The 6 Best High end Cd transports (2023 reviews)

The yamaha high end cd transport is the best feature-rich transport on the market today. Each piece of Natural Sound audio system from Yamaha reflects that they are dedicating to produce musical instruments. It plays CD's with more detail (space between instruments & vocals, wider stereo separation), and an overall smoother, cleaner sound that those "play all disc" type changers. It takes a special decoder to realize the full formatting of a HDCD. It will play music from a USB stick connected to the usb port.

The manual for the receiver should tell you more. It takes a few seconds to load the initial CD but after it's loaded there is no problem at all in between tracks. It is designed to be part of a component system, so it needs to be connected to a tunerreceiver, which has volume controls. If you're interested in an inexpensive player,this is it,or the Denon for more money,or Marantz for yet more.

Why We Like This:

Very clear, and holy smokes was the trombone feature super smooth
Only one at a time, but very easy to load and unload
Usb (idevice only) audio works great, cd player is great

Best With multi Disc Changer: Onkyo High end Cd transport

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate transport. The onkyo high end cd transport is exactly that - it's a simple transport that hits all the right notes. It is a simply designed, no frills cd player that has the respected onkyo design and sound quality, so you definitely can’t go wrong with this. It offers crystal clear sound with little fuss. The Unit has a solid feel to it & operates quietly when opening/closing & is very easy to hook up.

It comes with this DC on board, the c-7030 delivers a pristine conversion of digital signals into analog audio output. This noise taints the analog signal and ultimately degrades the sound emitted from your speakers. It's affordable, reliable, and sounds great.

The Onkyo is very responsive to volume changes & is programmable for playlists. It is beautiful to look at and its sound is crisp and clear.

Why We Like This:

Looks great, fantastic remote, amazingly detailed and nuanced sound
Very nice looking / sounding cd player
Wonderful sound, stability and good looks
Audiophile quality with great features, solidly built, whisper quiet, and an amazing bargain

Best With Bluetooth: Denon High end Cd transport

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Not everyone likes to purchase transport for their daily usage, but the denon high end cd transport would be an anomoly. This integrated Amp has a setting for phono as well as cartridge to distinguish between moving magnet and moving coil. It features one optical output to connect to the digital input of an amplifier or av receiver. By using the "info" button on the remote, it can be made to count down track time, or to count down CD time. The disc player can be controlled by both the remote or front of the player.

The weight feels decent and the front cover appears to be billit aluminum. It allows for a more exact reproduction of the recorded sound. The spinning sound you are hearing is the disc getting up to speed. The remote has lots of buttons for a denon amp or receiver. It's nice that this unit is simple and made to do one thing exceptionally well.

Why We Like This:

Controls are simple and very basic
3.5 mm ir control in and out is also provided
Outstanding sound quality for a medium range cost cd player

Best With speaker: audiolab Cd transport

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The audiolab cd transport is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily usage. The sound is excellent, as is the tracking accuracy. The sonics of this CD transport along with the matching DAC's advance filtering options is simply wonderful. It skips, chatters, clicks you name it, yet the disc has no physical damage, at least that you can see with the physical human eye. It doesn't read the disc any quicker or operate any more quietly either.

The remote is sturdy and functional and easy to use without unnecessary buttons or a steep learning curve. The remote has limited options and is quite large for its limited use with the transport. It is great in the audio stand. The slot loading mechanism has proven to be very robust and reliable.

Why We Like This:

Makes it difficult to cue a track
Built incredibly well, like an oppo player
Clean, accurate, sound is what you can expect

Best With Super Audio cds: Sony High end Cd transport

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate transport. The sony high end cd transport is exactly that - it's a simple transport that hits all the right notes. The 2 -channel SACDs sound somewhat clearer, more natural and spacious than regular, "redbook' CDs. It offers phenomenal detail, imaging, and sound stage width/depth look no further. It has incredible sound, especially in multi-channel mode.

The Sony SACD also has reasonable ergonomics and lets you select shuffle, straight play from a button on the front. The clarity of sound is exceptional in this player. You can turn off the lighted display and it will come on only during a function, then turn off again automatically. It's compatible with super audio cds and audio cds.

Why We Like This:

Playback sounds discrete and clear and robust
A very well build multifunction cd player from a well known nake
You can controle the volume from the remote
Plays sacds and improves the sound of regular cds

Best For car: audiolab High end Cd transport

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Not everyone likes to purchase transport for their daily usage, but the audiolab high end cd transport would be an anomoly. It has the sound of science and the 6000cdt is the latest cd transport from audiolab. It looks clean, and loads the CDs fast. The sound improved quite a bit when used with a PS Audio AC5 power plug. This is something for the person who can name the dac (by type, brand and topology) that they prefer to convert their digital to analog. It is a dedicated cd transport incorporating the same slot–loading mechanism as audiolab’s flagship cd player, the 8300cd.

The overall sound experience is wonderful with good imaging and spacial separation. The Eject button has to be pressed once briefly. This is an amazing good sound amplifier, natural and vivid.

Why We Like This:

Plugs in to the standard 120v
Deeper faster bass, greater transparency and detail, and clarity overall greatly improved
One of the new comers and featured product