Why do CD Transports cost so much?

[themrhotwheels]

Shower thought:
Since there's no DAC, no speakers (for boomboxes, etc) in CD transports, it seems like it'd be a cheap thing to put together. Literally just a laser, a disk drive, and digital out would be all that's needed. Being that 'audiophile' CD playback options start at $300, it seems like a market ripe for the taking.

Am I just ignorant as to what would make this expensive, or is this something that really should be doable?
And would the good folks at Wiim consider taking the dive into making such a product?

PS., It sure is convenient that the Pro, Pro Plus, Amp, and the coming "ultimate" all have optical in. I wonder how many people are getting use of it?

 

[CrystalGipsy]

A cd has moving parts which require precision and a transport can invest its costs into using quality components rather than compromise on including dac electronics. So a good transport mechanism that reduces read errors and is stable and can read any disc reliably is required. A good quality clock is also essential. A good stable psu as well but doesn’t need to be linear. Good engineering is good engineering and it can’t always be done on the cheap. Plenty of transports popping up at the moment but way more than the Wiims. You can use any old DVD player as a cd transport and pick them up for little but they might not operate nearly as well.

A cd player or transport should last for years one of mine is over 20 years old and still sounds fabulous. I have gone through many cheap cd drives in that time just for ripping my collection. They all have worn out or broken. You pay for what you get in cd players.

 

[amix]

Good question. Might be too niche and low sales do not help pricing low.

 

[cooky560]

I think it's just because they last forever. I have an old technics cd player from possibly 85? and it still reads CDs perfectly. Given they sold that thing exactly once, it needed to fetch some money per unit.

I think speaker costs are so high for the same reason, people are known to keep a good pair for 30 years.

 

[castalla]

I've got an Asus usb DVD player which works perfectly with Windows and it cost 25 euros!

 

[amix]

This is not about CD- or DVD-players but about "transports". Also, not all players from the 80s are still flawless. My dbx is not.

 

[cooky560]

This is not about CD- or DVD-players but about "transports". Also, not all players from the 80s are still flawless. My dbx is not.

My CD player (and it was 85, I looked it up) has ports for both subcode and digital output, so it very much functions as a transport, as well as a player.

 

[castalla]

This is not about CD- or DVD-players but about "transports". Also, not all players from the 80s are still flawless. My dbx is not.

In the real world, I doubt the audible difference amounts to much. Sounds more like a marketing ploy to me... 'hey guys, let's call it a transport and boost the price!'

 

[amix]

My CD player

That's not what this thread is about. The question was "Why do CD Transports cost so much?"

 

[ccs-digital]

It looks like Fosi Audio are working on a CD transport. Given the affordable nature of most of their products this could be a good prospect. and with a form factor that isnt too far off the WiiM AMP.

Currently I have a Denon DCD-50 which although a full CD player I use as a transport only connected to the optical in on the WiiM AMP. Thanks to its slot loading format it is pretty much the same width as the AMP so they go together well from both asthetic and audio points of view.

 

[CircleOfFifths]

FWIW, here’s what Schiit has to say about the cost of its Urd CD transport:

“You know, there are lots of transports out there that are cheaper than Urd.
Absolutely there are. We bet none of them are using an actual StreamUnlimited CD drive—as in, they might be using some DVD drive for computers, the kind of thing that was closed out at Frys in 2014 at $18.99—and we know that none of them have Unison USB output or USB hub functionality. And that's fine. There are plenty of choices out there, including not having a transport at all and just doing streaming. Your choice!”

In other words, superior parts, engineering, and functionality don’t come cheap. Not much of a peg to hang one’s hat on, but it is, at least, one company’s answer to the OP’s question.

 

[adias]

FWIW, here’s what Schiit has to say about the cost of its Urd CD transport:

“You know, there are lots of transports out there that are cheaper than Urd.
Absolutely there are. We bet none of them are using an actual StreamUnlimited CD drive—as in, they might be using some DVD drive for computers, the kind of thing that was closed out at Frys in 2014 at $18.99—and we know that none of them have Unison USB output or USB hub functionality. And that's fine. There are plenty of choices out there, including not having a transport at all and just doing streaming. Your choice!”

In other words, superior parts, engineering, and functionality don’t come cheap. Not much of a peg to hang one’s hat on, but it is, at least, one company’s answer to the OP’s question.

Schiit Urd is a top notch CD transport and USB (Unison) hub.

 

[wiimamp user]

I have a question on cd players.
When you have the wiim amp can you go for a cheaper cd player connecting it to optical?
Wiiim is then doing the dac section so i would think you haven't to spend a lot of money for a cd player.
Another question..why choosing a cd when a blu ray player can play dvd,cd and Blu-ray.
Would it be better choosing a dvd or Blu-ray player then a cd player who can only play cd,s..?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Mr Ee]

I have a question on cd players.
When you have the wiim amp can you go for a cheaper cd player connecting it to optical?
Wiiim is then doing the dac section so i would think you haven't to spend a lot of money for a cd player.
Another question..why choosing a cd when a blu ray player can play dvd,cd and Blu-ray.
Would it be better choosing a dvd or Blu-ray player then a cd player who can only play cd,s..?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I'm sure there are a ton of opinions out there (well, split across two camps anyway!), but here's one article to get you started that seems to focus more on the technology aspects of CD.

Q. How much impact can a CD transport have on sound quality?

I’ve been looking for a compact CD transport to hook up to my home-studio DAC and I’m surprised by how expensive they are...

www.soundonsound.com

 

[wiimamp user]

I'm sure there are a ton of opinions out there (well, split across two camps anyway!), but here's one article to get you started that seems to focus more on the technology aspects of CD.

Q. How much impact can a CD transport have on sound quality?

I’ve been looking for a compact CD transport to hook up to my home-studio DAC and I’m surprised by how expensive they are...

www.soundonsound.com

Thank you..I will read this this topic...

 

[amix]

When you have the wiim amp can you go for a cheaper cd player connecting it to optical?

It might even be, that the DAC of your cheap CD player is better, than the Wiim's.
Especially if you buy a solid second hand one.

 

[wiimamp user]

It might even be, that the DAC of your cheap CD player is better, than the Wiim's.
Especially if you buy a solid second hand one.

Better than the wiim?.
What i Meant you buy for instance a denon cd player it is expensive. Or let say a rotel.
But is you buy an cd,dvd player lets say from silvercrest ( with optical out) then the amp does everything..
So would it be worth it spending lots More money on a expensive one?

 

[wiimamp user]

@Thanks for your help.
Cd,s are important but I could rip them on a usb stick.
I always ask myself..is there a difference between a hdd or if you're using fysical media ( disk, laser).
People talk about for instance on YouTube about blu ray players and their importance.
But what is the difference here again between the disc or playing data from a HDD with for instance on a media player?
Or..is a relatively expensive cd, Blu-ray player always better?

 

[wiimamp user]

Thanks for all the good help

 

[kalle]

because most audiophile transports are scams? they claim to be more precise etc but are no better than a cheap dvd/bluray. even if they had better signal its not a problem connected to a simple modern dac.

pro-ject earlier even claimed most cdplayers cant read more than 10bits:

Some "interesting" claims by Pro-Ject re: their new CD transport box...

Actual Redbook CD players have gotten rare, real high-end mechanisms aren‘t even existing anymore. Today, we know that the drive is essential for reading all the 16 bits out of a CD and most CD players have never seen more than 10 bits. The CD medium might have gotten an unfavorable reputation...

www.audiosciencereview.com