This was an enjoyable review. English reviews of Heed products are so rare but the few that do, have good things to say. Hope you can look into their integrated amps in future. Keep up the great work!
Rarely do I see a review that actually gives a new insight on the subject at hand. When the time comes to replace my CD player used as a CD transport I will definitely replace it with a dedicated transport without a DAC built in. I never heard this concept presented elsewhere. This is truly great content. Very good job!
@@TheAudiophileMan I’m not just trying to butter you up. This is a very insightful observation. It makes me wonder if this sort of contamination of the digital data by a unused built in DAC is rare or does it translate to other products as well. Streamers for instance or other CD players used as transports. Someone probably should dive deeper into this subject. No one else seems to be talking about this.
That "contamination" you mention is everywhere. I've been banging on about it for years, Ron :) HiFi is essentially anti-social. It wants to be alone, in true Garbo fashion. If you can separate every single major (and sometimes minor) component, your sound quality will improve. This is why pre-amps exist, and power amps and power amp monoblocks and separate power supplies from a turntable, and external phono amps, and external headphone amps, etc, etc. It costs more for this sort of set up but the isolation produces better sound and, because you then have a larger external chassis, you also have more space (and budget) to use better quality components. So that helps too.
@@TheAudiophileMan And there are many different forms of contamination to. I have been on a mission the last few years trying to minimize contamination from my system. It started, for me, when I set my DAC on inexpensive Vibrapods and cones. I was astonished by a number of improvements ranging from imaging and soundstage to dynamics just by this simple change. Then I tried the same thing with my CD transport with similar results. Next it was replacing power cords (through all my components) all contributing to increasing transparency and lowering the noise floor. Sounds like I was just being sucked into a deepening rabbit hole but each added layer of filtering out contamination from different sources got me to a level of sound quality I never thought was attainable with my present system. I love this hobby!
Thanks for a fine review. I agree with your decision rationale. I wasn’t aware this transport existed and I like the minimal design aesthetics and small footprint a lot. I don’t think it looks dated at all. It’s more than I planned on for an upgrade but I will see if it’s available in the states. Thank you again.
Those “OOoh” moments. What it’s all about! Thank you so much for what is easily the best manner in which to compare transports within the approachable range…well, eventually for the Heed! Btw, I’ve had the honor/pleasure of hosting Geoffrey Keezer at our jazz program. He a force of nature 👍🏼🙏🏼
I bought the 6000crt after watching your review. Loving the improvements. Also enjoyed the thoroughness of this review. One question based on something you said. Transport/stand alone DAC solutions are generally better than an all in one player because of proximity. To take that one step further, should the two components be positioned at a distance from one another rather than be stacked or beside one another? As you and other reviewers are the ones we out here look to for advice, I understand your thinking on keeping vs returning a product. That benefits those of us that do have to factor in cost for whatever reason (wife) so many will be happy to wait until early adopters move on and make their earlier purchases available on the previously loved market where many buyers live. Great review - again. Carry on sir.
I don’t know if you have tried a Project RS 2T CDT. This is the best I have heard. Doesn’t matter who makes it as long as the listener is happy. Haven’t heard this transport, but am impressed with the parts quality and construction of it. Like your way of presenting the product. Cheers mate!
L👀ks like removing the DAC card solved the noise floor issue. That said it also l👀ks like a few connector pins on the right hand side need to be straightened out if you'll be re-installing it. Great review BTW, especially your reaction to the initial noise floor problem. Appreciated your persistence in tracking down the issue. Had a similar problem with my Cyrus CD-T transport, but for a different reason. The Meridian DAC's switch mode power supply noise was mucking up the works ... solved it by terminating the power supply cable with a ferrite balun and extra decoupling capacitance which suppressed its noise, making things right again.
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results. Removing the card is tough. I actually sought advice from Heed itself before I removed the card. Then I followed their advice. Then this! There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first.
