If you own 100s or 1,000s of CDs you need this: Leak CD Transport
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Steve takes the Leak CD Transport out for a spin. More info can be found here, www.musicdirec...
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Steve’s System:
SME 15 turntable sme.co.uk/audi...
SME V tonearm sme.co.uk/audi...
Ortofon Cadenza Blue cartridge
Van Den Hul Grail phono preamp audioshield-di...
Jay’s Audio CD Transport www.jays-audio...
Denafrips Terminator DAC www.denafrips....
Denafrips Ares DAC www.denafrips....
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ mytekdigital.c...
Border Patrol DAC borderpatrol.ne...
Oppo BDP 105 Blu ray player www.oppodigita...
Pass Labs XP30 preamp
Pass Labs HPA 1 preamp/headphone amp www.passlabs.c...
Pass Labs XA25 power amp www.passlabs.c...
Pass Labs XA100.5 power amp
First Watt J2 power amp www.firstwatt.c...
First Watt F7 power amp www.firstwatt.c...
First Wat F8
First Watt SIT3 power amp www.firstwatt.c...
Amp Camp Amp Stereo diyaudiostore....
Schiit Aegir power amp www.schiit.com...
Mytek Brooklyn Amp+ mytekdigital.c...
Decware Zen Triode
Denon PMA600NE integrated amp usa.denon.com/...
Klipsch Cornwall IV speakers • Klipsch Cornwall IV wi...
KEF LS50 speakers
KEF LS50 Meta speakers • REVIEW: Radically impr...
Q Acoustics 3030i speakers www.qacoustics...
Emotiva B1+ speakers emotiva.com/pr...
Adam Audio F5 speakers
AudioQuest digital cables www.audioquest...
Kimber digital cable www.kimber.com...
Cardas interconnect cables cardas.com/clea...
Analysis Plus balanced interconnect cables, analysis.plus/...
JPS Labs interconnects jpslabs.com/co...
Nordost speaker cables nordost.com/le...
AudioQuest power cables www.audioquest...
Since it keeps coming up: ALL CD players have built-in digital to analog converters (DACs), CD transports do not.
Sometimes streamers have DACs and sometimes they dont. Some amplifiers have DACs too. There are things called network players as well. Which I think do exactly the same as most (all?) streamers... There are also "music streaming players". And what might they be exactly? This is the marketing spiel for the Naim Unity, whcih is a streamer/DAC/Amp. The industry doesn't always make things clear and buyer-friendly...
If one wanted to buy a CD transporter, what DAC would you recommend. I currently have a Cambridge audio CD player with built in DAC but I’m considering a CD transport. Your channel is awesome.
What would be the point of a transport if your CDS are stored on a hard drive?
@GeneralCurtis3LeMay well. Let me explain. If I rip the CD to a hard drive, all I need is the 1's and 0's to stream off the drive through a tosslink or coaxial to my DAC. The question then begs, are the 1's and 0's better quality on a CD player or off a hard drive. Because to me 0's and 1's are 0's and 1's.
Love your channel Steve. What are your thoughts on a system of a rega p6, rega brio, and quad S2 speakers.
I. Getting into hifi analogue system after a 7 year break.
Any speaker suggestions?
Better to buy a CD once than to rent your music in perpetuity. That's assuming the renting/streaming service still has the license for the music, and part of your rented/streamed "collection" doesn't disappear. No one can take my CD collection from me, but people who rent/stream their music can have parts of their "collection" disappear at any moment.
I’ve had about a dozen CDs become unplayable without showing any signs of being abused so I’m not so sure about only needing to buy them once. RIP and replicate once is forever. I have a rotating backup of all my music on standard hard drives and read/write them with an Icy Box that occupies a drive bay in my PC. The working copy is a pocket hard drive.
99% is not going anywhere, and IF something disappears you can always replace it with high quality files (in Roon for instance).
@@jonathansturm4163 You must have scratched them, CDs don't become unplayable for no reason. And hard drives are much more likely to fail than CDs.
@@rsolsjo I don't have to worry about anything going anywhere, or replacing anything, because I actually own the music.
@@mikrophonie5633 No sign of abuse does NOT equal scratched. I’m not that stupid. John Darko says it’s due to certain chemicals in the laquer eating the aluminium layer beneath. I’m not the only victim of this phenomenon.
