A basic, simple, stripped CD transport? In this day and age? Isn’t Audiolab reading the script? Paul Rigby reviews, salutes and offers live sacrifices to this incredible machine
I never thought I’d see the day. The Audiolab 6000CDT is a CD transport. I say again, it’s a CD transport. And…nothing else. Nothing. There’s no Bluetooth. There’s no headphone socket. No networking this or wireless that.
It’s a transport. You put a CD in it. That’s the deal.
Let me explain why that’s a talking point. The hi-fi industry has got its knickers in a twist about packing every chassis it can find with “added value”. Which also means a safer bet for “higher profits”. It’s the shotgun approach. Pack enough goodies into a box and some passing hi-fi fan will surely like at least one of those included features and so you’ll be assured a sale. Modern hi-fi kit is turning into mini-department stores. Each component is becoming its own one-stop shop.
So all-in-one units are in vogue but cross-over components are very common indeed. Headphone amps have DACs, integrated amps include Bluetooth, turntables feature USB plugs and phono amps and so it goes.
The trouble is, hi-fi components don’t like being placed in close proximity with each other because of cross contamination of electrical noise that results in a veiling of subtle and nuanced information. It damages the delicate stuff in sound. It’s not a good thing. Hi-fi components much prefer to be separate and alone. Isolate a hi-fi component and it will reward you with better sound.
So, for example, there’s plenty of great integrated amps out there but there’s even better sounding pre-amp/power amp combos out there too. Why? Because you’ve isolated the pre-amp bit from the power amp bit. Separate the power amp into two separate monoblocks and sound quality takes a further hike upwards. You can apply the same theory to any component in the hi-fi chain. That includes separating an integrated CD player into a transport and DAC.
This box from Audiolab, the 6000CDT, is different from the rest because it’s stripped of extra technologies. It moves against the grain and accepted wisdom. Because of that, it had my attention and I had only taken the thing out of the box. I hadn’t even put the plug in yet.
OK, so it’s a simple box that does one job and that’s a novelty in this day and age. So what else?
The 6000CDT fits very easily into the Audiolab family in terms of aesthetics. If you happen to have a 6000A amplifier, for example, then you’ll notice that the 6000CDT is a perfect visual match for that.
It also uses the same slot-type transport as seen on the 8300CD (which is priced around the £1,000 mark). I’ve had a love-hate relationship with slot-type transports in the past. Many have a bad attitude. Some work when they want to and others demand that you play out a strange dance if you want to listen to your CD with any sort of success. For example, I remember one example from the past that will remain nameless where you had to rest the CD in the slot. Pause. Then give it a gentle nudge. Anything else and the transport would spit out the disc. Thankfully, the Audiolab removes this sort of palaver. It’s firm, solid and works as it should. Which is a big relief.
Better still, in operation, the transport uses built-in memory that reads ahead to reduce errors.
The thorny issue of jitter is also addressed by Audiolab. Jitter is an odd thing – it sounds odd too. Jitter is supposedly produced by digital storage hardware, creating variations in the bitstream that changes the sound waveform itself (although there are also thoughts that jitter is fixed and is part of the actual disc itself in varying levels and that it is pressed into the disc during imperfect duplication). If I was forced to find an analogue comparison, I’d probably compare the overall effect to wow and flutter on a turntable (I know, it’s not exactly the same but it’s a generalised comparison). So, even though the information itself is, as it where, ‘perfect’ the jitter shifts that information about a bit. So you get timing errors. The sound takes on a slightly distorted demeanour. Jitter (wherever it might come from) has been a problem for a long time and the original developers of the first CD technologies were all too aware of the effect. Apparently, even a 0.1 nanosecond jitter shift is audible – that’s how sensitive our ears are, folks.
To combat this effect, Audiolab took it upon itself to have a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator master clock installed to lower the jitter effect at the transport end of the equation. Audiolab says that the jitter effects are “vanishingly low” but we’ll see about that during the sound tests.
More than that, the coaxial output has been looked at and isolated to reduce noise. This is the most important socket on the 6000CDT because this will be the socket that connects to your DAC. On the 6000CDT, the coaxial socket is fed from a differential line driver.
The box itself is simple, minimal and to the point. The front offers a CD loading slot, stand-by button and standard CD play buttons.
The rear? Apart from the in-house trigger buttons to connect to other Audiolab products, you get a power socket, rocker power switch and two digital outs. That’s it.
To me, the 6000CDT is beautiful. Not because it has been styled or moulded or has fancy bits of metal stuck all over it. No, I think it is beautiful because it is simple. I hoped that the philosophy of the outer chassis would be replicated inside too.
SOUND QUALITY
I began by comparing this specialist CD transport with an integrated CD player (i.e. a CD player where the transport and DAC exist within a single chassis).
Because of budget restrictions, many users upgrade their CD player in stages and gradually, not by buying a brand-new CD player but by plugging that CD player into another DAC. The integrated CD player then becomes a sort of make-shift transport.
To save cash and to begin with, the ‘new’ DAC is often the unit sitting in their amplifier (maybe the amplifier is newer and the amp’s DAC of a superior specification). Later, they will upgrade again and buy a separate DAC for their make-shift transport. That is, they will plug in a new DAC into the back of an integrated CD player.
I wanted to test both of these scenarios with the 6000CDT. Just to see if I could hear any sonic differences.
I connected my reference integrated CD player to the Audiolab 6000A amplifier. The DAC inside a 6000A is an ES9018 Sabre32 Reference, so well worth exploiting.
At this point, the reference transport was used to play the 6000A’s DAC. Then I removed the integrated CD player and then connected the 6000CDT transport to the 6000A amplifier and noted the difference.
Doing the test, I played Out on the Weekend from Neil Young on the 1972 album, Harvest (Reprise).
Just how would the specialist transport compare to the transport from the all-round CD player? Is a specialist transport really any better in performance terms? Just how different is the 6000CDT?
It’s different. Completely different. “Hey, have you just put on a different CD?”-different. That’s how different.
The leap in quality was quite shocking, actually. Imagine you’ve drawn a picture of your living room on a piece of paper. It’s a sort of comic-strip effect drawing with everything you know in the room, on that paper. It’s a familiar sight but, as I say, it’s on paper. That’s the reference CD player reference (which I hasted to add was three times the price of the 6000CDT).
Then walk into the real 3D, living (and breathing) room. Walk around in it. Look side on and behind. Jump up and down in it.
That’s the 6000CDT.
That’s how different.
That’s not to deride my reference either, which is a superb integrated CD player and knocks spots off much of the competition at a similar price. It is highly recommended as an integrated CD player. The thing is, though, it is integrated. It is not a specialist transport. In some ways, it’s terribly unfair on my reference to use it in this fashion but that’s what many hi-fi users do. To upgrade their CD, they add a separate DAC and use the old player as a transport. It’s a standard fudge. So, to that effect, the fact that I used this particular integrated CD player in this test is immaterial. I could have used one of dozens of different branded integrateds and the same result would have occurred.
In fact, I did. I quickly brought in a mid-priced CD player by Cambridge just for this brief test. Another very nice CD player. Excellent. Again, highly recommended as an integrated CD player. Same result? Same result.
The Audiolab 6000CDT is a specialist you see. That’s the difference here. It’s designed to do one job. It does it superbly.
OK, so how in sonic terms?
First off is the soundstage. This is the place that contains the music. This is where the music comes from. Get this framework right and the quality of the music will have more chance to shine. The 6000CDT does just that because the soundstage was completely remodelled. Which is why I really did think for a brief second that I’d put a new CD on to play. The effect was more than 3D. The music was pushed backwards but not just at the stereo image point – a usual place for 3D effects to occur. No, more than that, space was pushed left and right too, right across the breath of the soundstage. This gave a large rectangular space at the rear of the soundstage for the music to work with. And space is what increased here, lots and lots of space. This meant that the guitar sounded, how to describe this, ‘alone’ is what I’m scrambling for here. I felt that I could have got up off my listening chair and moved my hands around the sides and back of the guitar and never touched the guitar or what was next to it. There seemed to be a discernible gap between it and the vocal.
Detail was much increased too – tonal variation was also increased but more than that, I was hearing far more resonance vibration from the strings. Those little imperfections that tell you that a human being is playing this thing. They added emotion to the guitar playing.
The drums too were different. Bigger with a slightly hollow sound that suggested that these drums had size but not necessarily mass. It was a great effect because the tonal effects added realism to the overall arrangement.
Young’s vocal now had an almost lost little boy feel to them. An innocence that just wasn’t present beforehand.
The other great thing about the 6000CDT was the instrumental separation. Previously, the cymbal strikes and hard, pumping acoustic guitar strums occurred at exactly the same moment so hearing the cymbal strikes on their own was a tough call. Not now. Oh no. I could plainly hear both and separate too. That one element sold the 6000CDT as a valid piece of hi-fi equipment to me. Right there, I was a convert.
I then turned to Rosemary Clooney’s Bluebird CD release of the original 1960 album, Rosie Solves the Swinging Riddle, with arrangements from Nelson Riddle and the track, Get Me To The Church on Time.
The presentation provided lots of atmosphere because Clooney sounded like she was recording her track in a large auditorium in front of a live orchestra. That sense of space, the grandeur and the sense of immediacy was there in buckets, with plenty of reverb from the upper mids swilling around, adding a vivacity and energy to the piece. Tubular bells and cymbal taps offered delicacy and fragility from the treble area while percussion provided welcome tonal balance in bass terms. Transients were sharp and accurate while trumpets and saxes were both clean yet resonant.
I then removed the 6000CDT from the 6000A amplifier.
It was time to move the test onwards. To get serious, as it where. I wanted to move away from a built-in DAC and find an external model. So I hooked the 6000CDT to the most basic, the cheapest of modern DACs I could find. In my case an iFi iOne DAC, priced around £200 or less. And a brilliant little DAC it is at this price point.
So, in effect, you’re looking at a complete CD player (i.e. transport plus DAC) for somewhere in the region of £500. Give or take.
As an ‘unfair’ comparison, I brought in a ringer (which you won’t find in the reference list below). A highly respected, award-winning integrated CD player costing around £1,000.
It should have walked all over the 6000CDT/iOne combination. It didn’t. In fact, the results were turned around. The 6000CDT/iOne walked all over the respected, award-winning integrated CD player.
I sat there for a bit. Just a bit stunned. And not to say just a bit excited as well.
To repeat, this £500 (or so) transport/DAC combo not only out-performed a top of the line, £1,000 CD player, a CD player that in itself has vanquished most of the immediate competition but it flew way above that CD player’s performance level.
How exactly? Firstly, Audiolab’s now familiar tonal balance. I heard this on the 6000A amplifier and I now heard it on the 6000CDT transport. The notion of allowing bass a position in the overall tonal presentation appears obvious but is rarely, properly heard on hi-fi under £1,000. On the 6000CDT, bass was abundant but never over-arching. It never swamped the soundstage and didn’t here. What it did was make sense of drums, make sense of bass guitar and added weight to the strums of the acoustic guitar. That bass wasn’t just a tone either, it was organic and characterful. There was detail and information here. That separate, isolated DAC decreased noise, increased detail, air and space in and around the midrange, allowing those essential and tiny details to spew forth.
The midrange was never bothered by bass. It occupied its own space and gave the ear more than enough detail to fascinate. The guitar on the Audiolab/iFi combo was now open, informative, sparkling and sounded like a collection of strings pinned to a resonant box. The ‘famous’ CD player muddied the sound, in comparison.
One more notable element, the 6000CDT/iFi produced a quite superb treble response. Light, delicate with reverb tails a-plenty. You could hear the treble on the integrated CD player but you had to work a little to separate it from the background. It sounded a little dull when compared to the 6000CDT/iFi.
Look, I won’t name the CD player. The manufacturer was kind enough to loan it to me and I wasn’t going to reward them by performing a hit job on their pride and joy. Also, I don’t want to point the finger at this CD player and infer that it’s not up to the job. It is up to the job, as an integrated CD player. It remains excellent. A superb CD player. Trouble is, the 6000CDT has just moved the goalposts for all CD players under £1,000. Re-written the script. Invented a whole new ball game.
I then removed the 6000A amplifier and allowed the transport to specialise even further, adding an improved DAC to it. In this case, the Chord Qute HD and swopped over to Rosemary Clooney.
Connected to this specialist DAC, the 6000CDT offered an increase in maturity and sheer quality.
So cymbal taps sounded full and rich in variation while the tubular bell strikes (the wedding bells from the song, I guess) now offered a real, deep, right from the gut response to being hit by the hammers. The bell sound sounded like they started from deep within the bell and rose up from there. The sound was full and rather majestic.
Clooney’s vocal also now had a smile in her voice. She was obviously enjoying herself here. You could actually hear her grinning as she was singing certain lines. The undertone from Clooney was, “This is fun!”
OK, good, good, good. Shall we step it up again? I upgraded the DAC once more to a yet more expensive Benchmark. Switching quickly back to Neil Young, the music now sounded…expensive. Rich and fruity in terms of natural detail with a combination of authority and tonal balance, the 6000CDT shouted quality from the rafters. Everything from the characterful acoustic guitar drums, the decisive thuds from the percussion, the melancholic howl from the lead guitar, the multi-layered response from the harmonica. The effect was wholly impressive.
The enhancements were obviously greatest with the more expensive Benchmark DAC (priced around the £2k-£3k mark) but were just as effective with my old Chord Qute HD (which you can pick up for around £500 from eBay) and the low cost iFi iOne at £200 (or less).
Consider this critical fact, though. The 6000CDT registered and allowed for a vast increase in sonic quality from the iFi iOne to the Chord and from the Chord to the Benchmark. This is further proof that the 6000CDT is not a bottleneck in itself. The CDT6000 has plenty of capacity in terms of sonic improvement. There is no hint that the 6000CDT hampers any future upgrade. Confirmation that the 6000CDT is quality. It can take upgrade, after upgrade, after upgrade and the sound continues to improve. The 6000CDT moves up a gear each time. How far can it go? I have no idea yet. I had to stop somewhere, to publish this review so the jury is out. I have no idea how good the CDT6000 actually is yet. That, my friends, is pretty thrilling stuff.
You should see the 6000CDT as a secure investment to a long (long) term CD upgrade path, therefore.
CONCLUSION
I have to ask you this. Why aren’t we all jumping up and down, celebrating and organising street parties to salute the Audiolab 6000CDT CD transport? This box is a major entrant onto the hi-fi market place. It deserves the plaudits and more.
I had to look twice, no three times, at the price of this transport. The Audiolab screams quality, transforms an integrated amplifier’s built-in DAC, takes full advantage of a separate DAC, raises the quality of your CD music to ceiling busting heights and you’re only paying £379? Ha! Oh, really? Oh, yes.
If you want to play your CD collection with a transport/DAC combination that will not only scare the living bejeebers out of dedicated integrated CD players of five times the price but also threatens to reduce every integrated CD player under £2,500-£3,000 (maybe higher – I just don’t know yet) into aluminium-flavoured jelly, then grab one of these transports and hook it up to your favourite DAC. In fact buy two and keep the other as a backup, just in case.
The 6000CDT revolutionises budget CD play. It’s as simple as that. And that’s why it does the job so well – it’s simplicity. That’s the key to the 6000CDT. It’s not stuffed and bloated with other useless features. Its purity of build and approach lifts CD quality sound to unimagined heights at this price point. As such, it’s well worth membership of the exclusive maximum score club – a Golden Groovy. All hail the Audiolab 6000CDT!
AUDIOLAB 6000CDT CD TRANSPORT
Price: £379
Website: www.audiolab.co.uk
TO BUY CLICK BELOW:
USA – https://amzn.to/3oOmyV9
EUROPE – https://amzn.to/35XkNfB
GOOD: expansive soundstage, tonal realism, 3D presentation, simplicity of design
BAD: nothing
RATING: 10
[Don’t forget to check out my Facebook Group, The Audiophile Man: Hi-Fi & Music here: www.facebook.com/groups/theaudiophileman for exclusive postings, exclusive editorial and more!]
REFERENCE
Benchmark DAC2 HGC
Chord Qute HD DAC
iFi iOne DAC
Leema Essentials CD Player
Aesthetix Calypso pre-amp
Icon Audio MB845 Mk.II monoblock amplifiers
Quad ESL-57 speakers with One Thing upgrade
Blue Horizon Professional Rack System
297 Comments
Steve
12th July 2019 at 3:54 pmHi Paul. I have the Moon ACE. Would you recommend this player with the DAC in the Moon?