CDT6000: I was using a Pangea Premier XL Coax Cable ($169) and a $500 boutique power cord. Aoout 5 weeks ago, I replaced the Pangea coax with a Ali-Express Odin 2 (knockoff) Coax cable (
Hello from Montreal, I really enjoy your thorough videos on this great hobby. My system contains both analog and digital sources with the turntable and instead of a CD player /transport, I have a cd ripper/streamer. This digital component is a one box wonder where I have copied all my cds to the rippers hard drive. I can even rip my friends cds. It’s a streamer as well with everything controlled by your tablet. So there is no need for any noisy laptop connected to your system. It’s an Innuos product (no Dac) and the sound quality is fabulous. Other channels have looked at these components. Anyways I swear by it for the convenience, the sound quality especially with a good Dac. With this I can still own the physical media and have the ability to stream new music all in one box. Take care
Thank you for your review Paul, is this the level of transport that you need to go to, to better the Audiolab 6000 CDT? What do you think of the Primare DD15 CDT? I’ve been told that the Rega Apollo is being discontinued, I want buy a new transport but the Heed price is al little too high for me! Thanks for any advice from you and your subscribers.
Ich habe seit 1996 einen Luxman DZ-03 Tube CD Transport. Als dieser 2017 defekt ging, habe ich verschiedene CD Transport gekauft, u.a. von Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, Sony. Keine konnte mich zufrieden stellen! Dann habe ich jemanden gefunden, der speziell Luxman-Geräte repariert. Jetzt höre ich wieder glücklich und zufrieden CD!
I haven’t heard a Heed product yet that didn’t have me nodding in appreciation. Whether it’s the modular parts like Canamp or Questar/Quasar phono stages, Elixir & Abacus, Obelisk or Thesis range. If I was in the market for a super intergrated I’d bypass Rega Aethos or Naim Supernait and go straight to Lagrange without even listening first. I know what I’d be getting
The I2S output is a nice feature.. It is the “best” connection if you have a compatible DAC with that interface.. BTW, I think you accidentally bent some of the male connector pins on that optional DAC card.. Looks like an easy fix though if you are careful.
Hi Paul, I noticed a severely bent pin at the end of the dac board's row of contacts. I hope the board was making contact properly when you tested the transport? If it was an earth it could have caused all sorts of problems. That aside, I rip all of my CDs to an Innuos server (ZenMini iii) in flac format. Have you ever tested if there is any sonic difference in files ripped from different CD transports when fed to the same external dac?
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results. Removing the card is tough. There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first. Never tested the ripped file thing but it’s a good point. I’ll make a note for the future.
I have bought the hEED Thesis CD player with the DAC and i have a préamplifier MYTEK BROOKLYN BRIDGE i will compare the Sound of The Thesis in analogic rca and in digital coax , which do you think will be better , if i use the CD player as a transport with what préampli or integrated amplifier will it be a good association in High level ? Thank You my english is not so good 😀! From Reunion island !
Is it just me or does anyone else out there think that Heed's aesthetic looks like something from circa 1985? - not that that's necessarily bad, I just find myself smirking every time I see any of their gear. Great review, by the way. I actually bought the AudioLab on your recommendation. The thing I love, love, love about that piece is how well it will play compromised discs.
Here’s my dilemma. I have a sim audio moon 340 amp and a heed abacus dac, with my cranky YBA Designs cd player. The dac and amp sound pretty darn good but the player has a habit of going on strike, perhaps a cultural trait, I am drawn to the moon 260dt or the heed thesis delta to replace the now pushing 20 year old player, the Heed in my area is slightly more expensive but suites my eye better, so what is the most interesting option, these will be played through a very revealing pair of Fyne Audio F502SP speaker???
An interesting take on the theory behind cd transports. I digitised my discs years ago but listen occasionally in very different ways to the old days. I use a portable usb cd drive connected to my Auralic Aries G2 streamer which plays and rips simultaneously and feeds a Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC. The results are excellent. For SACDs I use an old Oppo universal disc player with a Chinese made box which strips the DSD stream from HDMI, converts it to I2S and, again, feeds the Terminator. So, in my house at least, the shiny ones still have a niche.
Mr Paul, have you ever reviewed the Project RS2 T CD transport? I have one and I have both 230V upgrade linear power supply and the 115V upgrade supply as well. I am in the US, so I don’t need the 230V one. I would be willing to send mine to you if you would consider reviewing it. I think it is better than any CD transport I have heard. It would be fun to see how it compares to the Heed. Enjoyed this review and think the Heed is a top drawer unit.
Nice review. There seem to be quite a few 'next level' transports like Denafrips, Jays, CEC, Project well below this price point - though auditioning would be a problem...
I like that your reviewing transports. I think you're the only one doing them and CD's are making a comeback apparently. I'd like to get your take on the Cyrus as well as the Atoll DR200!
Apparently. It doesn't matter. I have every lp and 45 I have ever bought when I started in 1970 and every cd I have bought since I started in 1988. I don't ever throw out anything just because some Johnny come lately generation says having physical media is not cool!!