LEAK is no longer LEAK. The brand exists ONLY in name, much like the other brands that IAG Ltd. in China (International Audio Group) have co-opted: LEAK, QUAD, AUDIOLAB, WHARFEDALE, CASTLE, MISSION, to name a few, there are others but these are some of the more notable.
IAG acquires the brands and then trots out products, which in some cases, recycle existing model names where the designs bare little resemblance to the original, and if there exists any similarity, it is at best superficial.
If folks want to go ahead and buy these products, that’s up to them, but they should know that they are not buying what they think/believe in terms of brand name, history and reputation.
I bought IAG Leak, Wharfdale & Audiolab in recent years. In the UK its very well priced & very happy .Btw I have owned original Audiolab & Quad & it compares very well . Yes its built in Chi na but most electronics inside components are built there anyway.
@@nasskhan4543 You miss the point entirely. The brands are no longer maintained by their original entities. The name has been purchased and co-opted. If you like what you have purchased, that's great on you. And my concern is not that the companies are now Chinese and that the gear is made in China, but rather that they are trading off the back and reputation of historic, celebrated brands. That's it. #caveatemptor. #letthebuyerbeware
@@davidmblumenstein David . As it happens the design team is based in Uk & its manufactured in China . I am fully aware of that & I am sure many people are as well. What gear do you own out of interest.
@@nasskhan4543 The companies are no longer owned and operated by those who built the companies/brands from the ground-up. IF, what you say is any part true that they have indeed maintained design staff that in some manner maintain a connection, a history with the brand directly that's something which IAG should be highlighting. As for you being fully aware and many others being aware of such conjecture, if you're content that's fine, as for the others that's up to them.
Apart from that my gear in various systems both present and vintage:
System 1: VPI, California Audio Labs, Audio Note, Musical Surroundings, SW1X, Pass Labs, AccuSound, Studio Electric
System 2: McIntosh MAC 1700, Mission 727, Dual 1229. (all vintage)
System 3: Audio Note. i-Zero, CD Zero, AX-Two
System 4: Tandberg TR200, Nakamichi 500, Mission 700, Philips GA 212 (all vintage)
System 5: Luxman L430, Celestion DL6 (all vintage) except for iFi NEO iDSD DAC & Stack Audio Link 2 network transport
System 6: Bel Canto Designs s300 i/u, Celestion DL4 (vintage), Pecan Pi network transport
A mix of products from all over. All of the vintage gear. McIntosh receiver, Mission 727 & 700 speakers, Dual 1229 turntable, Philips GA 212 turntable, Tandberg TR200 receiver, Nakamichi 500 tape deck, Luxman L430 integrated, Celestion DL6 speakers, Celestion DL4 speakers are ALL authentic. ALL of it is in WORKING condition, can be powered up and put into service at the drop of a ...
I trust this answers your question
@@nasskhan4543 You are correct. Technically, high-end Chines manufacture is every bit as good as in the West if not better. We used to see a lot of Chinese come here to southern Tasmania to become engineers. We still do, but far fewer in number. China now has enough highly qualified engineers to train them at home. I have regular contact with several Chinese who have settled locally and they keep up to date with what’s happening in their homeland. Good friend visiting this morning translate poetry betwixt Chinese and English and usually spends half her working year there.
I remember reading in the press back in 2005 that CDs would last about three years the most. Well, we are in 2021 and CDs are still here. They may not be as visible as they were with all those large record stores, people buy them online. I started buying CDs in 1986 (yes, 1986) and the funny thing is that I now buy more CDs (I order two or three on ebay every single Friday evening ) than ever before.
Well I remember the publicity saying they would play “perfectly” and “forever without wearing out” and neither of those turned out to be true!
@@jonathansturm4163 I have some 2,400 CDs and only one bought in 1991 (Argerch/ Kremer Beethoven, violin and piano sonatas Deutsche Grammophon) does not play properly. Not bad by any account: 1 in 2,400!
Me too. Buying cds since '94, never faced a let down.
@@johnz4860 The layer of laquer/printer’s ink that protects the aluminium layer can apparently fail. It’s entirely possible that substances on the hands of the owner could play a role. Had a client whose computer keyboard would lose most of the labels on the keycaps of her keyboard. Only took three or four months! We decided it was her excessive use of hand lotion. Back in those dim and distant days computer storage was on floppy disk and disks that were fine in a temperate climate would fail quite quickly in Far North Queensland/Northern Territory due to high atmospheric temps and humidity. They had to use specially treated disks to overcome the problem. Environment is important.