Thanks
Paul Rigby
12th July 2019 at 4:10 pmAbsolutely – it would be a fine match Steve.
George
18th August 2021 at 10:57 pmTo Paul Rigby,
A wonderful, comprehensive article on an good quality, higher performance hi fi audio component! However, don’t you think, assume that the designers, and engineers would have thought, and made separate CD Transport CD Players from other top hi fi brands, too?
Furthermore, why has not Denon, Sony, Onkyo, or Pioneer Elite developed, and specialized in making, promoting, and advertising such wonderful CD only Transports? I believe that the difference in the sound of music from a CD Transport is more of a comparison toward dusk, and dawn; not night to day as you say.
Not to say that I may not be buy this Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport later on; but I’m running out of space, and eventually, maybe out of money. Anyhow, this hi fi review was written very well; and it was convincing since this CD Transport – AudiolabCDT – is not too expensive, and very large. I was going to add heavy, but I don’t mind too much about weight; it adds to solidity.
Anyhow, I doubt seriously that a CD Transport is going to surpass one of two top of the line – or as you English say, range – Yamaha CD Players, integrated! As an example, it could also be today’s Denon, or Cambridge Audio CD Player; or a Cyrus CD Player, integrated as you say; those complete CD Players cannot be surpassed! If they are, and most likely by the less expensive CD Players by the Audiolab 6000CDT Transport, I imagine it is by a very small margin! Also Cyrus also makes a dedicated CD Transport only Player; if you are not aware.
Sincerely,
George
Paul Rigby
19th August 2021 at 2:58 pmYou’re free to disagree with me George but my comments stand. More than that, your “I believe”, “I doubt” and “I imagine” comments infer that you’ve yet to compare the integrated design with the separate transport approach. I’d recommend a comparative demo down your local dealer, at your leisure, if you ever look towards an CD player upgrade. If you still prefer the integrated approach (and yes, there’s plenty of nice models out there, I have a few reviewed on this site, after all, let’s not forget) then fine. But at least try them for size.
Paul
20th August 2021 at 12:54 amI’d put my 6000CDT and Sennheiser HDV820 combination above all those integrated units. My first “good” transport was a Cal Audio back in the 80’s and I’ve heard just about all of them 😁👍
Tiberius
25th February 2022 at 9:49 pmHello George, I have owned or heard most of the players you mentioned above, the Denon, Yamaha, Cambridge and they do not hold a candle to the 6000CDT because they do not address the inherent digital problem of jitter. The only one that I have not heard is the Cyrus but that is twice the price of the 6000CDT and I don’t think it is worth the money. Cheers!
Daveya
11th January 2023 at 8:08 amJust stumbled on this review. I’ve moved to a small house, no hifi now, just Qobuz headphones and a Mojo 2. Was thinking about getting joint DVD/CD player for my CDs via the Mojo, might just get this now instead.
Steve
18th June 2022 at 2:33 pmHi Paul and everyone else. I was using an Arcam dv139 into a Cyrus XP Signature dac preamp and into a pair of Cyrus APA7 monoblocs into a pair of Ruark Talisman 1s. The Arcam was around £1800 in 2008. A lovely sound with acoustic music and classical but not so clear when the music got busy. Well I’ve upgraded to the Audiolab and the difference is jaw dropping. I was not expecting too much but the details and naturalness are to behold. Now I can just put music of any genre on and just enjoy. Thanks to your review I chose the Audiolab over the much dearer Cyrus transport and I don’t feel I am missing out at all. Thank you. Steve
Dennis
12th July 2019 at 7:26 pmI have parasound halo integrated, would it be god with tbe sabre dac inside?
Best regards
Paul Rigby
13th July 2019 at 11:51 amHi Dennis – absolutely. A good match.
Fernando
13th July 2019 at 3:18 pmHello Paul! I recently bought an mx-dac of Musical fidelity and am using it with my CD player Rotel RCD 1570. I was thinking of swapting the CD player for a dedicated transport. Do you recommend replacing the Rotel with audiolab transport?
Great review!
Greetings from Argentina…
Paul Rigby
14th July 2019 at 10:57 amHi Fernando – yes, absolutely 🙂
Richard
13th July 2019 at 10:21 pmHow about a standard audiolab m-dac?
Paul Rigby
14th July 2019 at 10:56 amYep – won’t be an issue Richard.
Ignacio Perez
14th July 2019 at 3:21 pmHi Paul, many thanks for the very interesting and useful review of the Audiolab. As indicated earlier, I am planning to replace my old C. Audio 640 Azur CD player and I had almost decided on the Rega Apollo which has received very good reviews. What is your opinion or advice? I note that in your review you mention an integrated CD player at around 1000 pounds and that the Audiolab was way better. Being a transport, how would you need to set up the Audiolab (do you need a DAC)? Look forward to your feedback. Best regards
Paul Rigby
14th July 2019 at 6:00 pmHi Ignacio – I would buy this transport and make up the rest of the money you would have spent on the Rega with a quality DAC.
michael nielsen
14th July 2019 at 5:34 pmIf this is true, then this must be the best cd-player ever.
Paul Rigby
14th July 2019 at 5:59 pmNot quite, Michael – but it is excellent 🙂
Ignacio Perez
14th July 2019 at 7:31 pmMany thanks for the quick feedback, Paul. Do you suggest a specific DAC?
Paul Rigby
14th July 2019 at 8:39 pmHi Ignacio – what budget are you thinking about?
Ignacio Perez
14th July 2019 at 9:22 pmThanks, Paul. Between 300 and 400 euros (basically what I would save getting the Audiolab instead of the Rega Apollo)
Paul Rigby
15th July 2019 at 12:15 pmH Ignacio – I would look at the most expensive DAC you can afford via Schiit. In terms of price/facilities/performance, the company offers a good blend for your money.
Ignacio Perez
15th July 2019 at 11:14 pmMany thanks again, Paul. For instance, the Bifrost? Would such a combination beat the Apollo in terms of musical quality?
Paul Rigby
16th July 2019 at 12:58 pmI would be confidant enough to say ‘yes’ on that even thought I have not reviewed the combo, Ignacio.
Dermot
16th July 2019 at 12:59 amBrilliant review as always. I always get very excited when the David’s slay the Goliath’s. This must be one very special machine. Unfortunately after 20 years without a CDP and, finally succumbing to the lure of the new Tangerine Dream ‘In Search of Hades’ mammoth box set on CD, I went and bought one! A cheap one all told but it’s a goodie. At least I can now listen to Tangerine Dream’s glory years with loads of unreleased stuff in tow. Naturally I felt a bit sick when I read your review but, at least I know now what to aim for in the near future. This player is an absolute must buy and I’d be a fool to ignore yet another lure into the the abyss. Or should it be Hades 😱
One question if I may, and knowing very little about DACS, would my little FiiO X5 DAP work with this Audiolab transport?
…….and don’t forget to review that box set as it’s only stunning!
Paul Rigby
16th July 2019 at 12:55 pmHi Dermot – thanks for your kind words. Re the DAP, I don’t see why not. You just need the correct cable. I couldn’t get the box set in for review because of the label was a bit stingy re review samples. It’s on my ‘to buy’ list though 🙂
Dermot
16th July 2019 at 2:21 pmGood news Paul; The set sold out within days of its initial release but the good news is it’s getting a repress due to massive demand and is set for (re)release sometime in early August – https://burningshed.com/tangerine-dream_in-search-of-hades_boxset. So get your order in ASAP!
Had a closer look at my Fiio X5 and there’s only a line/coax out port. Also there’s only an output from the Audiolab. So am I right in thinking that it won’t work? I need an input in one of them don’t I?
Paul Rigby
16th July 2019 at 3:04 pmPhew! Thanks Dermot.
I suppose you could hook it up and listen through headphones on your DAP but yes, you will need to look elsewhere for a hi-fi connection. That iFi model I used in the review would be one budget choice. Schiit is another option re. value/performance.
Dermot
16th July 2019 at 3:27 pmThanks for that Paul. That iFi model is calling me hither 😊
Paul Rigby
16th July 2019 at 3:34 pmHehe – no problem Dermot.
Ignacio Perez
17th July 2019 at 12:39 amThanks again for the very useful advice, Paul. Rereading your review, I must say I’m very tempted to go for the Audiolab; it really seems one of a kind. However, I have asked a couple of hi fi dealers in Brussels (where I live) and none is enthusiastic about Audiolab (not the 6000 in particular). In fact, they don’t sell products from this brand anymore. Apparently, some models have not functioned well. They insist the Rega is a better option, more solid and more musical. So I’m a bit hesitant. Grateful for any further advice you can provide.
Paul Rigby
17th July 2019 at 10:38 amHi Ignacio – hmmm 🙂 We all have our own personal sonic tastes and they are welcome to theirs. I would agree that Rega’s amps and CD players sound excellent and you won’t be disappointed if you do ever decide to go for Rega. I rate them highly. On a related note, if you do ever ask a hi-fi dealer for independent sound advice, just bear in mind that you’re also talking to a business man…who sells hi-fi…who has invested a lot of his own money in stock…and he’s trying to sell it…
lawrence LaCosse
21st May 2020 at 10:09 pmWell Paul, I have a Audio lab cd transport ready for EBay. Why? Purchased a “Jays Audio” cd transport. Not sure you have reviewed that one yet but it puts Audio lab to shame.
Paul Rigby
22nd May 2020 at 9:50 amEr, they’re a bit pricey aren’t they Lawrence? In excess of £2k? I’m sure they sound lovely and I’d be happy to review one myself but isn’t a direct comparison a little unfair?
lawrence LaCosse
22nd May 2020 at 3:02 pm“A bit pricey” Yup. You are correct! I guess I’m venting, trying to make myself feel better for spending that kind of cash!!😕
Paul Rigby
22nd May 2020 at 3:18 pm🙂
Ignacio Perez
17th July 2019 at 11:45 amMany thanks again, Paul. You always provide useful and sound advice. Basically, what I’m looking for is a noticeable and audible improvement from my current C. Audio 640 player and not having or wishing to upgrade in one or two years’ time. Listening mainly to classical and jazz, what I look for in CD reproduction is a warm, enveloping and neutral sound, as close as possible to analog (obviously, I will not get that and for that I have the Planar 3). What I wonder is whether I can get something better than the Apollo Rega for the same price (around 750 EUR) if I go for the Audiolab. Roughly speaking, I would have 300 EUR left for the DAC and I’m not sure that will get me a very good unit. What do you think?
Paul Rigby
17th July 2019 at 1:07 pmHi Iganacio – thanks for your kind words.
Basically, with the Audiolab you’re getting a transport that is so good, it works well with a DAC priced at several thousand pounds. That’s how good it is. What this means is that, whenever you want to upgrade, you don’t need to upgrade the transport (I would say, you will never have to upgrade the transport ever again). From that point on, just upgrade the DAC. This means that your upgrades are cheaper (because you’re spending money only on the DAC, not the transport too) and more efficient because you’ll be buying DACs from specialist DAC manufacturers. If you do upgrade you know that the better DAC will improve sound by large amounts. You also maximise your money and its value because of that. I noticed a big improvement in sound connecting the 6000CDT to a little iFi DAC of £200. The better the DAC, the better the sound.
Ignacio Perez
17th July 2019 at 2:09 pmThanks again, Paul. So, if I were to spend between £250/300 on the DAC, which one(s) would you recommend? Would that combinatiion be a noticeable improvement over the Rega Apollo?
Paul Rigby
17th July 2019 at 2:29 pmHi Ignacio – at that price, you tend to get great value from Schiit equipment. Buy the best one you can afford. And yes, I would say so.
Craig Stenstrom
18th July 2019 at 11:37 pmAwesome review. I may have to upgrade my modified Sony Playstation 1.
Paul Rigby
19th July 2019 at 8:51 amThanks Craig!
Ben Armine
23rd July 2019 at 4:39 pmAnother no-nonsense review. The comparison with the Rega Apollo is intriguing. One thing I would like to know is the manufacturer of the actual drives in each of the transports. For example are the actual drives manufactured by Audiolab or Rega, in the same way that Cyrus manufacture their own drives (caveat: as far as I know). Instinct suggests a top loader will have the mechanical edge over a slot loader. Is there any further advice you can offer, Paul?
Paul Rigby
23rd July 2019 at 5:22 pmHi Ben – firstly, I never mentioned a Rega CD player in my review 🙂 Nevertheless, thanks for your kind words. As for drive sources, etc. The nature of the source is less important to me than its implementation. The purity of the Audiolab build and the company’s low noise approach to its design is what stands out.
Larry Hoffman
26th July 2019 at 4:44 pmHi Paul, I use the Cambridge CXC transport. It is also a dedicated CD transport, and a close competitor. I’d be very interested in a comparison of the two units.
Paul Rigby
27th July 2019 at 1:06 pmMe too Larry 🙂 I was unable to do that during the initial Audiolab review but I’ll see what I can do in the future.
Larry Hoffman
29th July 2019 at 6:39 pmThat would be great Paul!
Thank you,
Larry
Alex
23rd April 2020 at 11:42 am6000CDT Vs Cambridge CXC
Since the late 80s I must have owned about ten cd players, including some tweaked/modified (clock upgrades, valve output stages etc etc). About 5 or 6 years ago I started to explore separate DAC territory, using an Arcam cdp as transport, then replaced that with the Cambridge CXC, happy that it was a clear improvement sonically on anything that had gone before in my system, the only negatives being the crappy remote and the unreadable display. Then I saw the Audiolab 6000CDT advertised, and read the review here. Familiar with the brand, and mindful of the slight failings of the Cambridge mentioned above, I decided to give it a try. Duly installed in the system a couple of days ago and left to run for a few hours, I then sat down to listen. Immediately obvious that there was a big difference in presentation at least – but was it better, or just different. Listening to more discs tended to strongly reinforce the former, but it wasn’t until I reached down ‘ELO The Collection’ a compilation dating from 2009 of Geoff Lynne’s earlier efforts, that I knew for sure. This disc has always sounded muddy, lacking in any depth or sparkle, when played on previous cdps – the Cambridge was slightly better than the Arcam, say, but now on the Audiolab it was like another recording. It now had depth and sparkle, didn’t need to have the volume turned up in order to try to hear into the music. Great. Well done the 6000CDT, and thanks to you Paul for reviewing it for us. The System: Roksan Caspian Mk1 amp; Heed Dactilius 3 DAC with QPSU; B&W CDM1 SE spkrs; REL T5 subwoofer; Chord Clearway cabling and RA Yello mains cables from Trichord Powerblock 500.
Paul Rigby
23rd April 2020 at 12:07 pmExcellent stuff Alex – thanks for taking the time to submit your review and for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated!
William Hawkins
1st August 2019 at 12:27 pmThanks for the great review, Paul. I was thinking about upgrading from my Roksan Kandy III CD player so it seems like this could be the shove I need. Did you have a preference about which output to use?
Also, I will be buying a dac. Have you heard the Marantz Dac1? Or any recommendations you may have around the £1k mark would be very welcome.
Paul Rigby
1st August 2019 at 2:09 pmYou’re very welcome William – coaxial has received some special isolation attention. I’d go for that. I’m afraid I have yet to hear the DAC in action. Give it a listen if you’re able of course. I like this one: https://theaudiophileman.com/abacus-dac-review-heed/
William Hawkins
16th October 2019 at 4:00 pmThanks for the recommendations, Paul. I went for the transport and Heed Abacus and am very happy with them. I’m enjoying the incredibly enhanced detail and scale and can listen for hours without tiring! Just one thing – I bought a Chord Clearway coaxial interconnect and wonder if I should invest in the Shawline instead (I could always repurpose the Clearway for my dab receiver). Money is a consideration but I could persuade myself “in for a penny, in for a pound” if you think the difference is substantial. Many thanks again.
Paul Rigby
17th October 2019 at 5:38 pmWhat’s your budget on this cable purchase please William?
William Hawkins
17th October 2019 at 6:32 pmThanks for the reply Paul. I was thinking up to £200 unless you had something specific in mind a bit above. I can’t see myself ever going above the £2-3k level for the sources unless Madam Lotto smiles on me!
Paul Rigby
18th October 2019 at 11:06 amHi William – if you can add a few more pounds, I’d go for this: https://telluriumq.com/blue-digital-rca-cable/
William Hawkins
18th October 2019 at 1:03 pmThanks for the help, Paul, I appreciate your enthusiasm and will see if I can audition it. Loved your iphone 8 impersonation on the video, by the way!
