Hello all. Looking at the posts about the new Transporter I thought I would add my experience (so far) to the mix.
I bought the Transporter in the end because I had heard only good things about the SB and I wanted a network player so that I could avoid my 1 year old daughter using my CD collection as chew toys and also use Internet radio (instead of buying a tuner/digital radio box). I also didn't want to have a worse listening experience than that I already had on my system: Arcam CD82T CD Player Niam 3i Amp Kef Q5 Speakers Initially I got the SB3 and, as I had all my other gear in a shipping container from London, bought a NAD C320BEE amp and Wharfdale Dimond 9.1 bookcase speakers for the SB. Sounded fine and I really liked the interface - I could see I would be rediscovering stuff I hadn't listened to for ages. The Internet radio was excellent as well. When the Transporter arrived the sound difference was obvious even on that setup. I'm not great with the terminology but any music had more clarity, you could pick out individual instruments better etc. There was still quite a lots of sssy hissing in the vocals that I have been told is an issue with the quality of the amplifier reproducing the human s sound (lots of high pitched frequency variation evidently!). Anyway the Transporter was producing the best sound that the NAD/Wharfdale setup could handle basically. On to the other kit - I was excited! Plugging everything else in I played a CD to start off with that I had listened to when I first bought the stereo - Aimee Mann - Lost in Space on my CD player. After 3 months in a packing case I realised how much I had missed the stereo. The tremour in Aimees voice could be clearly heard, the instruments had great spacing and sounded dynamic. Trying Jack Johnson the guitar on the first track could be heard in great detail - the finger movements on the fret board could be picked up. Everything sounded great. So onto the Transporter, plug everything in (I did use slightly different connectors although the same dealer supplied both and said they were equivalent - I can't remember the details) and... wheres the sound!?!!! Turn up the volume control settings (what is the softer sound for by the way?) and everything sounded almost the same! After switching around several times on the same track (Jack Johnson this time) I could hear slight differences but only slight. The CD player sounded a little more dynamic, the TRansporter slightly more laid back. The Transporter had a very flat background where the CD player had a slight echoy, roomy sound (like the recording studio background which I must say I quite like). But really on my setup they were equivalent. Blind testing with my wife listening confirmed that there wasn't much between them. Except of course the Transporter cost £1200, the CD player I got for £450! For me then the Transporter did provide a network player that matched the performance of my CD player which was the main goal as I won't not use it because it sounds worse. In the end I will use both I think. Looks and feel and the like - I don't really care although I agree with other things I have read about the buttons and nobs etc. - why have them? I would have liked a better remote control or slightly larger screens etc. The buttons will never get used unless the batteries run flat on the remote and I haven't got spare ones to hand! The main point for me though is that at £1200 I probably would have got a much better listening experience by spending the same money on a pre-amp/power amp combination (converting my old Naim 3i). In summary then I would, if I had my time again, happily buy a Transporter if I was going to avoid buying a good CD player altogether. Otherwise I think you would get better value for money with a good (or great) CD player and spending the change on a better amp/speaker combination. I do wonder if the Transporter does have a lot more performance in it however but as I have blown all my cash on the Transporter it may be many years before I find out! What do people using it on a really good amplifier think? Good listening anyway, Chris -- cdmein ------------------------------------------------------------------------ cdmein's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8717 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=30150 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