@@ΣεραφείμΑποστολάκος I was most impressed by the Empire Brass Quintet on the Stereophile CD and ordered their album. I successfully ripped all but the last track with EAC in highest quality mode. No software would recognise the last track (using three different DVD/CD drives), though it played in my Rotel CD player fine and my no-name DVD player. I had to make an analog recording and digitise that! As I said I have approximately 2,000 CDs and the vast majority have not been problematic.
I was born in 95, so a CD kid. My only and last physical music media
Oh dear, a new CD player in 2021! I love CDs, no cleaning and fussing about. I also love LPs.
And the way things are going there will be new CD players in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.... I have been hearing about the death of CD since 2005 and look, here we are, still buying NEW Cds on ebay in 2021!
@@johnz4860 Same here, I just got Prince megagigantic Sign o The Times box set on CD
Same with the death of vinyl lol! Now look what's happened...vinyl through the roof!
@@tonydeniro284 I love Lps but the prices for this new one step releases are expensive and limited pressings....this is going to kill vinyl buyers....so these companies better be careful....or its greed like always....💵💵💵
I've been telling folks to get on ebay and buy as many cds as they can find before people figure it out and the prices go back up. Great review, Steve!
Prices will only increase with sacd, or out of print cds.
I’ve always thought that The Soft Parade was one of their best albums. Morrison’s vocals on Shaman’s Blues is so passionate. Incredible. The band is really tight and powerful.
Hey Steve, where's that Herb Reichert video that you're holding back? We need some more Herb. Thanks.
Probably next weekend
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac the anticipation grows. Thanks for all you do.
My weekend decompression activity is to go thrifting for music. I find an lp here and there but i always come home with piles of cds. I recently found the soundtracks for akira and the ghost in the darkness at a local church thrift store.
akira soundtrack NICE FIND!!!
WHAT
Akira OST on CD? Damn, what I'd pay for this!
@@sebastianpolcyn6358 its one ive been looking for since the 90s and its as good as i hoped it would be.
I don't have 100s or 1000s of CDs but I would definitely be interested in transport over a player. I see it the same as getting a turntable with or without a built in RIAA preamp. I especially don't understand brands that sell stacks where the amp and the CD player both have DACs. Inside the amp makes some sense - users have multiple digital sources. Inside a CD player, except for really cheap ones, to me makes no sense. Spend the money on making the running gear better.
Playing CDs is obsolete to begin with ... no reason for this "transport" device to exist. Could just RIP the CD and buy a DAP (Digital Audio Player) instead.
In my world, there is only CD's. I have bought 250 in the last year.
I agree...Cds for me!
Excellent, keep up the demand for the format. I still buy new cd's as well amongst my already very extensive collection, although sacd is my favorite.
I agree I absolutely love the compact disc, the new CDs that are new sound in my opinion better than vinyl.
Yep, a properly mastered CD is better than vinyl in every way.
My best sounding vinyl blows away my best sounding CDs.
@@crazyprayingmantis5596
Agree
Agree. Switched to cds in the early 90s and never looked back. Pops, clicks and cartridges sound to me as alienated as a stone era documentary
Vinyl is still supreme if you know what you are buying. Stay away from the current reissues prevalent on line and in dept stores! Look for very good + or better vintage vinyl/original pressings, way way better. If you want to learn go and read tom ports blogs over at better records. There is no way a cd compares to a well pressed original vinyl pressing. This Is coming from someone who also loves CD's and sacd's.
I have had it up to here with organizing and sometimes losing my CDs. So I ripped them all into lossless digital files, and stream them to my DAC via my laptop's USB port and organized via JRiver's Media Center. Media Center is versatile almost to a fault. You can organize and rearrange and sort and filter and program and on and on, just about anything you can think of, with Media Center.
No more getting up and down to change CDs. No more misplacing CDs, or worrying about scratching them or getting finger-prints on them, etc.
I have found that as long as you dedicate your computer's USB port, such that its controller does nothing other than stream bit-perfect data to your DAC, via a quality USB cable, the sound quality is outstanding. Not as good as some high-end transports. But still excellent, and not expensive.