Paul Rigby
18th October 2019 at 2:40 pmOh dear – sorry, sometimes I get a bit silly 🙂 It’s a mood thing, hehe. Thanks William, let me know how you get on.
William Hawkins
1st August 2019 at 2:16 pmThanks, Paul. I read your Heed review after I posted my comment. You’re not alone in admiring it, I’ve discovered, so I’ll audition it if I can, but it looks like a good bet anyway.
No need to reply again, you have a job to do! I appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication.
Gustavo Anaya
7th August 2019 at 4:39 pmThanks Paul for another awesome review!!!! I have bought the 6000A and the 6000N, so probably next logical step should the 6000CDT 🙂
Reagrds, Gustavo
Paul Rigby
7th August 2019 at 4:48 pmI guess so! 🙂 And many thanks for you kind words. You won’t be disappointed if you do buy one.
Andrew Sullivan
7th August 2019 at 10:27 pmHi Paul,
Fascinating review, thanks! I’m running the 6000CDT with 6000A through Dali Oberon 5 speakers with Chord C-Screen speaker cables. Although the sound is enjoyable, I haven’t been blown away as most reviewers have been. The Audiolab’s are connected by a very cheap optical cable and powered via a very cheap four way power extension. I also do not have a dedicated hi-fi rack, with the amp placed directly on the CDT, with an IKEA cupboard beneath. I’m considering a Russ Andrews power extension and a better quality digital connection. Any thoughts or alternative advice? I’m also wondering if the Dali speakers are up to the task… Have you tested them?
Cheers, Andrew
Paul Rigby
8th August 2019 at 12:37 pmHi Andrew – thanks for your kinds words. You’re on the right pathway. Get your ancillaries right first. Then look at your hifi chain, then think again about the Dalis. All of those things you mentioned are problems that will mask sound quality. You’ve done a great job to identify the issues. I’d correct those first, look at other possibly issues too (check out my accessories review section for possible ideas), listen, compare and contrast. Once you’re sorted, come back to me and we’ll have a chat about that.
Sanjoy Sen
8th August 2019 at 1:07 amGreat review Paul, sounds like a real giant killer and your excitement was infectious!
I have a Naim cd5si CD player (and 202/200DR) Which DAC combined with the Audiolab transport would comfortably surpass it?
Paul Rigby
8th August 2019 at 12:34 pmThanks Sanjoy 🙂 To answer your question, the best DAC you can afford. So I need to ask you, what’s the budget for that? How high can you go?
Sanjoy Sen
8th August 2019 at 10:33 pmI’ll probably end up over budget as usual😊
I’d probably spend up to about £800 but happy to buy used. I’m quite attached to my Naim CD player but if separates can sound better I’m tempted.
Paul Rigby
9th August 2019 at 12:09 pmHi Sanjoy – slightly over budget is this one: https://theaudiophileman.com/abacus-dac-review-heed/
But under budget, I’d look at this: https://www.schiit.co.uk/dacs/gungnir – I reviewed the more expensive Multibit version here: https://theaudiophileman.com/gungnir-ho-schiit-gungnir-dac/
Alberto Silva
8th August 2019 at 12:12 pmHi Paul,
Let me tell you that your review is absolutely accurate. But allow me complement it, adding a bit of my story. My old Counterpoint DA11 died two years ago. For the past year I’ve search for replacement. So I set a 2.500€ target line to new or second one transport, to match my DAC’s (vintage Wadia 2000 and Apogee 1000) and a modern and great iFi Pro iDSD.
From second hand Audionet, Theta CompiBlu and Audiolab 8000CDM with the famous CDM9Pro, to the modern offers from Moon and Project and also giving a spin in some integrated CD players, like the excellent Naim CD5XS2, I’ve tried a lot of options.
Audiolab 6000CDT??? Nooo way, to cheap, with CD slot, lots of empty space inside, forget it, it will not have a chance.
Well it beat them all, exactly by the same standards you’ve explained with cheaper products. This is a rare jewel in a world of standard five zero prices.
And in fact I also do think that they have nail it quite well with jitter.
So forget old transports, forget big/old Marantz and Sony ES transports, swallow the audiophile pride in expensive stuff and give the 6000CDT a spin, it’s a jaw drop exercise.
Paul Rigby
8th August 2019 at 12:38 pmSpot on Alberto and thanks for your story – very informative and one that will help others who read it, I’m sure.
Dermot
18th August 2019 at 12:10 pmHi Paul,
A lot more comments since I last posted here! I’m delighted that they’re all positive and indeed they should be! Only short time after reading your review, I went out and bought it! From Richer Sounds up Belfast way. A terrific company I have to say. I won’t go into details as I’ve already mentioned them in my earlier post. Anyway I also checked out Schiit (as recommended by you) and I was extremely impressed by the whole philosophy of the company. They actually sounded like they cared plus they’re so witty and funny! Long story short, and, I know you’re a fan of multi-bit dacs, I actually went for their cheapest model the Modi 3 based on two reviews/tests which basically told me to go for the cheaper Delta-Sigma dac! One was from a customer who had tried/owned all the dacs and the second one was from a very thorough objective/subjective review of the Modi 3. Anyway the upshot of all this is that everything you said in your review is absolutely spot on even with the tiny Modi. I was dancing around the room in excitement and I even fell over the dog lol! Such a magnificent sound in the supposed death throws of the cd medium. Downloads, streamlining etc etc ear your heart out! Final word: if anyone out there, after reading the review, doesn’t react like I and others did in buying the darned thing then I’m not one (multi) bit sorry for you for losing out to one of the best and affordable sounds currently out there. No excuse whatsoever! Thanks Paul for switching on the light 🤓
Paul Rigby
19th August 2019 at 10:45 amThanks for your insight Dermot!
Simon
19th August 2019 at 10:37 pmHi Paul, thanks for a very informative review. I have owned an Audiolab 8000CDM (Mark II) CD transport since new (c/w a Rega DAC at the moment). The 8000CDM is 20+ years old now but was very well regarded in its day and has performed faultlessly. Do you think that the 6000 CDT would be an improvement? Has CD transport technology improved significantly?
Paul Rigby
19th August 2019 at 10:55 pmThanks for your kind comments, Simon. How they compare? Well, I cannot say because I have not tested the pair together so I cannot judge any possible improvements from the 8000CDM onwards. That said, the 6000CDT does feature some interesting isolation technologies which does lower noise and that, in itself, should improve sound quality. I would encourage you to listen to the 6000CDT for yourself, though. I’m sure you could hear any sonic differences.
John
20th August 2019 at 5:38 pmVery interesting review. When my Arcam CD73 died I considered the Audiolab 8300CD as a replacement but couldn’t afford it then. I was also put off by the slot loading transport. I ended up buying a Marantz CD6006. A fine player but soundwise I still prefer the CD73. It sounded open & refined whereas the CD6006 sounds musculer & closed in. The CD73 wasn’t perfect. It’s tray was flimsy & sometimes made a grinding noise when closing. CD’s would also occasionally skip but then play fine when reloaded. Your review has got me thinking about the Audiolab again but which one? I don’t want streaming or other such Emperor’s new clothes. I just want to connect the player to the amp & play CD’s (from Westcoast rock to Heavy Metal). Any advice would be appreciated.
Paul Rigby
21st August 2019 at 3:31 pmHi John – I’d still go with this transport and a DAC of your choice and then, if you wish to upgrade, just change the DAC. The transport is a pure/simple design, the main reason is sounds so good.
Joel
23rd August 2019 at 12:35 amPaul, on a side-note, have you done a review of the Audiolab 6000A, since you have one apparently? I’d be interested in a review of this amp to see if it’s the same sort of bargain as the CD player. Thank you.
Paul Rigby
23rd August 2019 at 9:11 amSure Joel – here you go: https://theaudiophileman.com/6000a-integrated-amplifier-review-audiolab/
Joel
23rd August 2019 at 12:37 amNever mind. Yes, you have. Cheers.
Paul Rigby
23rd August 2019 at 9:11 am🙂
Debbie
28th August 2019 at 6:10 amNice, informative review, Paul.
I have a Devialet Expert Pro 250 CI. Do you think a pairing with the 6000CDT would work well?
Paul Rigby
28th August 2019 at 1:24 pmYes indeed, Debbie.
Ian Walker
3rd September 2019 at 4:55 pmPaul, thank you for an informative and excellent review.
I am looking for a CD transport to use with my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC.
It will replace a very old Arcam Alpha Plus, which is occasionally used as a transport.
I had considered a CEC TL5 but these are extremely expensive!
Do you believe the 6000CDT and Yggdrasil will be a good combination?
Paul Rigby
4th September 2019 at 10:43 amHi Ian – thanks for your kind words and indeed I do, yes. Let me know your thoughts when you get the painting up and running!
Juan Bustillo
29th February 2020 at 10:41 amHi Ian , probably is too late , but I would advice you against the CEC , I had a TL51 , and gave a lot of problems , most important the top sliding drawer micro-switch , that allows the Transport to starts , fails and prevents you to use the player . And this transport gives you ( at least the one I had) a hard time to lock to for exaple the Audio Alchemy DTI Pro 32 . And , of course the TL51 didn´t play CD-R nor CD-RW . So I would go or the Audiolab , way more cheap .
Andrew Williams
4th September 2019 at 3:13 pmHi after reading a few reviews I decided to go with the 6000cdt to replace my aging Roksan Caspian m series 1 cd player ,what can I say iam listening to all my cds again it sounds fantastic I am running it with a Hegel H190 integrated amp and buchardt s400 speakers the best £379 I’ve ever spent go buy one.
Paul Rigby
4th September 2019 at 4:57 pmExcellent! Glad to hear that you happy with it Andrew – thanks for your feedback 🙂
Ian Walker
4th September 2019 at 3:36 pmPaul,
Thanks. Not sure I understood your ‘painting’ comment though …
I currently listen mainly to music streamed from a hard drive. These are all lossless files from CDs. In your experience, can a CD transport, such as 6000CDT, sound better than playing the same files, from a hard drive, and played through the same DAC?
I ask as there seems to be a lot of debate about this, with some claiming that no CD transport can ever match a high quality streamer and others saying quite the opposite!
Linn stopped making CD players as they say that streamers are so much better from both a theoretical and practical perspective, but some audiophiles believe that the best digital replay quality they can achieve is still with a good CD transport and high quality DAC.
Paul Rigby
4th September 2019 at 4:53 pmHi Ian – auto correct 🙂 Should have said ‘pairing’, hehe. As for hard disks, etc…
You can produce superb digital music but I find that you really have to work hard to cover all of the bases. With a CD transport and external DAC, you get a bigger bang for your buck, as it where with superior music for less cash.
For digital, if you address the digital noise issue with proper external grounding, if you select the right DAC designed for best sound practices not for lifestyle convenience, if you use a digital source with absolutely no noise generated within (that’s harder than you might first think), if you use an *external* hard drive source, properly isolated, if you…you see? Yes, I believe it can be done, you can get a real audiophile level of sound from a *wired* hard drive (this isn’t streaming, incidentally, streaming is a substandard audiophile music carrier but great for a lifestyle set-up) but you need attention to detail.
I still see the entire genre in its baby stages.
CD has been going getting on for 40 years. And CD is still improving. As is our knowledge of the format. CD isn’t dying either, despite reports. Well, not absolutely. It’s merely moving from a mass market status to a specialist status. I can’t wait for that transition to occur, then the real development fun can begin via specialist outfits. Digital music will come but it needs time.
Ian Walker
4th September 2019 at 6:02 pmHi Paul,
Thanks very much for replying.
I was scratching my head thinking what ‘painting’ had been auto corrected from; now I understand!
I really appreciate your thoughts on streaming vs CD replay.
I think I am probably not ‘streaming’ based on your definition.
I have an external hard drive and use a very old Logitech Transporter to deliver digital output from FLAC files to my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC. It sounds pretty good.
I also have Qobuz on a month’s free trial, but I am not sure if I’ll keep it. It’s certainly convenient…. Now that IS streaming!
In order to improve my system, I agree with you that I would probably need to spend a lot on something like an Auralic Aries G1/G2 to achieve low noise.
I think you have convinced me to get a 6000CDT.
In the meantime, I’ll carry on buying CDs, as I don’t think the format is dying either!
Paul Rigby
5th September 2019 at 5:59 pmThanks for your thoughts Ian and no problem 🙂
Al Salerno
4th September 2019 at 6:46 pmHi Paul and Ian,
I recently became aware of Paul’s excellent account of the Audiolab CDT transport. I’d like to thank you Paul for taking the time to put in words precisely what I have experienced with this transport. The Audiolab transport is a great find among the multi-thousand dollar cd players and transport In the market place. I replaced an older Theta Miles CD player and was surprised how much better the Audiolab unit is. Ian, I use the Schiit Yggy DAC and the Audiolab transport and am very pleased with the overall SQ I get from my system. I’ve also experimented with a couple of digital cables to see if I could discover further refinements. It never ends does it? 🙂
Paul Rigby
5th September 2019 at 6:00 pmTrue, Al – it never ends 🙂 Thanks for your thoughts.
Ian Walker
6th September 2019 at 11:46 amHi Paul and Al,
Thank you.
It looks like I should get a 6000 CDT!
Unfortunately it will also mean buying a new preamp, as I currently run without one.
Al, what preamp do you use?
I’ll probably get a Schiit preamp -either the Freya S or Freya + ( which has tubes as well as solid state outputs)
Paul Rigby
6th September 2019 at 12:18 pmMine is a high-end jobbie Ian – not sure about your price range. I use an Aesthetix Calypso (http://aesthetix.net/calypso.php). That’s a valve design too, incidentally. Yes, the Schiit is a good call. That should work well.
Ian Walker
6th September 2019 at 2:22 pmHi Paul,
Thanks.
Wow.That looks like a nice preamp, which I have no doubt sounds great, but I think it is over £6k!
I certainly hadn’t budgeted for that amount.
I think I’ll go for the Schiit Freya Plus, as at around £850, I could add a high quality digital source , like Auralic Aries G1/G2), and the 6000CDT and still have change…
Paul Rigby
6th September 2019 at 3:14 pmSounds like a plan, Ian 🙂
Ian Walker
7th September 2019 at 1:24 pmThanks Paul.
It’s very encouraging to know I am probably on the right track!
I understand that getting digital music to to sound as good as CD is a challenge, but have you come across any digital sources ( or network bridges) which you could recommend.
Currently considering Auralic Aries or DCS Network Bridge.
Paul Rigby
8th September 2019 at 10:07 pmThat would depend on your budget, Ian – otherwise you’ll have an unworkable list as long as your arm 🙂
Dave
7th September 2019 at 5:27 pmHi paul, how would you compare it to the Cambridge audio cxc ?
Paul Rigby
8th September 2019 at 9:58 pmHI Dave – I haven’t done a direct comparison, I couldn’t get one for comparison at the time, so can’t give a categorical answer to that, I’m afraid.
Al Salerno’s
8th September 2019 at 6:20 amHi Ian
For the past 10+ years I’ve been using an Audio Research Ref2 preamp with either a pair of Odyssey Kismet mono amps, or a VT 200 (I’ve been thinking about selling the VT 200 due to not using it so much these days). I also have my first serious preamp I bought almost 40 years ago! The would be Audio Research 6B that I just can’t seem to part with. About a year or two ago, I also brought home the AR Ref 5 to audition. Honestly, for me I preferred my old Ref2 to the Ref5. The Ref 5 had the better midrange, but the Ref2 had a better top amp end.
Ian Walker
9th September 2019 at 11:28 amHi Al,
Thank you very much for replying.
That Ref 2 is a serious preamp! From what I have read, AR make some of the best preamps available, at any price.
I don’t have the budget for that kind of preamp- most of my budget has already gone on ATC SCM 100 ASL active loudspeakers.
They are fantastic.
Al Salerno
10th September 2019 at 3:37 amHi Ian,
I would love to hear the ATC’s sometime. I’ve heard great things about their active speakers but have not had the opportunity to listen to them. I’m confident the Freya plus would be a great choice, given the supportive reviews I’ve read. The team at Schiit Audio seems to be on a roll!
Ian Walker
11th September 2019 at 5:20 pmHi Al,
I first heard some ATCs over 25 years ago, and was so impressed I thought that one day I would have to get a pair.
I finally got my active 100s about 12 years ago. I bought them second hand.
I love them and I can’t praise the factory highly enough; they brought my old speakers up to current spec about 3 years ago.
I would definitely recommend an audition if you have a local ATC dealer.
