I'm sure about "worth," but as a consumer of relatively high end audio gear, this is my take:
For the sake of making the point, my 5.1, 2 channel and heapdhone setups, collectively cost me well over $200K. I'm not sweating $2K for a Transporter or 2.. or maybe even 3. That's just the truth. Also, having spent that much, I do want to maintain a certain aesthetic in my system. I don't believe in the significance of "high end" cables but use Cardas Golden Reference XLRs on my headphone setup b/c they match the setup in appearance. I buy certain pieces for their audible impact alone (e.g. TACT, Andra IIs) and others for a combination of sonics and aesthetic appeal(Esoteric D-03/P-03, Singlepower SDS-XLR). A better form factor alone would have been worth a jump to $1K for me. The new DAC should provide some improvement. In addition, the ability use the DAC for multiple devices is valuable for those who need/want a DAC. For me, the connectivity is also well worth the money. With all the gear I and many audiophiles have, one shouldn't overlook the value of verstitlity. With the AES and word synch, I can use an external clock to synch the Transporter with each of my TACT BOZ2200 digital amps(that also accept word synch). Slaving everything to the same clock in an all digital system is something that is important tom me and again, conributes to the increased value. With the new XLR connections you can make long runs, increasing the number of ways you can use or place the Transporter. For instance, in my 2 channel room, I will have the Tranporter in my headphone setup. I will either run the XLR outs directly to the heapdhone amp or run SPDIF and word synch to my Esoteric D-03 DAC (and then go XLR out from there). At the same time, I will run AES across the room to my 2 channel. I might also take an AES out direct from my computer and run it into the Transporter DAC. Without all of those connections, that configuration would be difficult. I completely understand why some people feel the $2K price tage on the Transporter is too much. Nevertheless I think there are many people who actually consider it modestly priced. while there might not be an additional $1,700 in parts in there, I think many people are actually going to consider it a value. -- Sleestack *headphone:* singlepower sds-xlr at, teac esoteric p-03/d-03, hd650 *2 channel:* tact rcs 2.2.xp w/ full aberdeen mods, bel canto oneref. 1000 monoblocks x 4, classe sacd2, epiphany 20-21s, tact w210 corner load subs *5.1 channel:* tact tcs mkii w/ aberdeen power supply, tact boz 216/2200 (x5) w/ aberdeen power supply, tact adc6 w/ full aberdeen mods, denon 5910, bel canto pl-1a, eggleston andra ii (x5), velodyne dd-15, pioneer elite pro 1130hd ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sleestack's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=6598 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=25927 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