I see you didn't keep the ol' McIntosh mcd600... neither did i..I... my Raysonic, Yaqin, Line-magnetic tube players and Yamaha players...all blew it away....! Nice and neat transport. Nice presentation 👏...! Was looking into several other new players and transports.... I have 21 other players and transports...like Bel-Canto s cd-2..... I have videos posted... will look into this piece also... Thanks 👍!
Quite a bit of cash for that DAC , I will take my Loaded Geshelli Labs DAC which is Tunable by changing Amp plug ins if needed! Also Right On with your comment about the wanting vs value, The Ultimate decision is your/mine listening Experience, that's Just how it is!
This noise floor is interesting. It's a phrase that is commonly used these days it seems (along with 'Hash' ), I personally believe it's used too much and not correctly so maybe you can fully explain what you mean by 'noise floor' because I can only imagine its different from what I'm thinking.
A combination of vibration and high frequency noise (and the former enhancing the latter) creating edgy mids, tizzy treble and the like that sounds harsh and/or oppressive to the ear. I could go in but that’s a brief note.
The Benchmark DAC at around £3k (when I grabbed it anyway) which I found to be the absolute limit (well, just over) for the 6000CDT. I wanted to see how the Heed handled it.
@@davebalfour6158 I do highlight that in the Closer Look section but I wanted to address a specific question, as I mentioned in the intro and the whether the Heed - in basic terms - was a suitable upgrade to the 6000CDT. As the CDT does not include an I2S connection, only coax, I thought the A-B comparison was the best suitable choice. More, I noted that the CDT began to falter when it was connected to my Benchmark DAC so I wanted to see how the Heed compared when connected to that. The Benchmark does not have an I2S socket.
Thanks for that. I have a 6000CDT and yes, it is good. I do, however use the digital COAX out from a Pioneer PD:S707 CD player ( with analogue and DAC sections switched off). This combination (Matrix Mini Pro 3 DAC) sounds considerably better than said DAC with the Audiolab Front end, to my ears.
That Audiolab... I've always been wary of any CD player that has a mouth-slot to receive the disc. Surely unless you're extremely careful, and have an exceedingly steady hand, a hard narrow plastic slot has to be an ideal place to give a CD a good scratching every time you pass it in and out?
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results. Removing the card is tough. I actually sought advice from Heed itself before I removed the card. Then I followed their advice. Then this! There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first.
This is not the CD transport Heed ! But the CD Player you show here , the transport doesn't hace analog RCA connectors ! The sound is a little better with a pure transport !
Why does a $3500 transport still have a tray? No way...door maybe, tray ridiculous. PS1 never had a tray! Remember how many "audiophile" machines it embarrassed! Use that same amount to mod an older quality player which are readily available! Call me crazy, but my $$ is worth more to me. For that matter, upgrade the Audiolab 6000cdt with $3000 and see what you get! Much better looking!
![GEEK TIMË [OFFICIAL AUDIO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ry-6RvkH880/mqdefault.jpg)
This was an enjoyable review. English reviews of Heed products are so rare but the few that do, have good things to say. Hope you can look into their integrated amps in future. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Paul. Very interesting. I just got a Jay's CDT2-MK3 and I'm quite pleased with it.
Rarely do I see a review that actually gives a new insight on the subject at hand. When the time comes to replace my CD player used as a CD transport I will definitely replace it with a dedicated transport without a DAC built in. I never heard this concept presented elsewhere. This is truly great content. Very good job!
That's very nice of you, Ron.
@@TheAudiophileMan I’m not just trying to butter you up. This is a very insightful observation. It makes me wonder if this sort of contamination of the digital data by a unused built in DAC is rare or does it translate to other products as well. Streamers for instance or other CD players used as transports. Someone probably should dive deeper into this subject. No one else seems to be talking about this.
That "contamination" you mention is everywhere. I've been banging on about it for years, Ron :) HiFi is essentially anti-social. It wants to be alone, in true Garbo fashion. If you can separate every single major (and sometimes minor) component, your sound quality will improve. This is why pre-amps exist, and power amps and power amp monoblocks and separate power supplies from a turntable, and external phono amps, and external headphone amps, etc, etc.
It costs more for this sort of set up but the isolation produces better sound and, because you then have a larger external chassis, you also have more space (and budget) to use better quality components. So that helps too.