Oyvind Hagen
14th September 2019 at 10:34 pmThanks for many nice newsletters. Read your review on 6000CDT CD TRANSPORT FROM AUDIOLAB, only £ 372. Are you really saying this transport is as good as the fort knox Audio Note CDT Two II, which I can buy second hand here in Norway for 2500, or the Heed Audio obelisc DE for 1500?
Paul Rigby
16th September 2019 at 10:25 amHi Oyvind – many thanks for your note. I wasn’t comparing the 6000CDT with any other transport. What I was doing was highlighting the benefits of separating an integrated CD player into a transport and separate DAC and then upgrading the DAC when funds allow, to increase sound quality.
JR
20th September 2019 at 2:13 pmHi Paul, you were quite busy here 🙂 I am waiting for the 6000ctd I ordered and wonder if the CA dacmagic100 I have is good enough… If I choose to buy a new dac I can spend ~ £350 and my question is whether I can feel a difference with a dac within this budget (any suggestion?) or better to wait till I can spend some more (though I don’t expect it will be soon)
Paul Rigby
20th September 2019 at 2:35 pmHi JR – yep, you’re right! The Cambridge should be fine. No probs. I’d stick with the latter for now and upgrade to something around the £700-£1,000 mark later on. Let’s have a chat at that point.
JR
20th September 2019 at 6:08 pmThanks Paul. I decided to use the dacmagic in order to set a system for my father. Therefore a recommendation for a dac under £400 will be appreciated! (except a coaxial for the 6000cdt I need just another coaxial or optical)
Paul Rigby
23rd September 2019 at 10:30 amHi JR, the Schiit Modi Multibit would be good, iFi produce good DACs too.
Max
26th September 2019 at 8:13 amHi Paul, I suppose the 6000CDT can be coupled with my old audiolab 8000DAC? May it arise any mismatch between them?
Paul Rigby
26th September 2019 at 10:38 amCan’t see an issue Max – should be fine.
Roger Lucas
7th October 2019 at 10:17 amPaul
Having recently purchased an Audiolab 6000cdt for use with my surround sound set-up, I too was stunned by how much better it sounded than my well respected integrated player – it was like chalk and cheese!! However, this begs a serious question of both manufactures and the hi-fi press for both making and supporting inferior hardware when patently far superior two (and even three box) players were available in the eighties. Why has it taken so long for hardware manufacturers to exploit the software potential of the silver disc. A great review.
Roger
Paul Rigby
7th October 2019 at 11:20 amThanks Roger – I think the ‘rise’ of the CD is more to do with time (time for developers to try things and get things right), partly to do with a disastrous initial marketing campaign (the ‘perfect’ disc format thing set the format up for a fall, the depths of which it has been climbing from for years afterwards) and the more recent increase in general research and development. Improved ADC equipment seen in studios like Abbey Road, for example, has increased inherent CD sound quality immeasurably over the past 10 years alone.
Philip Livingstone
20th October 2019 at 11:30 pmHi Paul,
After reading your review of the 6000cdt I went out and bought one myself to replace my old “turntable” Pioneer PD-S 904. I have just acquired a Chord Qutest DAC and have used Audioquest’s Cinnamon optical cable to link the transport to the DAC while using Chord C Line interconnects to my ancient Audio Innovations Series 500 driving Heco Einklang Direkt speakers. I’m looking to maximise the performance of the transport and dac and would appreciate your thoughts on cables as I’m assuming that the optical cable would be outperfrmed by a coax cable. Do i require a RCA to BNC cable? I was interested in the MCRU Ultimate digital cable and am open to ideas on the interconnect around the £200 mark. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Paul Rigby
21st October 2019 at 11:07 amThanks for your question, Philip – sounds like a nice system you’re putting together there. You’re right, the coax will be the best option. Audiolab has applied some special attention to this area too, to improve sound. Abetter bet is Tellurium Q’s Blur Waveform II. Be an extra £35-40 over your limit but well worth spending.
Philip Livingstone
21st October 2019 at 10:04 pmThank you for your advice, I am trying to build my system up again with the fewest steps in the upgrade path as I’m wary of buying something that isn’t optimum only to trade it in at a loss later. Hence the transport and dac which are the best that I can afford before it gets into silly money. The optical cable being the only stop gap just to get them up and running while the interconnects were purchased to hook up my Aiwa XK-009 Excelia cassette deck. Unfortunately it needs a service so I’m hoping that it’s only drive belts and that I can find someone to carry out the work.
Next on the list is a replacement for my Old Clerkenwell Road Roksan Xerses, the Rega Planar 10 looking very attractive at the minute!
Paul Rigby
22nd October 2019 at 9:51 amNo problem Philip – if you need any advice in the future, give me a shout.
Juan Bustillo
9th November 2019 at 11:51 amHi Paul , I just bought the 6000CDT to replace my CEC TL51 CD transport , that after seventeen years decided to it was time to retired , that was last year , in the meantime I used a very cheap Sony DVDas a transport ( I know) until I decided wich CD transport to buy , and thanks to you and other reviews I decided for the Audiolab . So far so good , of course the sonic difference with the Sony was instant ! I use a vintage Audio Alchemy combo , The DTI PRO 32 conected with I2S cable to the DDE v3.0 then to a QED passive pre-amp directly connected to aclass A 100 w amplifier that only has an on-off knob , very minimalist ! After a day or so of serious listening I have to say I´m very , very pleased with this purchase .
Altough was more than a year that my CEC broke , I think the 6000 CDT is a better performer , and most important it plays CD-R and CD-RW that the CEC didn´t !
So thank you for helping me to go for the Audiolab !
Greetings from Buenos Aires .
Paul Rigby
10th November 2019 at 2:20 pmMany thanks for your thoughts, Juan and I’m glad I could be go help.
CS
12th December 2019 at 9:13 amGreat Review. As a result I bought an Audiolab Transport (used) after reading your review to pair it with my M-DAC yesterday. It will replace a CD transport CEC TL 5100 (still working but imo lacking detail in sound). Will let you know my impressions after arrival. Digital cables I use are Aqvox and tellurium black Mk I. Once again many thanks for your lively description. Best regards fron Germany! C
Paul Rigby
12th December 2019 at 2:47 pmThank for your note, CS and I appreciate your thoughts. And yes, let me know how you get on.
Alan Dean
15th December 2019 at 7:38 pmReally helpful review and just a bought one to go with my Chord Mojo, Rega Brio and Dynaudio Emit 10s. Problem though is audio dropouts of about half a second, distinct switching off and on which is really annoying. I am using AudioQuest Forest Coaxial cable. I suppose some electrical appliance could be triggering the phenomenon. Changed the coaxial to Amazon Basics but same happens. Just wondering if this is a common problem with CD transports.
Thanks Alan
Paul Rigby
16th December 2019 at 11:50 amHi Alan – the only time I’ve had issues like that related to the connecting cable not providing a secure signal. Remove the cable, then reinsert. Make sure the cable is sitting properly in the jack, not being pulled or pushed in any direction. Fiddle around with the thing. Sometimes not pushing the cable fully ‘home’ can fix it. The ideal connection might be somewhere between fully home and out, if you see what I mean? Failing that, try another cable.
Alan Dean
16th December 2019 at 8:16 pmThank you for the prompt reply Paul, appreciated. I’ve tried all you suggested but made no difference even using 3 different coaxial cables. I did change the coaxial for optical and there was no problem but I’m not sold on optical connects except for the TV. I suspect that the Audiolab isn’t pushing out out enough signal or there a buffering problem. Definitely though it is vunerable to interference. So returned this second Audiolab to Amazon and reinserted the Marantz 6006UK CD player connected to my Chord Mojo via coaxial and it works flawlessly. So still keeping an eye open for a capable transport
Paul Rigby
17th December 2019 at 11:35 amHow odd! I never had an issue myself, Alan, and I tried different configurations in that area. Sorry to hear about that. Have you considered Cambridge’s transport. I have yet to test it but have hear good reports.
David
23rd April 2020 at 12:36 pmOptical is the best way to connect to the mojo, it is recommended by Rob watts the designer.
wolfgang
1st May 2020 at 1:19 amThe green light its low voltage. As line in it could be too low I guess….
Pressing both volume buttons when turning the Mojo on sets it to line level 3mV.
From the Mojo Head Fi forum I know that clicking 4 times minus gets it down to 1.9mV. ( from line level).
Green is about 15 clicks down (in between is turquoise). I wonder what the voltage is then?
Usually around 2mV is adequate. I use mine with color blue intego.
Wolf
29th April 2020 at 12:28 pmI’m not aware that Audioquest has a digital Forest Coaxial with RCA and 3.5mm plug for Chord Mojo. A correct cable would be i.e. from Chord such as the Clearway with RCA to 3.5mm.
But as David said for Mojo an optical cable would be superior (recom. by Rob Watts).
Optical cables have less problems with EMF interference as I know.
David
29th April 2020 at 6:16 pmPeople seem to think jitter is a problem with optical, but not with the chord mojo. Also the output of the mojo has very low noise because it’s designed for IEM headphones. When using it for a desktop dac the output is high at 3v, I drop mine down so the volume colour is green, not sure what the voltage is, but it gives a much better sound. I have also removed the battery from mine and now leave it plugged in all the time without the heat problem.
David
1st May 2020 at 10:02 amYes 2mv is about right, but I find that the mojo with lower output and the amp turned up more gives a better sound. I have tried lots of different combinations.
Paul Gloeggler
30th April 2021 at 2:08 pmI’ve noticed these dropouts when switching on a lamp powered by a wall switch outlet.
Changing the switch eliminated the problem.
CS
29th December 2019 at 12:29 pmDear Mr. Rigby,
As promised, a few thoughts about the Audiolab 6000 CDT CD transport:
Now that my Wireworld Supernova Tosink cable has arrived (very good product), I have heard some of my CDs through my M-DAC and can only confirm your impression that this CD transport is a very good product. It will inherit my CEC TL 5100. Very good stage, great dynamics and (with the Wireworld Supernova) also a very good substance in the bass. I listen with active Klein + Hummel studio monitors, which I operate directly via the balanced preamp output of the M-DAC. Previously had a Tellurium Waveform Black for the DAC. Subjectively, Wireworld Supernova offers a better result.. I am now expecting a Tomanek ultra-linear power supply for the M-DAC from Poland and I am excited to see what improvements will be made.
Thank you for your review.
Greetings from Germany
Paul Rigby
29th December 2019 at 1:51 pmHi CS – glad you liked it and that your experiences were good. Many thanks for the update.
wolfgang
1st May 2020 at 1:16 amThe green light its low voltage. As line in it could be too low I guess….
Pressing both volume buttons when turning the Mojo on sets it to line level 3mV.
From the Mojo Head Fi forum I know that clicking 4 times minus gets it down to 1.9mV. ( from line level).
Green is about 15 clicks down (in between is turquoise). I wonder what the voltage is then?
Usually around 2mV is adequate. I use mine with color blue intego.
Pascal
28th February 2020 at 12:18 amHello Paul,
Your review on this cd transport is spiky! I bought myself a DAC Atoll 300 and I was just wondering, would my old CD player Rega planet (Mk1) be enough to read my many CDs! I told myself that I had to find a CD transport, even if it was to dig into the user, see in the old man, some of whom had a good reputation in their time! And now I come across your magazine a bit by chance! About the DAC Atoll DAC 300, I would have liked you to review, why with the Audiolab CDT! Hope to read you and thank you for allowing me to discover devices that deserve to be known! Best Regards !
Paul Rigby
28th February 2020 at 10:34 amNot a problem Pascal – thanks for reading.
Mark Haynes
15th March 2020 at 4:30 pmHi partly as a result of your review I’m buying a silver Audiolab 6000cdt to replace my old Cyrus XT2 transport. Now I know that many will say “why don’t you just get the Cyrus serviced’ but it is £300 and requires me physically take the transport to my nearest dealer (which is a long way now that Creative Audio in Shrewsbury have closed down) and I’ve heard lots of disgruntled Cyrus owners that complain that after servicing they have lots of problems and Cyrus are none too helpful. I have a Roksan K3 DAC which I’ll connect with a coaxial that always makes me nervous (because it is so thick and heavy with lockable RCAs that will demolish most coaxial inputs if you’re not careful). I like the fact that this transport seems to have a tough looking coaxial input lol! Nice and informative review that I hope that the naysayers about cd transports being just 0s and 1s will take note.
Paul Rigby
15th March 2020 at 5:07 pmThanks Mark – let me know how you get on with your purchase.
Mark Haynes
1st April 2020 at 11:57 pmHi, I’ve lived with 6000cdt now for a couple of weeks and I can report that it sounds now at least as good as my Cyrus XT2 player. However I should just say that I did not think that at first. For the first week I found the sound although good for the price a little distant, lacking in leading edge note definition and a touch ‘hard’ at times. I was impressed but felt it could be better so I had a hard look at the player and noticed that it had an input fuse which is very unusual in cd players (my XT2 doesn’t have one nor does the Arcam CDS72 which I’ve been using). Thinking that this might be a ‘bottleneck’ on performance I ordered an A & R gold fuse (£15) to replace the fuse. Wow! What a difference! I would’ve ended up giving it 4 stars and said that it wasn’t quite as good as my Cyrus XT2 (which is more expensive) but with the A & R gold fuse in place all my reservations were ‘blown away’. Musicians/performers took a pace forward, the leading edge of notes was much better and that trace of hardness was gone (I have perfect pitch which is a pain for my wife lol). Now it is definitely 5 stars and worth every penny but PLEASE replace that input fuse!
Paul Rigby
2nd April 2020 at 1:00 pmAhhh, interesting Mark. Interesting. Nice one and thanks a lot for the tip. You may find the sound loosens up over time too and you are using coax I assume?
MR ALAN ROBSON
28th April 2021 at 10:28 amHi Paul I own the 6000cdt and the 6000a through a pair of B&W 606 wonder if you would recommend an external dac to improve already good sound. 😎
Paul Rigby
28th April 2021 at 2:15 pmDo you have a budget figure in mind?
Peter BAiley
27th September 2022 at 5:29 amI haven’t been able to find “A & R gold fuse” but there is AMR Gold Plated Internal Fuses. The manual recommends T630mAL 250V Slow Blow. The closest AMR Gold is 0.5 amps. I’d be very interested in knowing about the one you used.
Normand Hamel
27th September 2022 at 9:14 pmMy understanding is that Mark actually meant AMR. Anyway, I have myself acquired an AMR fuse for the 6000CDT and here is what I have ordered from Analogue Seduction: AMR Audiophile Gold Hi-Fi Fuse 20mm x 5mm; rating: 1.6A. I don’t recall on what basis exactly I chose that rating but I believe it is appropriate although slightly higher than what is recommended by the manufacturer.
I am very happy with the result (better clarity ans purity) and strongly recommend the make the upgrade. However, make sure you order from an AMR approved supplier for I previously acquired fake AMR fuses from Asia and although the sound was super smooth it was also very opaque and quite a bit thick.
Richard
29th September 2022 at 6:37 pmSo, to be clear, are we talking about the AC mains fuse? The fuse between my 12g Romex fed receptacle and the 6000 CDT’s power transformer? And it made a perceptible improvement to the sonic qualities of the player? Just want to make sure I’m getting this right….. (here’s where your Grandma’s polite advice about “if you don’t have anything nice to say…” kicks in). Crickets.
Normand Hamel
30th September 2022 at 6:05 pmYes, and it is accessible from the outside, the fuse receptacle being located immediately above the AC inlet on the back side. Therefore no need to open the 6000CDT.
In my case it made an improvement to the sound pretty much across the board, but the most noticeable aspect is the smoothening of the flow of music which now sounds more natural, less strained. I listen to a lot of classical and this characteristic is important for the enjoyment of the experience. I also have more ambiance when it is part of the recording. Timbres are more natural as well.
Please note that in my system the 6000CDT is connected directly to my Amp’s DAC via a single coax cable and I have changed the fuse inside the amp as well. Replacing the fuse in both units is preferable for it has a synergistic effect, but is not absolutely necessary. The 6000CDT is the best place to start for it is the source. A source of great pleasure I might add.