And with CDs, you cannot demo them to check their sound quality (prior to purchase). And just like vinyl, the sound quality on CDs vary wildly, from CD to CD and from song to song.
With on-line digital purchases that offer 30 second demos, you can make informed decisions as far as from which album you want to purchase a song.
The same song from the same recording session is often available on an original release, a re-master, a re-re-master, a greatest hits, an anthology, and any number of compilations. And that same song will sound different from one to the next, presumably because the studios keep screwing with the sound quality, and sadly get it wrong most of the time.
But with the demos, you have a fighting chance at not wasting your $$ on purchases that sound sub-par, and you can organize your digital files, and you can easily back up your files, and never have to worry about losing anything.
Some CDs do sound great. But there is no way to know without paying for it first.
I came across something strange the other day. I have two CD copies of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours - one’s a little scuffed and other was not. I put the scuffed one in and it seemed to be lacking dynamics, clarity. The second one I put in sounded much better (but not as good as my Node 2 streamer). I was using a Cambridge Audio CXC transport, which I’ve found to be unforgiving with CDs that are not pristine, into a Denafrips Ares II.
I also have the JRiver. Love it!! A man after my own heart!!
Yes, it was 1994 and I had to move because home was destroyed in Northridge EQ. I think I had about 300 LP's in milk crates and I said I am sick of moving this weight and gave all of them away, granted I had my experience enough with distortion with a needle on a plastic grove. Long live the CD.
2400 for a machine that does nothing? Sign me up.
The wooden knobs are made from ancient rare teak.
It is 899
No AES nor balanced xlr. Fail.
CD vs Streaming? Two Words, Liner Notes. The info of the recording , sometimes the equipment used and other things can add enjoyment. If you read the liner from the CD " Swiss Movement" By Les McCann , you will know that it should have been a complete failure. Instead it's one of the all time great jam sessions in Jazz. That back story gives me extra joy when listening. I have over 1000 cd's and I would not have it any other way. Not that I don't have some stuff Electric Download but mostly CD's
One word: google.
I'm just at a bit of a loss as to what this thing actually does for the money? It feels like a computer manufacturer charging a premium for a fancy usb port.
Granted the clock can reduce jitter but other interference doesn't really show up in a digital stream in my understanding. I get the importance of a DAC and of the rest of the amplification stage but a 1 has to be a 1 and a 0, a 0.
If anybody knows better, I'm curious to be corrected.
There is absolutely nothing more to it.
Audiophiles want to believe all sorts of things - yet cannot scientifically substantiate their beliefs, most are snake oil
@Homesteader Workouts It's possible that a cheaper ( £130.00p ) Blu-ray player would actually be better.
@Homesteader Workouts Hi-Fi world magazine publish a lot of test results, and a mid priced sony blu-ray player had comparable results to an £ 8,000 Esoteric transport, I think it's possible that the " blue " laser is better than old CD lasers, unfortunately the sony goes mental on some ( mostly RUSH and Led Zep, damned annoying ) CDs, I thick it could be something to do with copyright management. I used to use a DVD player, amusingly it would play through the DAC when fast forwarding.
That slot load wouldn't be my choice, reminds me of a car CD that scratches your CDs all up. The Rega Planet 2000 I am using as a CD transport would take that Leak and keep going. Pun intended.
This box is just a 5 dollar cd-rom mechanism from a laptop in a fancy box. Most of these digital 'high end' products are huge ripoffs. This same job can be achieved with a laptop for zero cost.
In my humble opinion, top-loading transports are much better/more reliable, than front-loading ones; the way they hold the CD is so simple and solid! I have a Rega Apollo, and it has been working fine for many years; ALL of my front-loading CD and DVD players, on the other hand, (Denon, Sony) stopped working because of the transport mechanism failure -- from the sound of the CD/mechanism I can guess the CD is not engaging with the parts that are supposed to hold it in place (rubber pieces dry up?). No more front-loading transports for me, period.
@@DvorTerrier It's the loading belt that starts slipping and causing tray to not open or engage the top arm that holds CD in place
@@marttiinnanen4911 when you hear a mid to high end cd player, you get it.
My CDs get ripped to my slot loading Bluesound Vault2 for convenience.8,000 tracks and plenty more space!
I'm keeping my CDs and Mu-Fi X-ray drawer loading player.