@@TheAudiophileMan And there are many different forms of contamination to. I have been on a mission the last few years trying to minimize contamination from my system. It started, for me, when I set my DAC on inexpensive Vibrapods and cones. I was astonished by a number of improvements ranging from imaging and soundstage to dynamics just by this simple change. Then I tried the same thing with my CD transport with similar results. Next it was replacing power cords (through all my components) all contributing to increasing transparency and lowering the noise floor. Sounds like I was just being sucked into a deepening rabbit hole but each added layer of filtering out contamination from different sources got me to a level of sound quality I never thought was attainable with my present system. I love this hobby!
Thanks for a fine review. I agree with your decision rationale. I wasn’t aware this transport existed and I like the minimal design aesthetics and small footprint a lot. I don’t think it looks dated at all. It’s more than I planned on for an upgrade but I will see if it’s available in the states. Thank you again.
Those “OOoh” moments. What it’s all about! Thank you so much for what is easily the best manner in which to compare transports within the approachable range…well, eventually for the Heed! Btw, I’ve had the honor/pleasure of hosting Geoffrey Keezer at our jazz program. He a force of nature 👍🏼🙏🏼
I bought the 6000crt after watching your review. Loving the improvements. Also enjoyed the thoroughness of this review. One question based on something you said. Transport/stand alone DAC solutions are generally better than an all in one player because of proximity. To take that one step further, should the two components be positioned at a distance from one another rather than be stacked or beside one another?
As you and other reviewers are the ones we out here look to for advice, I understand your thinking on keeping vs returning a product. That benefits those of us that do have to factor in cost for whatever reason (wife) so many will be happy to wait until early adopters move on and make their earlier purchases available on the previously loved market where many buyers live.
Great review - again. Carry on sir.
I don’t know if you have tried a Project RS 2T CDT. This is the best I have heard. Doesn’t matter who makes it as long as the listener is happy. Haven’t heard this transport, but am impressed with the parts quality and construction of it. Like your way of presenting the product. Cheers mate!
I have the Project RS 2 cdt, fantastic bit of kit, and only gets better after running it in a bit.
@@philipbecker8214, like speakers, gear needs a little burn in time. You understand.
Dziękuje za recenzje, czy mógłbyś podać na jakim torze słuchałeś Heeda, bo tak to z tego nie wiele wynika jak porównujesz do Adiolaba.
L👀ks like removing the DAC card solved the noise floor issue. That said it also l👀ks like a few connector pins on the right hand side need to be straightened out if you'll be re-installing it.
Great review BTW, especially your reaction to the initial noise floor problem. Appreciated your persistence in tracking down the issue.
Had a similar problem with my Cyrus CD-T transport, but for a different reason. The Meridian DAC's switch mode power supply noise was mucking up the works ... solved it by terminating the power supply cable with a ferrite balun and extra decoupling capacitance which suppressed its noise, making things right again.
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results.
Removing the card is tough. I actually sought advice from Heed itself before I removed the card. Then I followed their advice. Then this! There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first.
CDT6000: I was using a Pangea Premier XL Coax Cable ($169) and a $500 boutique power cord. Aoout 5 weeks ago, I replaced the Pangea coax with a Ali-Express Odin 2 (knockoff) Coax cable (
Hello from Montreal, I really enjoy your thorough videos on this great hobby. My system contains both analog and digital sources with the turntable and instead of a CD player /transport, I have a cd ripper/streamer. This digital component is a one box wonder where I have copied all my cds to the rippers hard drive. I can even rip my friends cds. It’s a streamer as well with everything controlled by your tablet. So there is no need for any noisy laptop connected to your system. It’s an Innuos product (no Dac) and the sound quality is fabulous. Other channels have looked at these components. Anyways I swear by it for the convenience, the sound quality especially with a good Dac. With this I can still own the physical media and have the ability to stream new music all in one box. Take care
Thanks for your thoughts, David.
Thank you for your review Paul, is this the level of transport that you need to go to, to better the Audiolab 6000 CDT?
What do you think of the Primare DD15 CDT?
I’ve been told that the Rega Apollo is being discontinued, I want buy a new transport but the Heed price is al little too high for me!
Thanks for any advice from you and your subscribers.
Sorry Just a question please, by you opinion Is It better Heed or Cantilena by Lua? Thanks in advance for your help 🍃
Don‘t forget the NuPrime CDT-10 Transport in this PriceRange!