Mark Haynes
2nd April 2020 at 5:03 pmI am using a W & M Audio Reference coax. Sound is great now and I would actually say it is better than my old Cyrus XT2 (without the PSX-R2 it must be said). I will say that also (I have over 2000 cds) this player will play ‘difficult’ cds that the Cyrus would never play which is a bonus (how many can claim to have a cd collection that is ‘perfect’ throughout?). I did notice that the transport responds to mains cables quite noticeably as well. As with fuses this is a subject that many will cry ‘audiofool’ over but the differences are so great that I don’t need a ‘double blind’ test to hear it is easily noticeable even from the next room. I was actually surprised at the level of improvement by changing the fuse (even though I’ve had good results elsewhere with my equipment – internal fuses make more difference than mains plug fuses IME).
Paul Rigby
3rd April 2020 at 10:04 amThanks for the update Mark – that fact that you can hear sonic differences with ancillaries like this is also a testament to the unit’s basic clarity, I would add. Which gives it room for future modification. A good quality shelf, isolation feet and the like for example.
Stephen Gardner
3rd December 2022 at 2:56 pmHi Mark,
I hope you don’t mind me asking but how did you get the fuse in? There doesn’t seem an obvious way to get to it. I can see a dumbell looking indent on the back of my player just above the power cable but I wasn’t sure how to open it. Also thank you for your comments about the Cyrus transport as I was curious about them as I use all Cyrus power amplifiers and Signature dac preamp, but I’m glad to know I’m not missing out using the Audiolab. Thank you Steve
Dave
3rd April 2020 at 10:47 amDid you do this test double blind ?.
Paul Rigby
3rd April 2020 at 11:14 amHi Dave – I test using a method I’ve developed over the years which tends to take all day for one product and involves A-B, C-D, A-C comparisons, studying a piece of music over time, focusing on individual instruments and so on. As I say, it’s a full day thing. I don’t do double blind, no. I don’t use machines either. All of these so-called foolproof systems are open to bias and none are perfect. I’ve tried them all and discarded them all. Although plenty will disagree with me of course, I find my system works for me.
DJ
6th April 2020 at 10:23 pmHey Paul, I accidentally stumbled upon your review of the Audiolab 6000CDT as I am researching a replacement for my NAD C 546BEE CD player. Other components in my system are NAD C658 streaming DAC, Rotel RSP 1582 premap, Parasound A21 amp and Focal Electra 1038 BE. My question to you is, Would replacing the NAD CD player with Audiolab 6000CDT make a difference in my system?
Paul Rigby
7th April 2020 at 11:41 amYes. Next question? 🙂 Seriously though I’d grab the CDT and then just upgrade your DACs when you have the cash to hear improved sound quality. Use the coax socket as the preferred connection method, though.
DJ
7th April 2020 at 10:30 pmThank you for your reply 👍. As you expected, one last question…any DAC you recommend in the 3K price range.
Paul Rigby
8th April 2020 at 10:30 amHi DJ – check out this one from Schiit: https://www.schiit.co.uk/dacs/yggdrasil
Also look at the Benchmark DAC3 HGC and the Auralic Vega G1.
DJ
8th April 2020 at 10:59 pmThank you!
Ron Chance
19th February 2021 at 3:47 pmI own both the Cambridge CXC and now the Audiolab 6000CDT. Paul encourages us to share our experiences so here goes, my first review!
The CXC partnered a DacMAgic, the performance of the latter much enhanced by a Russ Andrews power supply. When I bought an Audiolab 6000N streamer, I was very impressed by the sheer heft of the streamed music and the weighty power supply at the heart of this unit started me thinking. I also enjoyed the detail of the ESS DAC chipset in this unit, which easily outperformed my old Cambridge DAC.
Cue Black Friday and a good deal on the MDAC Plus, featuring a meaty power supply and the same ESS chip. Wow! What an upgrade! Now the 6000CDT became very appealing. £379 seemed a low risk. Paul’s review speaks of the attention paid to the power arrangements. I took the plunge.
And have not a single regret. The natural ambience of each instrument, the air around it, the fullness of the decay to each note, the beautiful tuneful bass, the solid imagery of the separate elements making up the whole ensemble, all repeat to my ears the accuracy of Paul’s review and the quality of this unit.
The CXC is very good. It and the DacMAgic are now my second system for casual listening while cooking! But the 6000CDT is a winner. And my son now enjoys the 6000N as my MacBook feeds my digital files and Qobuz hi-res directly to the MDAC Plus! Result!
Paul Rigby
19th February 2021 at 3:58 pmInteresting stuff, thanks for that Ron.
Kent
16th October 2021 at 10:33 pmYou didn’t mention whether you A/B’d the 2 CD transports on the same DAC. That would be the only meaningful comparison.
Paul Rigby
18th October 2021 at 11:50 amI thought I had listed how and what I did in the review. But no matter. Throughout the review, either two sources were used as the stable element and the DAC was the variable or vice versa.
Mick R
26th April 2020 at 3:03 pmH Paul,
Firstly, I hope you are staying safe in these highly unusual times!
I wonder if you are still offering advice on this thread subject?
If so I would be deeply grateful for any comments you may have regarding my situation?
I have a Chord Qutest DAC, Rega Elex-R Amp, Kef LS50 speakers.
At the moment I am using a borrowed Audiolab 8300CD as a transport only. Overall the sound is pretty good, but I’m sure I can get better from the Qutest-based system.
I need to give the cd player back to its rightful owner and hence I need to buy a CD transport.
I want to get the best I can from the Qutest, which is a great DAC.
I’ve seen your review of the Audiolab 6000CDT and I know this is the same transport as the 8300CD, so I know the sort of quality I could get simply by purchasing the 6000CDT.
However, if I can better this, then I would like to do that. I know “better” is subjective!
For instance I was considering the Cyrus machines CD-t and CD-XT Signature, although I appreciate that the CD-XT would be a serious jump in money.
What would your thoughts be on these comparative items; I am more concerned with getting the best from my Qutest-based system, so if it meant spending up to say £1500 on a transport to do it then I probably would.
Many thanks in advance.
Mick.
Paul Rigby
26th April 2020 at 4:01 pmI’m giving advice on every post currently present on this site, Mick. So no worries on that score 🙂 I haven’t done a comparative test with the Cyrus, I’m afraid so my answer can only be partial. What I did find with the CDT, though, was that it never presented itself as a bottle neck. Hence, even with £3,000 DACs, it was never the weak point in the chain (connected via coax, I must stress). This is one proof that I have that the CDT is quality. The performance I gauged, the variable, is not the CDT, it’s the DAC. The CDT does enough to allow performance upgrades to be measured into the many thousands of pounds. Hence, the better the DAC, the better the CDT performs.
Mick Reed
26th April 2020 at 4:20 pmPaul,
Thanks for your very quick response!
I appreciate that it’s difficult for you to give any more of a detailed response when you’ve not done a direct comparison.
From what you’ve said, I would read that you wouldn’t necessarily expect the 6000CDT to give that sort of transparency and headroom in its performance (which is perhaps not that much of a surprise for a machine that costs a respectable £379).
Thanks again, Paul. I shall mull it over further to the point that I’m driving myself mad and then make a decision! 🙂
Michael
27th April 2020 at 6:07 amPaul – Thank you for your review on this CD transport. You have created a dilemma for me. I have been considering the CD transport from Heed Audio. I have been a bit hesitant as I don’t see that many reviews or comments on the Heed transport (for being available for a fair number of years). Your review is very timely and very informative. I am sorry to put you on the spot. I know that you have not reviewed the Heed CD transport but do you think that this transport could be noticeably better than a new CD transport selling under $1,000? Heed Audio is far more well known in Europe than in the US. Any insight from the Audiophile Man is truly appreciated.
Stay safe
Paul Rigby
27th April 2020 at 9:33 amHi Michael – I like Heed a lot. You’ll find Heed items reviewed on this site and, I think, everyone of them has received a good review. They know their stuff. Hence, if you did plump for that transport then I would take an educated guess that it would perform very well indeed and you won’t be disappointed. I’m afraid that’s all I can do, though because I have not heard it, I was never offered it for review or made aware by the company that it was even out and about, at the time of release.
Michael
27th April 2020 at 9:13 pmThank you, Paul! Your feedback and favorable reviews on Heed Audio mean a lot. I like to buy equipment and then just enjoy for many years. I’m glad that I have an opportunity to compare both the Audiolab and Heed Audio transports. I will look beyond cost. I know that Audiolab is a great company. Just didn’t know about Heed Audio. Again, your response is very helpful. I look forward to reading your latest thoughts soon ! Take care, Paul!
Ash Snart
30th May 2020 at 12:10 pmHi Paul, a lovely review. Would the Audiolab transport go well with my Cambridge Audio CXA60 amp and DAC? I did have their CXC transport but it kept dropping out 🙁
Paul Rigby
30th May 2020 at 1:36 pmHi Ash – many thanks and yes, absolutely.
Ash Smart
30th May 2020 at 2:40 pmHi Paul, thank you for your comments, that’s great news! Thanks also for taking the time to reply. Cheers!
Paul Rigby
31st May 2020 at 10:41 amNot a problem, Ash.
David
12th June 2020 at 7:25 pmPaul, I have now got the audiolab 6000cdt and the Cambridge audio cxc. The difference between the two is very big, it left me shocked. The audio lab is a lot more spacious with a more forward presence. When I played wish you were here by pink floyd i could actually sense the guitar in front of Dave Gilmour and also that it was way below his mouth. There is more depth to the sound stage. With the cxc that feeling was gone. The cxc the soundstage is flatter but wider. Out of the two and to my ears and my room the audiolab is a clear winner. Having looked inside both boxes the one with the least components wins, how mad is that. All this has got me thinking about other audiolab products, they do seem to know what they are doing when it comes to sound. Will you be reviewing the 6000n and have you listened to the 8300a. I have had Cyrus amps for about 30 years and currently have the Cyrus 8 qxr with a psx r2 power supply. Do you think that the dual mono design of the audiolab 8300a would better it ?
Paul Rigby
14th June 2020 at 12:14 pmThanks for your report David – appreciate it. Not sure if I’ll be reviewing the ‘N’ and I haven’t done a demo of the 8300, I’m afraid. I have heard good reports from colleagues, though. Dual mono *should* offer sonic improvements sure but it also depends on other factors.
midnight
9th August 2020 at 10:13 amHello,
I also recently got this CD Transport und im really enjoying it.
I also got the Sound drop Out issue BUT ONLY when using coax. With the optical Out it works Like a Charm, also interesting is that other CD Transports do have the Same issue. I think it could be the cable itself. Why? Cause i Heard accounts about specific drop outs when using the light Switch or the heater turning on. That bring’s me to the conclusion optical cables are immune to electrical or magnetical inteferences, coax Not so much. So that must be the issue ( coax isnt galvanic shielded) , that a small Portion of the Signal gets lost so that the DAC need s to Re sync due to electrical/magnetic inteferences in the coax cable. Please correct me If im wrong.
I will try to use a Sheath current filter to see if it fixes anything.
Thank you for the review!
Cheers
Midnight
Vegard Valberg
30th April 2021 at 5:47 amNote that there are major differences in optical cables as well. I use pro audio cables only for digital transfer (the cheap but excellent Swedish SUPRA or the Japanese CANARE; it’s the technology that counts, there is so much snake oil in consumer cables), and with great results.
Jeffrey
22nd August 2020 at 10:28 pmHello Paul, I had my Oppo 105 output past the Sabre DAC’s replaced with a high quality Transformers modification. When I got this back I didn’t bother using my expensive giant killer Australian made Giesler DAC again the improvement so obvious. Well feeding the Oppo transformers with a 6000 CDT via Coax has me in music Nirvana, an incredible Value upgrade. I’d love to know how the 6000 CDT compares to expensive transports. I don’t bother with upgrades unless they are so obvious I barely need to A -B.
Thanks for your review.
Regards Jeffo
Paul Rigby
24th August 2020 at 11:07 amThanks for your report Jeffrey and if/when I manage to grab an expensive transport, I’ll certainly give it a look.
Normand Hamel
30th August 2020 at 7:05 amHi Paul,
I have recently acquired an Audiolab 6000CDT and I am delighted with my purchase. Now, I am trying to extract the maximum information possible from this extraordinary machine and therefore I am looking for the best, yet affordable, digital coaxial cable to connect it to my DAC. More specifically, I am looking for a cable that would represent great value for the money just like this transport does.
I am a classical music listener looking for timbre, transparency and dynamics. So far I have tried the Monolith from Monoprice and I was very disappointed. That cable sounds bland on the Audiolab. However I had very good results with the Brillance from Blue Jeans Cable (Belden 1694A). It is very natural sounding and lifelike, but has a bit of grain and lacks air. For the price though it performs very well on classical music.
Paul Rigby
31st August 2020 at 8:52 amGlad you’re liking the Audiolab. So have you settled on the Brilliance then or are you still looking? If so, what’s your budget?
Gazjam
28th August 2021 at 12:17 pmI use the Wireworld Starlight 8 and it’s fantastic, highly recommended by a couple of well known folks over on American sites Steve Hoffman forums and Audiogon.
I use my 6000 CDT into a PS Audio Directstream dac and the Audiolab has stepped up yet again.
It’s Transparent enough to warrant an upgraded digital cable, which I’ll look at in the future.
Normand Hamel
31st August 2020 at 4:14 pmThe Brillance appears to be still burning in, but I am not sure. It is indeed a terrific cable, not to say an extraordinary cable, especially for the price it is sold at. It is supposedly a professional studio cable but it does not sound that way in my system. I wish it did though, because I like when music reproduction is so transparent that you have the feeling of being there, wherever it was recorded. If it’s a bad recording, so be it. At least I am hearing the truth. When I read your review, after watching the video that goes with it, which lead me to acquire the Audiolab, I had never heard a digital audio cable and I only had on hand a 20 year old Monster Cable video cable (M500V). When the Audiolab arrived I therefore plugged it into my also brand new integrated amp DAC via the Monster. In the interim I had acquired an SKW optical cable to see which type was better sounding. No contest, the coaxial (M500V) was more like the real thing. However the latter was distorting in the high frequencies. That’s when I decided to order the previously mentioned cables after discovering an article by Jay Luong who had reviewed different versions of both the Monoprice and Blue Jeans. Perhaps because they were different versions, or maybe for other reasons, I had a totally different experience with these two cables than Jay had. However, I have since ordered a Requisite cable identical to the one he also reviewed, except for the connectors. But I don’t know yet how it sounds because it is still on its way. In the meantime I would like to know if there is another inexpensive cable out there that would be available as an alternative to satisfy my quest for the Graal. I absolutely need a 2 meter length, so the QED Performance being available in 1m or 3m lengths does not fit the bill for me. Since you know the potential of the Audiolab Paul, I thought you might have some recommendations for me. As you now undoubtedly understand I am on a low budget. By the way I live in Canada and our dollar is losing ground at the moment.
Paul Rigby
1st September 2020 at 10:26 amThanks for that – so what’s your budget?
Normand Hamel
1st September 2020 at 4:11 pmThe Requisite is the maximum I can go. If 88 USD for a 6 foot cable may not sound like much we have to keep in mind that once converted it amounts to 114 CAD. Plus 35 USD for shipping, which amounts to 45 CAD. So we are already at 160 CAD, almost double the initial price in USD. I haven’t received the Requisite yet (it is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow) but I expect to have to pay additional custom handling fees of 20 to 30 CAD. And I am not sure but I may also have to pay the federal sales tax, which would be another 5 %. So even though it started at 88 USD I may end up paying close to 200 CAD, which would be the maximum I am willing to pay for a single digital cable. Especially since I know how good a cable can be for 35 CAD on Amazon, including taxes and free shipping. That is what the BJC Brillance cost me in total, and is still improving a bit every day. Enough so that if the Requisite turns out to be not as good in my system as I expect it to be I would be very happy with the Brillance. That being said, I am still interested to find inexpensive alternatives that I can compare to each other until I can lock on one particular cable. That is what I did in the past with analogue cables. But for digital cables I am just starting on this new odyssey. And I already find the experience as fascinating as it was with analogue. So if you know some inexpensive digital cables that can be as good as the best ones, and hopefully you won’t tell me that it does not exist, I am more than willing to explore what is for me an entirely new field. A collection of 2000 CDs is awaiting your suggestion(s).
Paul Rigby
1st September 2020 at 4:43 pmOK, I’d look at QED in that case. The best you can afford.
Normand Hamel
1st September 2020 at 4:47 pmThanks Paul! By the way, I just received the billing (not the cable though) for the Requisite and it amounts to 215 CAD in total, when it actually had started at a benign 88 USD.
