Transports, do they make a difference?

[blackraven]

I recently changed CD transports in my second system. I was using an old Panasonic DVD player as a transport and the sound was very good.
The other day I decided to move my Yamaha DVD S-1800 player down to my basement system to replace the Panny, basically so that I could use it as an SACD player and transport. I was shocked to find that as a transport it was noticeably better sounding than the Panny for standard CD's. The sound was cleaner, more detailed and musical from the get go. My only criticism was that treble was a little prominent. I will take care of that issue by bumping up the tweeter resistor in my MMG's from a 0.5 ohm to a 0.8 ohm.

My other finding was that there was a miniscule difference between the digital coax and optical with my Grant Fidelity preamp. Both my son and I can't exactly put our finger on the difference but it is there.

It was a very interesting finding to actually hear the difference in the transports.

[LeRoy]

I have found that transports do make a difference. My Stello transport will add some warmth and bass to the DAC. If I use the the HHB CDP as a transport I will lose some of the drive that the Stello Transport brings to the presentation. As with most electronics the power cord can and often will make a difference on what is possible for the end performance.

The Stello Transport has output connectivity for Optical, Coax, AES/EBU, and I2S. I absolutely love the Optical over all the others. So much so that I specifically look for optical inputs on DACS, Pre-Amp's or Integrated Amps.

The Belkin optical does impart it's character if you will....the presentation becomes more airy, energetic, and forward toward the listener with just a hint of warmth. It's not sterile at all but is probably best partnered with warm equipment. The Signal Cable Toslink presents warmer than the Belkin and is as airy but delivers the percussion more accurately and almost as energetically. Thracking and snapping of the percussion sounds more realistic, is easier to hear and follow on the Signal Toslink. The Belkin was $4.00 at Parts Express and the Signal Cable Optical is $29.00.

Its nice to have all those connectivity options in the audio laboratory.

[Mr Peabody]

There have been several instances where I've noticed differences in what was being used as transport. The only time the transport effect is minimized, or maybe eliminated, is using a DAC with a buffer and re-clocking stage built in.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

There have been several instances where I've noticed differences in what was being used as transport. The only time the transport effect is minimized, or maybe eliminated, is using a DAC with a buffer and re-clocking stage built in.

I absolutely agree with this comment.