Ich habe seit 1996 einen Luxman DZ-03 Tube CD Transport. Als dieser 2017 defekt ging, habe ich verschiedene CD Transport gekauft, u.a. von Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, Sony. Keine konnte mich zufrieden stellen! Dann habe ich jemanden gefunden, der speziell Luxman-Geräte repariert. Jetzt höre ich wieder glücklich und zufrieden CD!
Great review!
Thank you :)
I haven’t heard a Heed product yet that didn’t have me nodding in appreciation. Whether it’s the modular parts like Canamp or Questar/Quasar phono stages, Elixir & Abacus, Obelisk or Thesis range. If I was in the market for a super intergrated I’d bypass Rega Aethos or Naim Supernait and go straight to Lagrange without even listening first. I know what I’d be getting
The I2S output is a nice feature.. It is the “best” connection if you have a compatible DAC with that interface.. BTW, I think you accidentally bent some of the male connector pins on that optional DAC card.. Looks like an easy fix though if you are careful.
Hi Paul, I noticed a severely bent pin at the end of the dac board's row of contacts. I hope the board was making contact properly when you tested the transport? If it was an earth it could have caused all sorts of problems.
That aside, I rip all of my CDs to an Innuos server (ZenMini iii) in flac format. Have you ever tested if there is any sonic difference in files ripped from different CD transports when fed to the same external dac?
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results.
Removing the card is tough. There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first.
Never tested the ripped file thing but it’s a good point. I’ll make a note for the future.
I have bought the hEED Thesis CD player with the DAC and i have a préamplifier MYTEK BROOKLYN BRIDGE i will compare the Sound of The Thesis in analogic rca and in digital coax , which do you think will be better , if i use the CD player as a transport with what préampli or integrated amplifier will it be a good association in High level ? Thank You my english is not so good 😀! From Reunion island !
Is it just me or does anyone else out there think that Heed's aesthetic looks like something from circa 1985? - not that that's necessarily bad, I just find myself smirking every time I see any of their gear. Great review, by the way. I actually bought the AudioLab on your recommendation. The thing I love, love, love about that piece is how well it will play compromised discs.
Correct, the design pays homage to chrome bumper era Naim
Here’s my dilemma. I have a sim audio moon 340 amp and a heed abacus dac, with my cranky YBA Designs cd player. The dac and amp sound pretty darn good but the player has a habit of going on strike, perhaps a cultural trait, I am drawn to the moon 260dt or the heed thesis delta to replace the now pushing 20 year old player, the Heed in my area is slightly more expensive but suites my eye better, so what is the most interesting option, these will be played through a very revealing pair of Fyne Audio F502SP speaker???
Have you reviewed the Audio Analogue AADrive?
And which connection's did you test
An interesting take on the theory behind cd transports. I digitised my discs years ago but listen occasionally in very different ways to the old days.
I use a portable usb cd drive connected to my Auralic Aries G2 streamer which plays and rips simultaneously and feeds a Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC. The results are excellent.
For SACDs I use an old Oppo universal disc player with a Chinese made box which strips the DSD stream from HDMI, converts it to I2S and, again, feeds the Terminator.
So, in my house at least, the shiny ones still have a niche.
i also have a Denafrips but only 100 cherry picked CD's that i kept. so 3k for a transport? foolish. i will get a $100 external usb cd drive.
Mr Paul, have you ever reviewed the Project RS2 T CD transport? I have one and I have both 230V upgrade linear power supply and the 115V upgrade supply as well. I am in the US, so I don’t need the 230V one. I would be willing to send mine to you if you would consider reviewing it. I think it is better than any CD transport I have heard. It would be fun to see how it compares to the Heed. Enjoyed this review and think the Heed is a top drawer unit.
Not yet, thanks for the offer but let me chat with Pro-Ject over here first.
Can you review the NuPrime transport around $1000 US and the high end Jays Audio Transport from China around $2500 US.?
Nice review. There seem to be quite a few 'next level' transports like Denafrips, Jays, CEC, Project well below this price point - though auditioning would be a problem...
I'll certainly keep those in mind, though. Thanks.
I like that your reviewing transports. I think you're the only one doing them and CD's are making a comeback apparently. I'd like to get your take on the Cyrus as well as the Atoll DR200!
Apparently. It doesn't matter. I have every lp and 45 I have ever bought when I started in 1970 and every cd I have bought since I started in 1988. I don't ever throw out anything just because some Johnny come lately generation says having physical media is not cool!!
