Maybe I'm a total glutten, but I got a Meridian 500 cd transport yesterday from Natural Sound, used for $850. It's a revision 2 with aes/ebu output and I just couldn't resist getting the best transport I know about at a deal. It is a pure transport, no processing, which is just what I wanted; the best pure transport available, no frills.
It is now hooked up to the MSB Link III via the AQ silver coax digital (straightwire infolink aes/ebu cable coming from spearit sound this week).
All I can say is that it is vastly better than the acurus acd-11 in every way, the most apparant of which is a smooth silkiness that encompasses all the sounds. It has a smooth and detailed richness to it that is more than what I could have wanted. The whole system sounds incredibly refined and detailed now, without being bright or harsh that I just wish I could sit in front of it all the time.
The synergy of the system is starting to show through, even some much more expensive setups (mccormack cd+pre+amp with B&W 803) at the stores sound less refined for one reason or another that I can notice right away. I'm slowly getting closer to the audio nirvana that is always the ultimate goal.
It freaked me out at first because the first disc I put in (Dire Straits Brothers In Arms) showed "No Disc" on the display even after multiple tries. After a few minutes, every disc played flawlessly so I'm going to chalk it up to the cold player needing to warm up. I haven't had a single problem since, and I'm very impressed at the quality of the transport. It's heavy (14 lb transport mechanism), the drawer is super smooth and quiet, and it is totally silent while spinning, even with my ear up against it.
Posted by Mike at January 16, 2005 06:54 PM