But we get new HD recordings on Qobuz everyday;-)
I could see Stright away that the LEEK won't read "FLAC" files! Seriously.. Also won't read DSD Files. How much is this unit!!! So it won't read any Hi-Res Audio files. So why bother fitting a USB socket at that price if it won't read any of those files. So Yes it's a transport but having a unit that will not read thsoe files will close thsoe doors to what would be a much wider selling audience as us "Audiophiles. That acutally would be a deal breaker for us audiophiles that have both or listen to both formats.
Hi Marc, I think Steve over looked this.
An interesting transport and that walnut is to die for if you’re into the retro vibe but that slot loading kind of scares me. I’ve had too many bad experiences with slot loading drives.
But the big question is whether it’s worth the premium over a decent CD player like the Marantz 6007 which also has digital outputs.
More excellent music recommendations, I’m really digging the groove from Tommy Guerrero.
There’s a new “Soft Parade” w/o the horns. My limited buying of used records has been disappointing. Either it’s a bad version that someone wants to unload or it’s too noisy because very few people took care of their LPs or had a good TT setup. Cds on the other hand are virtually indestructible.
About 7 years ago I threw out all my CDs in the trash. I very much regret it now.
How can you take seriously a slot fed design. Respect the physical medium you're handling. Ripping CD's with Plextor drives since the late 90s. I ❤️ the CD format.
I use pro Tascam CD recorders pre mk II design that use slot loading. I’ve never had a problem or any damage to the CD. The current generation of Tascam pro recorders 900,901 mk II went with the tray design but cheapened every other aspect of the design. I’ll stick with the slot load.
I keep telling myself one of these days I'll catalog my entire CD collection 😆 The good news is it's now easier than ever to do so. There are a number of smartphone apps that allow you to use your phones camera to scan in the CD's UPC which automatically links to databases so all the details are recorded on your phone.
Is this a music or CDT review ? You spoke about the CDT for like 2 mins. How did the Leak sound?
I agree, is this a good sounding CD transport? What DAC's did u use? How does it compare to others you have tried or have currently in your apartment? It is a lesser known brand, so convince us!
Like a 700 dollar cd player 🤣
@@noelleonard2498 can't, it is only a transport 😂
In the last month I've grabbed roughly 100 cds from local thrift shops for a dollar to fifty cents each. This year has been all about the media for me, if I like it enough, ill get the LP.
Just when I thought I had already purchased my last CD player/transport. And you probably thought you were no longer selling stereo gear. Keep it coming!
Love my CDs... sound quality wise and I still like having the physical product for song list, art work, credits etc. $2 each at Value Village. Its like a little treasure hunt and I'll always grab another 3-6 titles each visit.
I sometimes gamble a bit and buy bulk orders of 100+ CDs for $16-18 and that's interesting because you get things you've never heard of, but may enjoy. I also go to thrift shops and flea markets and score tons of albums relatively cheaply. I like CDs, but I think the original retail prices are way too high.
@GeneralCurtis3LeMay I'd have to dig a bit to find a specific album or several for that particular issue. The point that I was making is that you can get CDs dirt cheap in a bunch of different ways. Because they're dirt cheap, you don't mind if half of them are things you don't like, because there are enough for so little that you can afford a few that aren't great.
One example, which you may or may not like was Ice-T's foray into rock/metal with Body Count. I hadn't even been away that was a thing, but incidentally came across an album from them in a bulk lot. While I enjoy it, by the way, you may not. It's just an example.
Sometimes they're just albums of artists I already like, but not the ones I had. Sometimes they're albums from bands or artists I had heard about, but previous hadn't gotten around to buying or listening to. It's a grab bag, essentially, so when you buy bulk you have no idea what's in the lot.
As for specifics, let's say I was to mention 10 albums, but they're all artists you may not like, or genres you may not have interest in - then you'll assume there's nothing that good in the pile. If you were to also hear a bunch of albums / artists you know about, you'll assume I live under a rock because I'm not aware of these artists.. (There's a lot of music that's been released in the past 50-70 years and none of us knows all of it; we're also a product of our age, demographics, and lived experiences.)
If you want to see what I'm talking about, go to eBay and search for 'assorted CDs', 'bulk CDs', or 'CD lots'. They also do the same with DVDs, if you're into movies and want to get a grab bag lot of those. (In fact, I got a copy of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in a CD lot - because it's somewhat randomly packed.) BTW - I don't sell lots, so I'm not trying to push something that makes me money. Just an idea that gets you lots of CDs for very little money.