Sid Murphy
11th October 2020 at 4:52 pmJust watched your YouTube review of the 6000CDT – your enthusiasm was intriguing. Popped over here to the full review and wanted to ask a question: I own a 8200CDQ – needing it’s pre-amp functionality for my Raymond Lumley Monoblocs which drive Magneplanar 1.6QRs – its DAC used for a Vortexbox ripper/streamer. I was considering the 8300CDQ as an upgrade. Would a 600CDT be better with another pre-amp/DAC combo? This transport seems a bargain and an upgrade safe one at that as DAC technology changes. If so, any thoughts as to options?
Paul Rigby
12th October 2020 at 12:01 pmHi Sid – options really depend on your budget but – for CD and digital play – I would go with a separate transport and DAC for the reasons stated in the review.
lawrence LaCosse
1st September 2020 at 5:26 pmQED?
New to me in Michigan. Any U.S. distributors?
Paul Rigby
2nd September 2020 at 8:38 amHi Lawrence – I believe this is the US distributor: https://fidelityimports.com/pages/contact-us
Sid Murphy
12th October 2020 at 8:30 pmPaul, I have a Chord Mojo I could use with the CDT…it’s more the pre-amp functionality (ideally with remote source selection and volume control) I’d require. I appreciate that a separate transport/DAC combo is ‘better’…do you have any thoughts on the M-DAC+?
Paul Rigby
13th October 2020 at 9:49 amHi Sid – the M-DAC+ is very nice, yes.
Alvin.
3rd September 2020 at 5:16 pmBased on your review Paul both Here and on YouTube (and of my knowledge of you “back in the day” – taking the better Path like you not naming the CD player…I won’t say) but just to SAY:
Have a heavily modified Oppo 203 (think EVERYTHING) as my final disc player, but it doesn’t make me want to not listen to Vinyl on my P10?
Sold many when I went to streaming, but a substantial chunk of CDs still love here, so read your review and got seriously curious.
Bought one today, see how it goes into my special Dac, a PS Audio Directstream with Windom firmware.
Best you get short of mid Tier DCS.
Thank you for putting it out there and giving your review, folks heard you.
Paul Rigby
4th September 2020 at 9:51 amThanks for your thoughts, Alvin.
Gaz
4th September 2020 at 7:48 amHi Paul,
Thanks for the great review and video.
Just bought one!
I’ll be doing an interesting comparison with it in my own system, which speak directly to a couple of points you made in the video when talking about its quality and how it steps up?
After getting into streaming in a big way and playing CDs less, I thought I’d buy my “final” disc spinner, an Oppo 203, modded with linear psu, better clocks, mechanism damping plate, Furutech silver IEC, silver internal cabling and all that juicy goodness,
https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?56087-Hey-guess-what-I%92m-about-to-do-Major-Oppo-mods
And hooked up over i2s via HDMI into my PS Audio Directstream Dac.
So (…on paper…) a good cd spinning setup?
I use the Oppo primarily as my Roon endpoint and movie machine, but spin the occasional CD as well.
Cd playback is “good” and certainly good “enough”, but it’s not infectious the way listening to Roon or my turntable is.
Your review got me really curious about CD again!
Your comments about the Audiolab stepping up with each better Dac got me really interested in the product, let’s see how it gets on with the Directstream, and in comparison to the Oppo as a disc spinner.
I’ve bought a Wireworld Starlight 8 digital coax to hook it up.
Lots of variables at play, and will need time for transport and cable to bed in, just going to enjoy the journey and not make a call for a few weeks.
Thanks again for steering me in this direction, sold a shedload of CDs, but still have a couple of hundred to dip into.
Fun times ahead! 🙂
Stephane
22nd September 2020 at 4:43 amHi Paul,
Thank you for the great reviews. I just ordered the 6000a and 6000cdt. I was just wondering: what type of cable would you recommend to connect them, digital coaxial or optical?
Thank you.
Paul Rigby
22nd September 2020 at 1:05 pmCoax is the best of the two, Stephane – there’s been some extra work applied to that port by Audiolab too.
Stephane
6th October 2020 at 2:49 amHi Paul,
I have a question somewhat tough. I carefully read your reviews and ordered the 6000A and 6000CDT which I paired with Spendor A2. I connected the amp to the CD transport with an unexpensive (20 US $) but well-rated digital coaxial cable on Amazom.com (Mediabridge Ultra Series). I connected the speakers with the QED Silver Anniversary XT cables, a bit more expensive and very well rated. The weird thing is the following: when I use the bluetooth to stream music from my smartphone (YouTube), the sound is open, the soundstage is large and mids and trebles are very well present. Basically, while it is streamed, it really sounds like a hi fi system. But when I play a CD, the sound is bit muffled. Bass are here but mids and trebles are in the back, not pushed forward compared to streamed music, and the soundstage is very narrow, not open. On the amp, I mostly use the ‘slow’ filter, but it is the same with the two other filters. Actually, I can hardly make a difference between the three filters. 🙁 What would be your opinion on this? Could it be related to the cable between the amp and CD transport? A problem with the amp itself and the filters? Should I try an external DAC? I would very much appreciate your insight on this. Thank you!
Paul Rigby
6th October 2020 at 11:16 amWithout knowing any more about your hi-fi and circumstances, based upon what you’re said Stephane, it may be that coax cable which is the bottleneck. Cheap cables introduce lots of high frequency noise into the system which can dull/mask information. I did do a review of a QED coax here: https://theaudiophileman.com/qed-40/ which may be of use but grab the best quality coax you can find.
Stephane
6th October 2020 at 6:52 pmThank you Paul. Will do.
Normand Hamel
12th October 2020 at 11:39 pmDear Paul, did you listen to the 6000CDT via its own power cord, and if so how does it perform compared to others, providing you did any comparison? I am currently using a PS Audio Prelude on my Audiolab and never dared to listen to the power cord that came with this transport.
Also, I would like to know if there is a cheap and easy way to improve the sound of any integrated amp that would come with a non-detachable power cord; in other words, is there something on the market that could easily be wrapped around a standard power cord to make it sound cleaner? I did a bit of research and could’t find anything.
Paul Rigby
13th October 2020 at 9:53 amHi Normand – yes I used the original power cable for the review but a power cable upgrade will improve matters. You might want to consider isolating the amplifier on low cost sorbothane feet. There are more expensive options too which perform better. Theres an Isoacoustics platform that works well, you put the platform on your shelf unit and the amp on the platform: https://theaudiophileman.com/delos-isolation-shelf-review-isoacoustics/.
There’s also a grounding option to remove RFI from the amp. Oddly enough, I’m in the midst of reviewing a (relatively) low cost variant of that so you might want to hang on for the review.
Dan
20th October 2020 at 5:54 amHi Paul — I hope this isn’t too off-topic. I was wondering whether you’ve had a chance to listen to both the 8300CD and the M-DAC+. I understand the benefit of having separates, but I was wondering whether the two are sonically comparable as DACs (and whether the 8300CD is sonically comparable to the 6000CDT as a transport). I know they 8300CD and the M-DAC+ have similar internals and the same chip, but I also appreciate that other factors may impact the sound. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Dan
Paul Rigby
20th October 2020 at 10:18 amHi Dan – after testing a range of integrateds compared to transport/DAC combos I would suggest that the 8300CD won’t be as effective sonically but is still highly recommended as an integrated. If an integrated is your preferred form factor. Linking an external DAC to it will enhance sound quality but the 8300CD won’t be as effective as the 6000CDT or other dedicated transports. As I say, that takes nothing away from the 8300CD as a basic design.
Dan
20th October 2020 at 7:03 pmThanks, Paul. Really appreciate the quick reply. And as someone relatively new to the audiophile world, I really appreciate your site and your clear and articulate writing.
Paul Rigby
21st October 2020 at 10:29 amThanks Dan!
François Tardif
5th November 2020 at 3:42 pmHi. I own the 6000cdt and I would like to program a universal remote control. Any ody are aware of how to get the HEX codes from the remote?
Stuart
18th December 2020 at 11:33 amHi Paul, Thank you for very detailed but not overtly complicated reviews. I am looking to replace my existing 30 year old Philips CD player and I like the reviews of the 6000cdt. However, I am only just reinstating my system after it has been in storage for 10 years and I am unsure of compatibility with my other components and particularly when it comes to selecting a DAC. I have a Creek 4040s2 integrated amp and Heybrook HB1 speakers (and a Planar 3 turntable). I would be looking to spend up to £3-400 on a DAC either new or second hand. Are there any that you would recommend that would be compatible with my existing components ?
Paul Rigby
18th December 2020 at 5:53 pmHi Stuart – I would look at DACs from the likes of Schiit and iFi which offer good value for money.
Mikkel
18th January 2021 at 4:31 pmHi Paul
Thank you for your great reviews.
I just bought an Audiolab 6000a, a couple of Fyne f-302 loudspeakers and intent to use them with a turntable and just stream everything else via the Bluetooth option in the amp. Now your review makes me consider bringing back my collection of cd’s from the shed again 🙂
The review also raises two questions:
1: I don’t understand why a cheap DAC makes the 6000CDT sound better compared to the (supposedly) quality DAC in the amp? Maybe I just don’t understand the concept of an eksternal DAC… if so do you know of a good reference that explains this?
2: Why would you spend so much money on a 6000n? Why not just use the build-in streamin option? I quoate Audiolab:
“The audiolab 6000A Play incorporates the acclaimed DTS Play-Fi® platform for built-in high-resolution wireless streaming playback (up to 24bit / 96kHz with compatible services such as TIDAL or Qobuz). You can stream from any source on your wireless network, including smartphones, tablets or PCs as well as a NAS Drive. So, however you want to play your music, audiolab ’s 6000A Play will deliver outstanding performance.”
Again I’m sure there is somethin I’m missing here so a reference on the subject would be highly appreciated.
Thanks again!!
Mikkel
18th January 2021 at 4:43 pmOops just saw that my quote was from the describtion of the 6000a Play. Sorry about that.
Paul Rigby
18th January 2021 at 5:16 pmHi Mikkel – a quality DAC inside an amp don’t produce a bad DAC but it does restrict its efficiency and masks sound quality because of leeching high frequency noise that moves from internal amp components to the DAC itself. So you’re not getting the best from it. Also, internal DACs tend to be sized to fit so the component quality might not be as good as an external model with a larger chassis and a larger build budget.
2: See above.
Normand Hamel
18th January 2021 at 7:30 pmHi Paul,
I would like to thank you for recommending to me to put my CD transport on an isolating platform. I did so recently and although I expected some improvement I never though it would have such an impact on the quality of the sound. I was even more skeptical for the amplifier but after an identical treatment the result is of the same order while being different: it’s as if I had doubled the power of the amplifier. It might have something to do with the subjective impression I have that the sound pressure has been increased.
This means that the digital coaxial interconnect I am using was not the culprit for the occasional distorsion I was hearing on some recordings. I now know that it was a mechanically induced resonance. It is important to understand that in my entire sound system, other than the speaker cables, I am using a single wire to connect the Audiolab to my Denon PMA-800NE amplifier.
For some reason the sound differences between various interconnects is much more pronounced with digital than analogue. Between the Audiolab and the Denon I am using the Brilliance from Blue Jeans (Belden 1694A). I knew upon hearing the very first note of music coming through the BJ that it would be the best possible digital link for my setup. In fact I had the distinct impression that the Belden engineers had used the very same mathematics to design the specs for the BJ cable as the Audiolab engineers had used to design their transport.
I believe that whenever applicable it is preferable to choose the shortest path possible between the recording and the listener (or between the performers and the sound engineers for that matter). That is the reason why before I acquired the Denon last summer, and the Audiolab ten days later, I had been using a Krell integrated amplifier with a Krell CD player. Believe or not but the new combo is far superior to anything I have heard since 1973 when I acquired my first sound system, part of which was a Linn Sondek LP12 with the following serial number: 0028. Yes, I am that old.
Paul Rigby
19th January 2021 at 2:03 pmMany thanks for your thoughts, Normand. So do I need to start calling you ‘Old Man Normand’, now? Like they used to do in old Western TV shows like Gunsmoke?
Normand Hamel
19th January 2021 at 4:12 pmI would prefer to be called ‘Normand the fastest ears in the West’. Canada being West of Britain. 🤠
Paul Rigby
19th January 2021 at 4:18 pmConsider it done, Normand 🙂
simon forrington
28th January 2021 at 2:31 pmHi Paul.fantastic review. In fact your reviews have helped me a lot over the years. I’ve often followed your advice quietly in the background and always had good results (Trichord Dino boxes – although now upgraded to Vertere – with only modest improvements! Technics 1200gr with Funk Firm mods – Achromat and Houdini, Audiolab 600cdt when my 8200cdq died, Russ Andrews x block and power cords etc). Thank you! I have 2 quick questions please, of you have time: my speaker cables and interconnects are chord company – mostly epic / epic x and a clearway digital from CDP to DAC. Would you still go for the Teleroum Q coax, or a chord epic? That would seem to match my system, but is approx same price as the CDP itself! Second, my application is Primare Pre/Power (Pre35 Prisma & A34,2). The Pre35 has an integrated DAC which sounds great and it’s 3.5k unit. Should I eventually look at a chord quetest or similar, or stick with the integrated DAC, given your previous comments… Many thanks in advance for your time and keep up the good work. PS speakers are PMC TWENTY5 23i, cheers simon
Paul Rigby
29th January 2021 at 12:19 pmThanks for your support Simon, appreciate it.
Tellurium Q offers a great performance from their coax designs. QED offer good value if cash is tight, though. Also look at the coax from Titan.
If you can and if you feel a need to upgrade, go for the separate DAC which will help combat high-frequency noise.
[email protected]
10th February 2021 at 3:09 pmHi Paul, very clear review, many thanks.
This device looks like what I am after, just want to make sure it will work with my Sheng Ya A80CSII amplifier. This amp has 2 digital inputs, coax and optical (and therefore an internal DAC, is that right?). Just want to ensure I don’t have to buy any external DAC now (maybe later…). Sorry for my beginner’s questions!
Paul Rigby
10th February 2021 at 4:15 pmThanks for your kind words. If you connect the CDT via coax to your amp (coax is preferable) then you’ll use the internal DAC. And external one would be a useful upgrade later, when funds are available.
Paul
13th February 2021 at 8:08 pmJust purchased a 6000CDT to pair with my Sennheiser HDV820 DAC/Amp. This transport replaced a classic California Audio Labs Delta, and the sound is superb. The six front panel buttons could have more of a tactile feel, but there’s the remote. My biggest complaint is the finish. While my black unit has a beautiful look and color, the case and face cannot be wiped with any cloth without fibers sticking to it. It’s like a finishing grade sandpaper. Clean it carefully, but it *is* beautiful 😁👍
Greg Gibbs
11th March 2021 at 10:10 amHi, I currently have a Linn Selekt DSM with Katalyst DAC and am looking for a reasonably priced transport for occasional CD playback – I am currently using an Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray Player for this. (i) Would I gain a significant sonic advantage from the 6000CDT? over the Oppo and (ii) would I gain further sonic advantage by going for more high-end transport?
Paul Rigby
12th March 2021 at 1:24 pmThis transport would be ideal Greg and yes, there is a sonic upgrade.
manuel sousa
25th March 2021 at 9:59 pmI Paul.
Would the audiolab 6000CDT be a good partner for the Marantz HD-DAC1?
Regards
agt
Paul Rigby
30th March 2021 at 6:39 pmI don’t see any issues connecting the two, Manuel.
Patrick SCHLUMBERGER
11th April 2021 at 9:22 amHi Paul,
First please excuse my poor English (I am french..nobody is perfect.). I agree 100% with the logic you expressed so clearly. In fact, I pushed that same logic to the extreme with my current hifi setup. I chose to acquire “vintage” stuff throughout my chain: pre/power /tuner from the 80’s Accuphase, Sony R1 drive (1988), Kenwood LP player (1978), Thiel 2.2 (1995). Only the DAC is a simple Audiophonics AKM4495 which goes for 250 euros.
Total price for my “modest” hifi: 4000 euros for a fantastic sound!
Sure it does not help current manufacturers to make a living but it is not a perfect world either.
Last but not least, thank you for your tests and the common sense enclosed into them. I always read them with pleasure.
Kind regards
Patrick
Paul Rigby
12th April 2021 at 10:40 amThanks for your note, Patrick and sure, vintage is a valid and attractive route. I include vintage in my hifi. My main reference speakers were made in 1957, for example. I run three cassette decks made many decades ago and so on. I hope to look at vintage reviews on this site in the future…if I can organise my finances because it will mean buying them in using my own one (which is a bit scary 🙂 ) but yes, vintage is desirable.