I see you didn't keep the ol' McIntosh mcd600... neither did i..I... my Raysonic, Yaqin, Line-magnetic tube players and Yamaha players...all blew it away....! Nice and neat transport. Nice presentation 👏...! Was looking into several other new players and transports.... I have 21 other players and transports...like Bel-Canto s cd-2..... I have videos posted... will look into this piece also... Thanks 👍!
Quite a bit of cash for that DAC , I will take my Loaded Geshelli Labs DAC which is Tunable by changing Amp plug ins if needed!
Also Right On with your comment about the wanting vs value, The Ultimate decision is your/mine listening Experience, that's Just how it is!
Excellent as ever. Could you size up some DACs to go with that? Thank you.
For value for money I’d go with Heed’s own Abacus DAC which Paul has reviewed before.
Would be nice if you compared it to their Heed Audio Obelisk DT- Digital CD Transport
Obelisk DT is no longer available, so there is no reason to compare.
I'd love for you to review the Cyrus and Moon CDTs. Perhaps a head-to-head.
This noise floor is interesting. It's a phrase that is commonly used these days it seems (along with 'Hash' ), I personally believe it's used too much and not correctly so maybe you can fully explain what you mean by 'noise floor' because I can only imagine its different from what I'm thinking.
A combination of vibration and high frequency noise (and the former enhancing the latter) creating edgy mids, tizzy treble and the like that sounds harsh and/or oppressive to the ear. I could go in but that’s a brief note.
@@TheAudiophileMan 🤔 thanks for the reply. I would have to hear it though to believe it.
What DAC were you using in theses tests pls
Martin
The Benchmark DAC at around £3k (when I grabbed it anyway) which I found to be the absolute limit (well, just over) for the 6000CDT. I wanted to see how the Heed handled it.
There's no mention of the IS2 connection. Why so? Is this not meant to be the best way to connect a CD transport to a DAC?
Thanks
Dave
@@davebalfour6158 I do highlight that in the Closer Look section but I wanted to address a specific question, as I mentioned in the intro and the whether the Heed - in basic terms - was a suitable upgrade to the 6000CDT.
As the CDT does not include an I2S connection, only coax, I thought the A-B comparison was the best suitable choice.
More, I noted that the CDT began to falter when it was connected to my Benchmark DAC so I wanted to see how the Heed compared when connected to that. The Benchmark does not have an I2S socket.
Thanks for that. I have a 6000CDT and yes, it is good.
I do, however use the digital COAX out from a Pioneer PD:S707 CD player ( with analogue and DAC sections switched off). This combination (Matrix Mini Pro 3 DAC) sounds considerably better than said DAC with the Audiolab Front end, to my ears.
That Audiolab... I've always been wary of any CD player that has a mouth-slot to receive the disc. Surely unless you're extremely careful, and have an exceedingly steady hand, a hard narrow plastic slot has to be an ideal place to give a CD a good scratching every time you pass it in and out?
No it doesn’t
With items this expensive, I think to myself, "Am I going to be able to afford to eat?", LOL.
Who needs food. More worried about electric bill, no lecky-no music.
Erm, when you showed the DAC card the pins on the right of the screen looked bent. I hope you didn;t break it! Nice review all the same.
My fault. The tests were done before the bent pin incident, though. So it doesn’t affect the results.
Removing the card is tough. I actually sought advice from Heed itself before I removed the card. Then I followed their advice. Then this! There is a big piece of chassis in the way. Ideally (in hindsight) the entire chassis should have been completely dismantled first.
Doesn't even have separate power supply, as you mentioned separation.
This is not the CD transport Heed ! But the CD Player you show here , the transport doesn't hace analog RCA connectors ! The sound is a little better with a pure transport !
FYI: I didn't see a date/time stamp
Why does a $3500 transport still have a tray? No way...door maybe, tray ridiculous. PS1 never had a tray! Remember how many "audiophile" machines it embarrassed! Use that same amount to mod an older quality player which are readily available! Call me crazy, but my $$ is worth more to me. For that matter, upgrade the Audiolab 6000cdt with $3000 and see what you get!
Much better looking!
Heed to the pencil!!! 😉 😉
you should not be evaluating transports with a mediocre dac.
Come on now, CD transports are obsolete. Spending money on them is just foolishness.
好
Hi sir. I am from India. Sumal audiophile. Sumal former big audiophile. Please help me. Sir
Help you how?
𝓟Ř𝔬𝓂𝔬𝐒ϻ 😄