convince me of a better price-performance ratio.

Would you share what 1) power cord, and 2) I2S (if you're using I2S) cables you are using with the DCDT-10? Thanks. FYI - never been to Soest; lived in Fernwald-Steinbach outside Gießen from 1988-1991.

[Westerwälder]

Would you share what 1) power cord, and 2) I2S (if you're using I2S) cables you are using with the DCDT-10? Thanks. FYI - never been to Soest; lived in Fernwald-Steinbach outside Gießen from 1988-1991.

2. Question is answered quickly. Since the DAC-10 does not have an i2s connection, I have no experience.
Regarding the question of cables in general, I have made the experience that mixed cabling is not optimal.
One cable gives, the other takes ...
That's why I equipped my system with cables from the same company.
I don't want to give a recommendation. With so many high-end cables there is a favorite for everyone.
After long listening comparisons, my first favorite was the Supra brand from Sweden.
In the meantime I have completely wired my system with Wireworld.

[djbnh]

Some musings on the CDT-10.

I've been running the stock NuPrime CDT-10 power cable, and using a VH Audio cryoed Flavor 1 PC (designed for digital components) into my Denafrips Pontus II DAC with great sounding results. The other day I needed to hunt through my cable collection due to reconfiguring a video component, and stumbled across a beefy VH Audio cryoed Flavor 4 PC - unused and forgotten since I parted ways years ago with a mono amp pair. Great opportunity to hear what upgrading PCs would do for these two components, and I took advantage of my find: after cleaning the newly unearthed PC's connectors with Caig's Deoxit, and conditioning them with DeOxit Gold (used to be called ProGold), I swapped the VHF4 onto the Pontus II, the VHF1 onto the CDT-10, used the IsoTek burn-in cd for a few days, then gave a listen.

More positives to everything, which was not unexpected. The VHF1, designed for digital components, presents seemingly a pleasant synergy with the NuPrime CDT-10 unit and an increased performance over the stock cord. [FWIW, the Pontus II DAC boasts of its encapsulated linear power supply (which in part uses dual o-core transformers), so to me it's no surprise that those transformers / the power supply likes being fed by the beefier VHF4 (which is unshielded "in order to maintain unrestricted macro and micro dynamics".] Audio improvements were heard in, and not limited to: bass extension, macro/micro dynamics, soundstage height and depth, background blackness (even though it seemed pretty "black" before!), instrument placement (orchestral work proved so revealing), etc. Spinning the Cowboy Junkies' "The Trinity Session" proved a sublime experience.

Loving the extensive input section of the CDT-10, and I've used all of the following with good results: AES/EBU, coaxial, and I2S; the optical input remains, and will remain, unused. So far the CDT-10 sounds similar when using each input, yet I prefer using the I2S. As of yet I have not tried to sub out the CDT-10's stock I2S cable...yet. A very small CDT-10 nit - I wish the unit could show time remaining information for track / cd, maybe a future iteration will. The NuPrime CDT-10 is repeatedly proving to be a "sound" investment and a synergistic pairing with the the Pontus II DAC and my other system's gear, thanks NuPrime. The unit runs cool, looks good in black, operates noiselessly, and is pretty fully featured. YMMV

Happy listening!

[SRO]

Did you need to reconfigure the pins on the Pontus II for the I2s connection to work with the CDT-10?  I have a CDT-8 and Pontus II and wanted to try the I2s connection but wasn't sure what was needed.  Which I2s cable did you use?  Thanks in advance for any info.

[djbnh]

Did you need to reconfigure the pins on the Pontus II for the I2s connection to work with the CDT-10?  I have a CDT-8 and Pontus II and wanted to try the I2s connection but wasn't sure what was needed.

SRO, I did not reconfigure the Pontus II's I2S connection because it seems that each of the unit's respective pinout configuration match. FYI - Denafrip's Pontus II manual includes a diagram with the Pontus' I2S pin configuration:



Here's the CDT-10 manual's diagram for its I2S pin configuration:

Pinout items 1,3,4,6,7,9 for each unit seem to have the same setting, to me:

• 1: DATA-
• 3: DATA+
• 4: BCK+
• 6: BCK-
• 7: LRCK-
• 9: LRCK+

Maybe someone in the forum will chime in if they feel the Pontus II requires an I2S pinout reconfiguration. FYI - here's the Pontus II's video guide on how to reconfigure the DAC's I2S pinout settings. Please let me know if you find that the Pontus II merits an I2S pinout reconfiguration. I'm open to making any improvement.

Which I2s cable did you use?  Thanks in advance for any info.

Still running the NuPrime stock I2S cable, per my comments:

Some musings on the CDT-10....
As of yet I have not tried to sub out the CDT-10's stock I2S cable...yet.

[orfeo_monteverdi]

John - I have a CDT-8 Pro. I saw a reference to a CDT Pro-8 at the Pro-ject RS2 T site ( https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/cd-box-rs2-t/ ) and they mentioned this (bold emphasis mine):

"Being based in Vienna, we are lucky enough that Philips had its development department here, and many CD players and mechanisms were designed here. The gentlemen who were part of this epochal invention are still around, formed in a company called StreamUnlimited. We are proud to say, the pope of the CD player today – Mr. Michael Jirousek, was helping to create this ultimate CD player.
The CD Box RS2 T is the latest development in our line of ultimate top-loading CD transports, built around the StreamUnlimited CD mechanism CD–Pro 8 and servo system CD-84. The CD Box RS2 T takes playing standard Red Book Audio CDs to perfection.
The CD Pro-8 has the servo system directly integrated in its aluminium body. The entire body is suspended on a proprietary anti-vibration system, which allows us to control the level of outside vibrations reaching the insides of the device. The CD mechanism is stabilized and secured, unaffected by external influences."

Is the CD transport in my CDT-8 Pro the same one as mentioned in the Pro-ject snippet above (i.e., is it a StreamUnlimited CD mechanism)? And also which CD mechanism is in the CDT-10? Thanks

gab

ANSWER:

StreamUnlimited is the high end ODM/OEM for many top brands and they designs are "not cheap" and world class. All I can say is that Nuprime's factory has collaborated with Michael Jirousek/Stream Unlimited for a long time, so we have some "cost advantage" .
Whether it is CDT-8 Pro, CDT-9 or CDT-10, you are getting a good deal.

[please forgive my poor English]

Great.
But we would like to know exactly which CD drive NuPrime uses for the CDT-10: CD Pro-8, or something else (what?).
This should not be a company's secret, and should be disclosed.
I do not buy a €2350 CD transport without knowing what I'm buying, sorry (in English: I don't buy a pig in a poke  | in French: I don't buy a cat in a bag).

Secondly, is the CD mechanism totally silent at one arm's distance? (when playing music of course, NOT when skipping tracks, who cares about noise then?!)

Thanks.
Orfeo

[rustydoglim]

Have to wait until factory open on Monday to find out.