Brad Kaplan
13th April 2021 at 12:00 amHi Paul – Thank you for your comprehensive and well written review. I have a question which is a bit of the reverse of your examples comparing the Audiolab transport to using a cd player’s transport when driving a dac. I have a Resolution Audio Opus 21 cd player which also has a digital input (coax) to allow a DVD player or other external source to be played through its internal dac. Do you think a quality transport such as the Audiolab, when played through the digital input and thus the player’s internal dac, would allow for a sonic improvement over the cd player using its own internal transport? Older conventional wisdom was that because of jitter and additional necessary input circuitry, along with cable variables, all in one players when optimized would have a sonic advantage, however this doesn’t currently appear to be the case.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this…
Paul Rigby
13th April 2021 at 9:01 amHi Brad – there are plenty of excellent integrated CD players out there and I need to stress that I am not damning that genre of CD player. Many of them perform wonderfully. That being said…isolating the transport from the DAC is, in itself, sonically beneficial because you’re isolating to main components from each other and cutting a host of aggressive high-frequency noise/vibration from infecting each other. You’re also allowing larger and better quality components to enter into each chassis because there’s more room and often a larger build budget for each specialist device. You’ll also often find more attention to detail within the build. The low-noise attention to the coax socket on the 6000CDT for example. So separating each component is a good first step. Simplifying that component so that it does just one job is the next logical step.
Brad Kaplan
16th April 2021 at 10:57 pmThanks, Paul. At this point I suppose the way to tell is to run a transport like the the 6000CDT through the digital input and compare and contrast with the integrated transport.
Vegard Valberg
30th April 2021 at 5:12 amThank you for a very instructive and well-written review. I also have the Benchmark dac2 (and the even more acclaimed Benchmark/THX AHB2 power amplifier), and I am looking for a matching transport. As I understand from the Norwegian reseller here in Oslo, the coax output is “mandatory” for getting all the benefits out of the Audiolab design. Is that so? The Benchmark dac you and I have usb and optical connection only, and this means you tested this combo with optical connection with such great results? Again: Thank you!
Paul Rigby
30th April 2021 at 1:42 pmMany thanks – as I say in this review, “More than that, the coaxial output has been looked at and isolated to reduce noise. This is the most important socket on the 6000CDT because this will be the socket that connects to your DAC. On the 6000CDT, the coaxial socket is fed from a differential line driver.” So the coax is my choice and that’s present on the rear of my Benchmark. Should be there on yours too.
Steve Martin
17th July 2021 at 3:26 pmHi Paul, a great review, again, I saw it on YouTube first but read it here now and while this review is 2 years old I’m still focused on the 6000CDT.
I have a Denafrips Ares II DAC, Sugden A21SE & KEF R3’s, with Mogami 3104 cables, I also stream with a 6000n, but your review of this CDT is so intriguing to hear what it would be like as an addition to my system.
Also a coaxial cables question, what do you recommend, do they differ etc?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Paul Rigby
19th July 2021 at 4:00 pmHi Steve – many thanks and yes, a good coax cable is essential. Which one to choose would, as ever, depend on your budget though.
Paul
19th July 2021 at 4:07 pmSteve, I’m using a Transparent Performance (about $100) to connect my 6000CDT to a Sennheiser HDV 820 DAC/Amp. I find it very detailed and smooth. All my 75 Ohm connections use this cable. Good Luck!
https://www.transparentcable.com/collections/digital-audio-75-ohm-digital/products/performance-75-ohm-digital-link
Francois
19th July 2021 at 5:51 pmI use the exact same cable 🙂
Ricardo
22nd July 2021 at 5:10 pmMy pet peeve is CD players that skip, having been burned initially by my mid-90s NAD (model?) and a series of “skippers” in the interim, so when I read that the 6000-CDT was supposed to be “robust”, had to give her a spin.
I’m using a vintage late 80s Denon DAP-5500 preamp that I had sitting around untested to do the conversion, and was worried that it might not be up to snuff, after so many years. So, prior to the arrival of the 6000-CDT, and listened to my REGA Apollo using the DAP-5500 DAC, and A/B’s against the REGA’s audio output (Wolfson DAC). I could not tell the difference, so maybe in 30 years, the level of DAC refinement has been marginal, or perhaps Denon got it so right with this model and its Burr-Brown converters. Anyway, the 6000-DPT into DAP-5000 DAC sounds mighty fine to these old ears, playing through MC-40s and LaScalas!
William
4th September 2021 at 2:05 amThanks for the informative review! I did purchase both the Audiolab 6000a and 6000cdt paired with my Tekton Lore speakers. The setup sounds phenomenal! I love the 6000a amp with my other components as well. But I did read many reviews in forums on the 6000cdt and reports of it scratching CDs. So the first test I did with the unit was loading and unloading several CDs from my collection. I closely inspected the condition before and after and was surprised to find that 3 out of 7 that I tested were scratched in exactly the same pattern as other 6000cdt owners had posted pics of online. I don’t think the many reports of this are anomalies, which I was inclined to think before I did my own test. The insert transport is just a bad mechanism that I wish they would replace with tray. I returned the unit and purchase the Cambridge CXC v2 to replace it. But I would much rather have the matching design and use of a single remote. I would encourage everyone to examine their CDs coming out of that unit. The scratches are faint and you need to move it around in the light to see it. but that can’t be good.
Gerrit Jan Zweere
1st October 2021 at 7:31 pmHello Paul,
Many thanks for the review!
I’m planning to buy the Audiolab 6000CDT and my plan is to plug it directly in my Pioneer LX83 with a digital coax cable. Or do you advice to put an extra DAC in between the 6000CDT and Pioneer?
Greetings from The Netherlands
Gerrit Jan
Paul Rigby
5th October 2021 at 12:19 pmThanks for your question. You can use the DAC from another integrated unit but you’ll hear better sonic results from an external DAC, yes.
Normand Hamel
5th October 2021 at 2:31 pmMy 6000CDT is connected directly to my Denon PMA-800NE amplifier and therefore there is only a single interconnect between the two. I have tried five different coax cables so far (plus an optical one) and all of them sound completely different from one another; but all of them are now sounding much better since I replaced the internal fuse in both units: CDT and amp. Be careful though, because I had originally acquired faked AMR fuses, which led me on a wrong path until I found an AMR approved UK distributor. Those fuses, especially when used simultaneously in both units, will bring your sound system to another level. And don’t be afraid to experiment with a variety of cables. I have obtained best results with the Brillance, from Blue Jeans Cable.
Will
4th October 2021 at 5:43 pmJust connected my CDT 6000 to my Audiolab M Dac plus through Focal Aria speakers and am well pleased. Can’t really fault the unit. It did take a few tries to get the remote to work properly. On/off for example. Turned out it just needed the lightest press to get the thing out of standby. So – my fault. I’m not a great fan of suck-in CD loaders because if a CD does get stuck you’d have to dismantle the player. Hopefully this won’t happen with this quality drawer. But time will tell. This is all slightly nit-picking as the unit is truly excellent. Go and buy one – now!!!!
Francois Tardif
14th October 2021 at 3:58 pmHi,
I have the 6000cdt for more than 1 year now and no CD was scratched. I was wondering if other owners had issues with the player. Me, I am totally satsified with it.
Francois
Normand Hamel
14th October 2021 at 10:29 pmAs reported on by other contributors, I have had issues with dropouts. In fact I wasted $223,60 CAD on the Requisite Audio coax cable that I can’t use on the CDT6000 because the music stops playing for half a second every time the refrigerator starts in the kitchen, or when I switch on or off the turbine ventilator in the bathroom. So I would not be able to tell you how good or bad that cable is because I have never been able to listen to it for any extended period of time because of the issue I have with dropouts. However I must say that I don’t have this issue with four other coax cables I own, plus one optical which would of course be immune to everything, including COVID-19 I suppose.
Safebelayer
30th October 2021 at 6:27 amWhat cables do you prefer between transport and DAC? Optical or coax? (Those are my options)
Do you have a preferred affordable cable for one or both of those types? <$100
Thank you
Paul Rigby
31st October 2021 at 5:24 pmCoax. QED are good at that budget.
Jon
31st October 2021 at 7:17 pmThank you for the quick response. First class
B Sorensen
30th November 2021 at 5:11 pmBought this unit on a black freday sale, promted and tempted by your review of the Audiolab 6000 cdt. already cold out of the box. it sounded really good with my Sabre 9018 based, Calyx 24/192 dac with seperate psu connected with InAkusik Exellence coax cable, after warming the unit up for 48 hours, it now plays fabulous and i am surprised by the level of sound quality that the 6000 cdt delivered at the modest asking price.
My conclusion is that you nailed it in your review and i am busy re listening my 1000+ cd collection again, to discover what i have been missing out on, this is what you could call a luxery problem 🙂
Paul Rigby
30th November 2021 at 5:24 pmGlad you like it – thanks for sharing your experiences.
Jesper Kragh
22nd December 2021 at 10:46 amJust picked up the 6000A Play / 6000 CDT to replace a Cambridge Audio 640A/640C combo. I must say I am blown away by the Audiolab combo. I am currently re discovering my CD collection and cant fathom how great the Audiolab sounds with my Dynaudio Audience 52’s. The soundstage and instrument separation, the dynamics… I am over the moon – never thought that was possible. Thanks for a fantastic review which made me discovery Audiolab brand.
Paul Rigby
23rd December 2021 at 11:51 amGlad you’re having a great time, Jesper – and no problem. Merry Christmas!
Petar Glodić
10th January 2022 at 12:27 pmHi Paul,
since I have an Audiolab 6000A amp for a year, it’s time to add the CD in question. I wonder if it would be a great pity to connect them with an optical rather than a coaxial cable. I mean of course some of the not particularly expensive cableslike Audioquest Forest or Chord C-lite. I look forward to your advice anyway. Tahnks in advance.
Paul Rigby
10th January 2022 at 12:59 pmCoax is best, Petar because Audiolab has give extra low noise treatment to the coax port.
Petar Glodić
10th January 2022 at 1:14 pmOops, I found everything I needed in your earlier answers. Greeting
Pasquale GALASSO
19th January 2022 at 4:06 pmSorry for my bad English. Thanks Paul for this article, Hei but how many comments! You say it fits my Cambridge CXA60 amplifier? (I don’t want to take Cambridge CXC, instinctively I go to Audiolab) Hi.
Paul Rigby
19th January 2022 at 4:13 pmHi Pasquale – yes, it should be fine with the Cambridge.
Tiberius
25th February 2022 at 9:58 pmHi Paul, I am indebted to your review. I bought the 6000CDT mostly based on your review, and a few others and it is stunning! All jitter gone! It is paired with a Lavry DA11 DAC and has transformed the DAC from a very good DAC to a giant killer. I would put this combination up against any turntable and it would come out on top with its purely natural sound. I do not get digital fatigue anymore and am rediscovering my CD collection. Absolutely fantastic. Thank-you for your honesty and enthusiasm. Keep up the good work in your reviews. Cheers!
Paul Rigby
28th February 2022 at 12:15 pmMany thanks. Glad you’re enjoying your music.
Geoff
26th February 2022 at 10:16 amExcellent review! You say that the coax output “is the most important socket on the 6000CDT because this will be the socket that connects to your DAC”. However, you don’t say a word about the toslink connection. Why?
Paul Rigby
27th February 2022 at 5:34 pmHi Geoff – firstly because it’s the connection that connects to the external DACs that I use and illustrate in this review and is the most useful socket when connecting those DACs and is thus critical to the operation of the same and secondly because the coax socket has received particular attention from Audiolab with extra hardware de-noising. The optical port is great if you need to add a DAP, for example and it does the job.
Eric Talbot
13th March 2022 at 7:50 pmI take seriously your review of the Audiolab 6000 CDT CD transport and your great experience with it.
HOWEVER, I have learned the hard way to intensely dislike front-slot-loading CD PLAYERS and TRANSPORTS, for one fundamental reason: when you insert a CD or SACD into the player’s (or, in this case, TRANSPORT’S) slot, the disc is mechanically grabbed by a device which grips the disc and draws it in through the slot into position inside the playing mechanism, after which the CD is released from the grip of the roller mechanism and freed to begin spinning above the laser beam for playback.
What I have experienced first-hand with other slot-loading CD players and transports, is that they CAN and they WILL leave serious scratch marks on the playing surface of CDs, ESPECIALLY on CDs with adhesive labels applied to them. EVEN regular, commercial CDs with factory-printed labels can be scratched by slot-loading CD mechanisms.
There have been more than a few reviews from purchasers of this highly-praised Audiolab 6000 CDT (go to CRUTCHFIELD’S web-page and read customer reviews of this transport, of whom more than a few have experienced damage to their CDs and returned their units precisely BECAUSE they were damaging their CDs (they were greatly disappointed and would otherwise have kept and enjoyed their transports).
Audiolab needs to take a hard look at this front-slot-loading mechanism’s disc-scratching issue – it makes buying this otherwise fine transport a non-starter for me.
Top-loading – even tray-loading – CD transports are far better, because there is NO slot-loading mechanism to grab onto and potentially damage the playing surface of CDs. With a top-loader, you manually place your CD down onto the drive mechanism and lower a small magnetic puck on top of it – this puck or clamp precisely grips and centers the CD on the drive shaft and holds it securely in place, You then slide the transport’s top cover shut and play your CD.
Paul Rigby
14th March 2022 at 9:26 amThanks for that, Eric. I just admit that I much prefer manual loaders. That is, I prefer that motors are not part of the transport mechanism at all because there is bound to be an element of noise involved in that which threatens to enter the sound path but also, it’s just another things that can go wrong. That was one reason that I bought a Naim CD5 all those years ago. So my thoughts veer towards sound quality and long-term reliability.
Saying that, I’ve had no issues with my own CDT in terms of scratching and the like. I wonder if there’s a dodgy batch floating around which for the source of these complaints?
TIBERIUS
14th March 2022 at 1:08 pmI have to disagree, because these slot loading mechanisms that grab the CD have been widely used without problems. Just look at car stereos. I have never had a CD scratched by them and they are cheaper units than audiophile models. The 6000CDT has NEVER scratched any of my CDs. The people that are reporting this issue are probably scratching the CDs themselves by rubbing the CD against the side of the slot and inserting on an angle, which can be a bit of an issue. However, if you carefully insert the CD straight not angling it, it is a non issue.
Anders
17th March 2022 at 2:19 amNot true. I tested this methodically when I first unwrapped the 6000CDT. Inserted each new CD carefully, ejected, and inspected. 3 out of the first 7 I tried had the same scratch patterns (not a single line scratch, but a line of short parallel horizontal scratches). And you have to inspect closely under the light to see them.
Tiberius
17th March 2022 at 1:19 pmExcuse me but there are no scratches on my CDs so as Paul said it may have been a bad batch because I also tested them methodically, no scratches. I read about this supposed problem before buying the unit. And yes it is true that car stereos CD players have been around for decades and not caused problems. I have been using them since the 90s. CDs will develop scratches on them from everyday handling which absolutely do not affect sound quality. Plus if they do get scratched you can get them buffed. I think that what you are arguing is not true. These kinds of reviews and ones on Amazon need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Tiberius
17th March 2022 at 1:45 pmThose lines you are talking about are nothing to be concerned about, only scratches that make your player skip. Even if there are scratches all that matters is that the CD plays. I have played “scratched” CDs for years without problems. Plus, there are great CD repair machines out there like the JFJ Easy Pro which does a great job in cleaning up CDs from scratches for only around $200. A decent record cleaning machine costs much much more. So again, your argument is invalid.
Anders
22nd March 2022 at 1:17 amHey that’s great for you. I don’t buy new equipment to scratch my CDs. It was an easy fix, I bought the Cambridge CD transport which has a tray. Problem solved. If you have a mechanism that continues to scratch the media, eventually with enough scratches it will potentially affect the CD and cause sound interruptions. Unless you work for Audiolab it’s not clear why you’re interested in discrediting other people’s honestly reported experiences.
B Sorensen
14th March 2022 at 11:42 amI have had no issues with cds scratched from my 6000 cdt drive, i think this problem will happen if you push the cd in hard or rip it out of the tray,, which will do no good for your drive in the long run. so push the cd lightly into the tray an retrieve it the same way, and you should have no problems with scatched cds.
Anders
17th March 2022 at 2:15 amYes, most of us that reported the problem did exactly that. The mechanism “grabs” and pulls the CD, so it would be surprising if it never scratched them. BTW, the scratch pattern is a set of short parallel lines that form its own line pattern, like a rope or radar symbol. You can only see them looking very closely with light reflecting on the CD surface.