@@sbrazenor2
Don't waste your time with 'General Malaise'. He is a troll.
@@HareDeLune Troll or not, sometimes the trolls do needle for a point that might be helpful to someone else through elaboration. I sometimes respond to the trolls for that reason. It's really funny when they think they're getting some kind of emotional response from me, since I generally lack an emotional response in general - and less for situations where I'm conversing about random topics with strange anonymous people. I do like to engage, if I have nothing better to do, so it's not a problem.
If UA-cam (and the internet by extension) didn't have trolls, there would be barely anyone to talk to. LOL :-D
@@sbrazenor2 “I think the original retail prices are way too high”
The last full-price mass-market CD I purchased was Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott’s. The CD was nearly three time the price of the DVD and had fewer tracks!
While I appreciate the good value of used CDs, please buy new CDs of current artists so they are financially supported. Steaming their music does NOT help them.
I still love my Wadia CD player after 25 years of listening pleasure.
My collection of CDs is well over 2000 right now but that doesn’t mean that I prefer this format over records. It’s all in the quality of the recording.
I've got something like 2500 cds, and can you believe that just this week I'm finding out that I have a batch of SACDs and HDCDs. Luckily I've got some DVD players that accommodate those formats, and I had a great listening experiences with both formats. (It actually took a lot of owner's manual reading to figure out the correct settings/outputs for listening to this stuff). It's interesting because I didn't buy the cds because of the special format, but it's amazing that I'm still finding new ways to listen to this stuff. Does anybody still talk about these special formats and do "new" DACs process this kind of encoding? If I had one of these "transport only" devices would I still get access to my entire collection??
Unfortunately HDCD has long since stopped being supported by new players. I have my Arcam CDS50 (which plays SACDs and is a current model) connected up to my computer, and my solution for playing HDCDs is to just use Foobar on my PC with an HDCD plugin.
HDCDs are nominally compatible with redbook CD players, but there’s no regular CD layer like there would be on almost all SACDs; it just plays back the HDCD-encoded audio, incorrectly (not extending the peaks etc). Kind of like playing a tape with noise reduction on a tape deck that doesn’t have it; it doesn’t sound right at all. The format was a brilliant idea that needed to catch on just a little bit more; if you could count on any modern player to decide HDCD just as you can with pre-emphasis, it would be a no-brainer.
This LEAK stack would look beautiful crowned with my September 1961 Leak Throughline 2 valve tuner!
What kind of idiot distributor doesn't send you the CD player and the amplifier at the same time for review?? 🤪
Reminds me of my bedroom tivoli cd model two. Not a big fan of slot loading. I wish someone would make a nice wood sleeve for the Bluesound Vault2 and Node2i...
Yes there are some fine skateboarding musicians:
Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, John Butler...
Sorry 4 the stream of consciousness rant, Steve....
Side effect of my Qobuz habit??
I have a 3,500 CD collection and still growing. I have never thought in getting rid of them...
People knock physical collections of media, but I believe everyone should keep a library of the things they enjoy. If my internet connection was cut off, I have literally years of content - be it TV shows, movies, music, books, etc. I keep terabytes of content archived and download massive swaths of it when I can so that if there's an issue connecting outside my house, I have everything I need inside of it.
What I also like about the CDs is that they don't get interrupted by some notification system. Sure, I can turn off my phone's connections, but sometimes you just want to sit back and listen and not be interrupted - while simultaneously not being cut off from the world. A CD also stops me from skipping around and scrolling around the way that I end up doing when I'm listening to streaming or app based systems.
I feel the same way about vinyl. Its physical limitations are the thing that really make it an experience. Just getting up to flip or change the record is actually a good feature, because you're not just passively listening to music like noise in the background. You get a deeper enjoyment, I find, and really get into the music.
Yeah im at 2200 or so...not going anywhere
@@sbrazenor2 i hear ya mate, but i don't necessarily agree. unless you're planning to cheap on your ISP bills or to go off the grid, your internet will never be cut off for a significant amount of time - let alone for years. if there's a war, you won't have electricity either so that's pointless and you'd probably have bigger issues to worry about.
about the notifications interrupting your music, you don't have to play it from your phone, just like you have a dedicated cd player, you can get a device to play your music on, i just stream mine from my plex server or from heos directly to my avr and i only use my phone as a remote.
i agree about being more involved with the physical media though. if you like music, you're gonna get more enjoyment out of it like that, than pressing a button.
