The Pioneer DVD players are getting a lot of favourable comment on AA. Apparently most models use the same transport and, due to more R&D than CD players/transports now get, is supposedly very good. Some of the modders choose the cheaper Pioneer DVD players as their base.
Also, Rotel CD players make good transports, as does anything using the Philips drive (eg. Marantz's) and the Sony ES players. These units can be ...
Well, Marantz uses a lot of Pioneer gear in their stuff. I've not seen a current Marantz, but just about everything else I've ever seen of theirs was Pioneer based.
And I'll second the fact that Rotel does make some decent CD transports. But it'd be easier (& cheaper!) to find a entry level Pioneer DVDP to use as a transport.
Sean
Look around for an old Laser Disk player. High end shops sometimes take them in as trade-ins for new DVD players just to make a sale and often don't know what they have on their hands, or what to do with it. They are also not likely to sell them off quickly.
I bought an EAD with digital out for the equivalent of AUD 200.00 about 3 years ago. The only problem is there was no remote with it, but it knocks everything else I have heard - including a highly regarded DVD player and a Theta transport - for a six when feeding an old Wadia DAC. I have heard that the Pioneer LD players are also very good as CD transports, and that the EAD is a reworked Pioneer. I had previously had an old Wadia 3200 transport until it was stolen , and had almost given up listening to CD's due to complete lack of musical involvement with anything I could afford as a transport . I think the LD betters my old Wadia as a transport, but can't comment on any of the newer models or other really high end transports - but thats not really my point.
A theory for the output quality of the LD players is the build level that had to be achieved just to play a 12" diameter out of balance disk. A CD is much easier to spin up and maintain at speed, so using a LD player as a transport is serious mechanical overkill - always a good thing in this hobby. Others will say that this has no effect on the digital data stream at all - I say thats their loss .
Pioneer was the best LDP manufacturer. And the EAD LD deck is in fact a Pioneer with a bit different electronics in it. Don't recall the Pioneer model EAD used offhand (could look it up if it matters), but I do recall it being one of the best LD players Pioneer built for U.S. use.
And it's quite true about spinning up an LD. A regular LD needs to be spun up to 1,800 RPM (CD is 340-500 RPM) at the beginning of a side. At the end of a side it's down to 600 RPM. On double sided LD decks, it applies a brake at the end of side 1, stops the disc, flips the laser over, then spins it up to 1,800 RPM again. The later DVD/LD/CD decks did that in 4 or 5 seconds!
And the weight of a LD is almost 1 pound, which is a good bit more than a CD.
It's already been mentioned that LD decks also had to deal with out of round & out of balance LD's. That much weight over than much area at 1,800 RPM isn't easy to deal with (Sony LD decks were notorious for not being able to handle warped/out of round/out of balance/non-perfect LD's), and Pioneer did it better than anyone else did.
So there's probably a few decent reasons a Pioneer LDP would make a damn nice CD transport...