Tiberius
17th March 2022 at 1:21 pmIf one does exactly like B. Sorensen above said there will be no problems. Your argument is invalid.
Anders
22nd March 2022 at 1:11 amIf you read what I said, I did insert the CDs gently as I was performing a test just to see if it scratches the CDs. It’s not an argument, just actual facts of a test I performed with 7 brand new CDs when my 6000CDT arrived. Sorry if that disagrees with your “beliefs”.
Richard
14th March 2022 at 8:25 pmWhen you say “scratched” or “damaged”, do you mean the label or the working surface of optical pits, i.e. is it just an esthetic issue, or does it harm the audio qualities of the CD? If it is limited to label damage, I’m much less concerned about my 6000 CDT Sort of like washing vinyl records under the tap, some folks freak at the thought due to the paper label (although I do it all the time and have never crinkled a label).
What I do worry about with this form factor, though, is swallowing a disc and not giving it back. Every slot player I’ve owned has done this at some point. So far, so good with the 6000 CDT.
I do agree, the top loader is best. No trays or in-feed motor to screw up. My REGA APOLLO CDP is brilliant in this regard, best loading design I’ve owned.
Fredrik
19th March 2022 at 9:02 pmMy system is:
Focal Kanta 3 Speakers
Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 Digital amp
Rega Jupiter CD as transport connected to the amp by digital Coax.
Do You think the Audiolab 6000CDT is a worthy replacement for the Rega Jupiter?
Paul Rigby
21st March 2022 at 10:20 amHi Fredrik – running with a quality DAC, yes.
Ash
21st March 2022 at 5:21 pmI have had a disc jam but it was a CD-R (with a self adhesive label on it). Had no issue with ‘silver’ discs however. I got the CD-R out very gently with tweezers but I’ll admit my heart was racing, especially as the unit is only a year old. I suspect the paper disc label was stopping the unit from grabbing the disc properly. Anyway, CD-Rs are not going I to the 6000 again.
Paul Rigby
22nd March 2022 at 4:02 pm***PLEASE NOTE!***
OK everyone – the increasingly fractious nature of this comments thread is starting to get out of hand. There will be no more comments regarding the scratching or otherwise of CDs in and around the 6000A. Everyone has had their say and the comments tennis is entering circular argument territory. That particular tangent is now at an end.
By all means, keep the comments coming. Just not on this scratching subject please.
Karin
5th April 2022 at 12:07 amHi Paul~
I accidentally came upon your review of the 6000CDT as I was researching a replacement for an old Rega Appollo I’ve had since I can’t remember when. My Rega is starting to mis-read my CD’s, and it simply stops randomly on every other CD I put into it, so it’s time for a new player. Out of the recommendations I’ve received are the Yamaha CDS-1000 (reviews indicate that they break down often), the NAD 568 (just sounds OK), and the new Rega Appollo (I liked mine, but wasn’t thinking about getting another necessarily). I also found the Sony SCD-XA5400ES, that sounded so good I wanted to order 3 of them, just to keep two as back-ups, but it has been discontinued. I called Sony HQ’s this morning to see if they might have any left in a warehouse somewhere, but no luck. Then I found your review.
So, here’s my system, and then I have a question or three:
Yamaha B2 VFET amp (1978) – completely refurbished three years ago
Yamaha C2X preamp (1985)
Larsen 8 speakers (2016) – w/ straight wire superquad
Rega Appollo – w/ Tara Prism cables (CD player to preamp)
Encore II interconnects (pre-amp to amp)
I have had the Rega for so long that I am unfamiliar with anything but plugging directly into the pre-amp, and connecting the cables. With the 6000CDT set-up:
1) do I plug it into the pre-amp same as the Rega? And will it work without the DAC?
2) if used with the DAC, what is the configuration (what plug/cable/cord goes where?)
3) could you recommend one or more DACs that would work well with my system (specific names would be appreciated, since I’m unfamiliar with what to look for).
Thank you in advance for your help with this.
Paul Rigby
6th April 2022 at 11:17 amHi Karin – the CDT plugs into a DAC via a good quality coax cable. From the DAC, you trail two RCA cables to the rear of your preamp, inserting those into a couple of RCA inputs. As for the DACs? That depends on your budget.
William Hawkins
6th April 2022 at 11:35 amIf it helps, Karin, Paul suggested to me the Heed Abacus DAC. It was about £1000 at the time. It is a relaxed but still very detailed listen and I am very happy with it. Good luck with your choices.
Karin Seritis
7th April 2022 at 1:33 amThanks to both of you. I’ll be making a final decision by the end of the week. I did find the comments referred to on the taboo subject above, and while I agree that it has been beaten to death, I do have some concerns due to the consistency and frequency of the criticism. I don’t want to destroy my source material.
Questions (2) for Paul:
1) I’ve been ripping a ton of CDs the last few years, because I just want to keep the songs I like. I rip them as waveless. Since my Rega wasn’t compatible with this other format when I bought it, do you think that’s why it’s stopping randomly? I’ve only been playing my ripped music lately.
2) Is the 6000CDT compatible with WAV? Is the current Rega Apollo?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Paul Rigby
7th April 2022 at 10:40 amNot by my HiFi to check, right now Karin but I’m 99% sure that burned CDs are fine in the CDT. Haven’t had need to check recently but I seem to remember giving that a quick check when I did the original review. Can anyone else out there confirm, please?
Does your Rega have issues reading normal, pressed CDs? If so, the problems are probably mechanical. Possibly a failing laser. My guess only, of course.
Alan Dean
7th April 2022 at 10:37 amThe Audiolab CD transport does cut out intermittently in some electrical environments and with some DACS
B Sorensen
7th April 2022 at 10:53 amI have a number of burned cd´s, and have had no issues, playing them, most are done one to one, and a few are waw.
Find a dealer and try to play your burned waw cd´s and you will know for sure
Karin
7th April 2022 at 7:37 pmHi Paul~
It could be that it does have a failing laser. I found an extremely knowledgeable audio repair guy that refurbished my amp 3 years ago (I bought my amp in 1978, and he knew exactly what it was [VFET] and what it needed, since he’d been in the business forever), but he packed up and left a year after I first used him. I don’t have any good repair alternatives up here yet. And yes, I will try some of my standard CDs to make sure. I’ve never had a problem with the Rega before. My husband wants to keep it even if I buy a new one.
As for B Sorensen’s suggestion, none of the dealers carry CD players any more. So it’s a crap shoot to order one, let alone have one serviced. I’m just grateful that they’re still making a few good ones. I am NOT going back to LP’s. I quit them in 1985 because of the poor quality of LPs being produced. When I had to return Boz Scagg’s first album nine (9) times, with 9 defects all in different locations, I was done for good. I gambled going the CD route, and I feel it was a good choice.
Karin Seritis
9th April 2022 at 2:16 amCorrection to the statement that “I’ve never had a problem with the Rega before”. I haven’t used it in years for a reason. I have been going over a large collection of notes, articles, and owner’s manuals and receipts, and found my own notes regarding the Rega either skipping or freezing. It had a one year warranty, and repairs were not only not covered after that, but I couldn’t find anyone in my area that could even work on it. After a while, I just stopped using it. I also found printouts going back to 2011, taken from the Rega Apollo blogs, that state the same problems I was having, and newer blogs with the same ongoing complaint, so I guess Rega never fixed this. My previous CD player was a Luxman, that cost me a few thou. I set it up and it didn’t work. Returned it and swapped it for a new one. Nothing but problems with that one too.
Before that, I had a Sony that I only paid a few hundred for, and never had a problem with. It wasn’t until I ‘upgraded’ my player that I got the headaches, and pretty much only started listening to CD’s in my car. I guess it’s like owning a Ferrari – an incredible rush when it’s working, but most of the rest of the time it’s in the shop for repairs.
Wolf
16th April 2022 at 12:38 amI use the 6000CDT with CD-R regularly and not one problem so far. Its the second unit and the one before also
no failure.
I also had three Rega Apollo R players and they had a problem with CD-R sometimes. The older model was even worse.
I also experience cut outs (one sec) with coaxial cable when I use a light switch or ceiling fan. Not with optical.
Karin Seritis
21st April 2022 at 3:50 amI’ve no doubt that the 6000CDT sounds phenomenal. But aside from the comments regarding the scratching of the CD’s, I’d need one more rack for the DAC, which my cabinet cannot accommodate. I could buy a rack system, but at the moment I’m more interested in finding a good surge protector. Also, I’m not getting clear guidance on what DAC to pair it with. “As for the DACs? That depends on your budget” is not helpful.
I spent days researching players, and finally lucked out by going to various audio blogs. I found the Rotel CD11 Tribute (the final unit designed by the legendary Ken Ishiwata), but when I started to order it, I found two players that were rated even higher. I ended up ordering Rotel’s RCD-1572MKII, and it just arrived this afternoon. If I like it, I’m ordering a second for backup. There aren’t a lot of CD players being made anymore, so I’m covering my bases. I had called the Sony Corporation earlier to see if they had any unsold SCD-XA5400ES’s laying around (highly rated, but discontinued), and they told me that they were dropping all but the high end players in the future, with the rest of the systems going streaming. Not good.
Paul Rigby
21st April 2022 at 12:05 pmOK, I recommend a new DAC I know and love. It’ll cost you £50,000 though 🙂 Budget strictures are essential when offering guidance. If I’m to offer help, I need help from you such as a budget figure. Boundaries. Your research is just as important, of course and I support your efforts in that. Demos are critical too. I did publish a video on buying HiFi which might help for future endeavours: https://youtu.be/-NWuE-1yFJ8
Karin Seritis
22nd April 2022 at 1:14 amI get that, but I also listed my equipment, and a few recommendations in line with my current set-up would have been helpful. Particularly since I have only heard of DACs and CD transports as of a month or so ago, when I started my research on CD players. You review the 6000CDT in detail, then leave the accompanying DAC choices hanging. I have a system that I am finally very happy with, but it cost under $15,000. If I was in your position as advisor, I would have guessed a $1000 – $3000 range for a CD player or transport/DAC combo, and given a few recommendations within that range. The prices I’ve heard range from £1,000 to £50,000. What are the criteria for choosing one from the bunch? What am I getting for the higher priced DACs that I’m not getting from the starter units? I was intrigued by the 6000CDT, but with no help re: the DACs, I gave up and went for a straight CD player.
(to be continued)
Paul Rigby
22nd April 2022 at 10:57 amThis was a 6000CDT review, Karin. It wasn’t a DAC review. Nothing was left hanging. That’s what these comments are for, to cater for follow-up/additional information and for you to bring requests to me, etc. If you want a DAC recommendation then I need a current budget figure as well as the other things you mentioned like a list of HiFi, etc. I’m not in the habit of guessing either. What do I know of your life and current financial situation? I never assume. Any reviewer who provides woolly advice based on wild assumptions is just not doing his/her job. So enough! If you need advice, let’s get to the point. Start from the beginning and ask your question.
Karin Seritis
22nd April 2022 at 1:57 amCont’d:
As for your youtube on buying HiFis, I agree. Buy in haste, and repent in leisure. When I was 19 and had $2K burning a hole in my pockets, I bought a receiver, a tapedeck, and a pair of Infinity Columns. The Columns sounded great as long as one doesn’t mind a minimal base response. Took ‘em back, and returned home with a pair of Cerwin Vega 211R’s. Nothing BUT base. I found out that Cerwin Vega made the speakers that created the floor rumbling in the movie ‘Earthquake’. I went back again, and another salesman, that had watched all of this and was feeling sorry for me, suggested 4 larger Advents, which I took home, stacked them, and wired them in series. They had a very natural sound, were what was called ‘uncolored’, and were easy to place. They didn’t really have a sweet spot, as they sounded fantastic from anywhere in the house. It was at this point that I finally got my ‘ears’. But it was also at this point that I first learned that most stereo salesman were no better than used car dealers, with few exceptions. The Advents weren’t being pushed because they had a low mark-up (i.e., profit margin), even though they were incredible for that time. Anyway, three years later, I serendipitously walked into an audio store and traded in my receiver for the aforementioned amp/pre-amp/tuner combo I listed before, and was in stereo heaven for the next 25 years, until my speakers dried up. The next part of my audio adventure is a whole ‘nother story.
Karin Seritis
25th April 2022 at 12:57 am1) I already asked the question, on April 5th (see above):
“Could you recommend one or more DACs that would work well with my system (specific names would be appreciated, since I’m unfamiliar with what to look for).”
The asking price for the 6000CDT transport is $599. It would not make sense to couple it with a £50,000 DAC, or even a £5,000 DAC, for that matter. I wanted a couple of good choices, at which point I would research the reviews, the comments of people that used them (there are plenty of blogs), and if I wanted to spend that much.
2) “This was a 6000CDT review, Karin. It wasn’t a DAC review.” “That’s what these comments are for, to cater for follow-up/additional information and for you to bring requests to me, etc. ”
I’m assuming that the transport won’t work (or work well) without a DAC. Therefore, one would need a DAC, as it is a necessary component to be used specifically in conjunction with the transport. And since this was missing in the review, I asked in the comments section, with no luck.
3) It doesn’t matter at this point, as I gave up and bought a Rotel CD player with a very fine DAC included in the unit.
Thanks anyway.
Paul Rigby
25th April 2022 at 11:25 amOK, this is a circular argument now and I’m repeating myself which is a time waster I can’t afford. This is my final comment on the subject so I’ll try one final angle. The 6000CDT is £399 over here. Depending on your income, you may be able to afford a £100 DAC only. There are recommendations for that. Maybe you could afford a DAC rated around the same price as the CDT, there are separate recommendations for that. During the review, I stated that the CDT could easily work well tied to a DAC valued up to and including £3k. That’s another ball game entirely. During the review, I also talked about DACs so you could – if you wished – have simply chosen one of those. So there’s a realistic budget stretch of £100/£200-£3,000.
No matter, on that basis, it’s not unreasonable for me to ask you for a budget figure. I’m not sure why that question presents you with such difficulties. It would have taken seconds to give me a budget figure. A few more seconds to reply. Then we could have gotten on with our lives.
Instead, you insist on this pointless exchange. As you say, you’ve bought a Rotel so, in fact, you’re not even asking for help here, this entire exchange has consisted of a series of complaints from you.
Don’t forget – I don’t get paid for helping people. I’m not selling a product or service. I do it out of the goodness of my heart. Some questions require hours of research. Unpaid research. Honestly? I don’t have the time. Yet I do it anyway because I like to help people out if they need assistance. I’m a nice guy, what can I say? 🙂 I receive calls for help here, on my Facebook Group, Instagram, Messenger, YouTube and lots of other places. I get more calls for help than I can handle at the best of times. I could theoretically spend 7 days a week helping people and would starve in the process.
This conversation, as I say, has become pointlessly circular. No further communication on this subject will be accepted.
William Hawkins
25th April 2022 at 1:01 pmrude……Karin. Paul – a saint!
Bobby
13th June 2022 at 10:00 pmMy set up …
Audiolab 6000cdt —> Denafrips Pontus 2 dac —> Schiit audio Ragnarok 2 amp —> Decware ZF15M open baffle speakers . This is one excellent Cd transport , no issues whatsoever .
Cheers !
Bobby
Rich
14th June 2022 at 7:13 pm1988 Denon DAP-2500 or DAP-5500 preamp’s internal dac. It was SoA at the time and still sounds super to these ears. You can pick these up for $400 – $600, but you’ll need some sturdy shelving.
Jaye Cozens
23rd June 2022 at 5:31 pmHi Paul,
I have literally just bought this on your recommendation, but am struggling to find a way of successfully outputting to a DAC. What is the cheapest DAC you can suggest that will do justice to this, sonically?
Cheers,
Jaye
C
Paul Rigby
24th June 2022 at 12:18 pmHi Jaye – I think I mentioned the iFi iOne which is a little square block looking thing that fits in your hand. That’s a nice one – you can pick them up for around £200 or much less second hand (but make sure you’re happy and confidant buying second hand before you launch into that avenue, of course). Connect to that via a coax socket on the back of the CDT.
Jaye Cozens
4th July 2022 at 11:52 amThanks Paul,
While waiting for my DAC to arrive I’ve been using a cheap (£5.99) matchbox-style DAC from Amazon. The CD unit sounds brilliant already, I just can’t wait for the full monty! Best wishes, Jaye