Hi David Sagarra I have around 2500 cds & I was looking to get rid of hundreds of them, I was wondering if you or anyone else on this post would be interested in acquiring them, I used to actually just like collecting cds regardless of the music, now I just have them in storage. So if you or anyone is interested ,post another reply here. M L K
@@mymomsyoutubeaccount4408 what are you selling
For a moment, I felt like I was a kid again in the late 60's watching a episode of Land Of The Giants. Mini acoustic guitar next to the Leak CD transport. Capt. Steve trying to figure out what type of music machine the giants have invented.
It was the same stupidity with the audio cassettes Steve, all the boneheads dumped their collection listening to unfounded info and now these others dumping their CDs to me their not music fans it's all about social image and not the music
Well said John.
@@nasskhan4543 I say thank goodness for the boneheads as I order some old favourites on fleaBay for $2 each! DVDs for $5 anybody?
The selection, quality, and pricing of used LP's drove me to buy a turntable in 2016. It will eventually do the same for a CD transport.
I'd rather my cd player not look like I got it from the charity shop for $4.
CDs now are what vinyl was 10 yrs ago. CHEAP
You and Darko been pushing CD's lately! I gave away my CD collection in 2009 but I've been thinking about getting a cd transport lately. I like the idea of buying CD's of albums that are not available to stream and I don't mind rebuilding a CD library very slowly. On the fence about waiting for the upcoming Schiit transport or picking up an Audiolab 6000CDT. Thanks Steve!
Snake oil for 695USD + case to carry 0&1's to the DAC, just exactly as any 30USD unit would. What's the point?
Cds are awesome. I just started cd collecting and just have around 30 cds. Bought a Cambridge cxc and ditched all my flac and dsd. Now just buying around 10-15 cds a month and its just so cheap getting used cds and enjoying every moment of it.
My family got rid of a bunch of cds unfortunately however I was able to hang on to 100 or so of some of my favorites. I'm interested in getting a dedicated transport too, looking forward to the rumored Schiit transport.
It’s ugly! Looks like a piece of gear from the 1984!
Tape it up and spray bomb the case is a thought.
...or we upgraded from cassettes to CDs - and never looked back!
I hate to be a story topper, but my grandparents upgraded from a music box to a Victrola. ;-)
Dear Steve, when do you think will be possible your review about the Schiit
Sol ?
I find CD's are far better value at this point in time -- LP's are getting relatively expensive -- I reckon I have picked up more ( and cheap) CD's in the last year than anything
The pandemic seems to have reduced the used CD selection somewhat. I buy used CDs, wash them, polish them if scratched, rip them using EAC, and store them on my NAS. Can someone explain how a real-time transport can sound better than an error-corrected FLAC with sufficient buffering? If the data is sitting in RAM waiting for the DAC to convert it, there's no jitter.
Also, temperature compensated clock? Good God. Clocks don't audibly drift in the short term. I don't care if the music at the end of a song is 2 Hz faster than at the beginning.
And finally, along with the discarded CDs at thrift shops, there are used CD players. I picked up a nice NAD player for less than $20. Admittedly, I had to order and replace light bulbs behind the display. I don't use it much. I just rip CDs and error-correct.
I think the phrase 'snake oil' springs to mind.
I would consider getting a transport, but I already have a Bluesound Vault 2i. I just rip CD's to its 2 TB hard drive and play whatever I want from that.
The Soft Parade has been a fave of mine for more than 40 years
Take a Leak and hook it up to a Schiit.... I've purchased 100's of dirt cheap CDs, and I'm talking Mobile Fidelity, Blue Note, etc...
Now that's a poetic slogan!
It would be interesting to see your thoughts on the Audiolab 6000 CDT which might be pricewise a closer comparison
I have heard both and ended up with Audiolab, much better built and sounds better as well.
The Leak is the same as the Audiolab.
@@amazoidal They do differ in sound quality according to Paul Rigby, The Audiophile Man.
I want to see schematics for both units. Paul couldn't evaluate without schematics. None of these "testers" are qualified to do comparisons.
So, I guess if you you have your Leak and your Schitt you're all set?
Then all you need is a shower
It never gets old.
Let's clean this up: "Steve, would you take a Leak or a Schitt?" Sorry, trying to push Kent over the edge....
Ah hahaha
Just hope yer Schitt doesn't Leak...
The second Alabama Shakes record is great too! Worth owning.
I was happy to leave LPs in the 80s and I'm not going back. I love streaming, but have kept my CDs; some of the early ones just come alive with a flick of the phase switch. Thank you, Jason. (Stoddard)
That Doors album is the one I like the most actually! 🤩
Steve, check that the USB drive has been formatted using Fat16 or Fat32 file format. I noticed in the specifications it doesn't support NTFS. You might need to just reformat the drive to make USB work. Just be aware, when you format the drive it will delete all the files as well. Start with a brand new thumb drive and format it in FAT32 , then transfer your songs to the drive.
Thanks for the video. Didn't know that these devices existed at all...
I have a collection of a bit more than 100 CDs, and even though I use streaming services I love the idea of sitting down away from the screen with my booklet at hand to read the lyrics from the music I love to hear. I use an old LG CD/DVD receiver that has worked fine, but in two months will get a Marantz M-CR612 that will play along with my pair of Pro-ject Box 5 speakers that were my very first audiophile purchase from 3 years ago.
So... that is what will work for me for a very long time until I decide to make an upgrade starting (again) with the speakers as you kindly suggested in one of your videos.
Love your work Steve, but this review I think really didn't tell us much in detail about the cd player. Would be great if you put more time describing the components and sound than the albums. Didn't really get much insight than what was already obvious reading the product description. Also, how would the $800 Denon CD players that are also very solid (not just transport though) compare to this?
I still have my Albums from the 1970s and my Cassette Tapes from the 1980s and 1990s.
Cassettes magnetize noise into the coiled tape over the years.
Dear Lord! How many Headphones do you own?! Any favorites on that tree?
People never ever ever never ever learn you are now buying back the records you through away and now you throw out CDs (your stupid )with a capital S
Got all mine still from the late 70's and 80's & 90's and still buying! I'm talking mostly lp's....also still buy both cd & cassettes!
@@tonydeniro284 good man using your brain I have cassette tapes Real to real vinyl and CDs and I’m not going to get rid of any of them👍👍
@@ianyates7742 nice!! You said it brother! I too will never give up my physical media, as long as I'm alive lol. I'm still using my Aiwa ad f770 3 head cassette deck I bought in high school in 1983!! It's like brand new! I put off getting my first car to buy it! I also own the Aiwa f660 and a nak bx100 (needs new idler tire and belts, in the works...). When not listening to lps, CD, or cassettes, I'm using one of four tuners to listen to FM! A cambridge audio t500, a creek t43, a marantz st6000, and a kenwood kt4007....
@@tonydeniro284 I was riding my Bicycle until my early twenty’s but like you I had a kicking hifi and I still have most of it . And it still works like it used to back in the day Of corse I have a lot better system now. I don’t think of our much I have spent since then on the equipment I have now bought valve amplifiers dac Akai real to real lCD players techniques turntables sub base speakers floorstanding Q Acoustics the list goes on and on my friends think I have lost the plot, ore I should open a shop 😂😂
@@ianyates7742 lol, yeah same here! Or an expensive yard sale...
Omg someone else that uses their Oppo Bluray as a transport. I thought I was the only one :)
I have an oppo 105 EU and I wonder whether an external DAC would be a good idea to have the DSD signal of SACDs sent to said DAC. Either that or be self-indulgent and buy a SACD player.
Err uhm so how does the Leak sound?
Please create your presence ALSO on alternative video platforms such as
Bitchute, Rumble, Odysee - since many users such as myself have begun
migration away from the utube censorship. I like your work.
I doubt that they are going to start censoring the audiophile and review channels anytime soon. They may eventually, but it will likely be because someone wrote a review that hurt someone's feelings and big tech has to virtue signal over feelings.
@@sbrazenor2 actually, I intend to disappear/logout from google eco system, while still wanting to follow/enjoy some channels
@@utube321piotr I understand that, and I agree with the premise. My problem with the alternative platform issue is that I've got a lot of channels that I follow (even when I try to cut down) and the ones that are going to alternative platforms seem to be going in different directions. I don't really want 5-10 services that I have to switch around to just to replace one. At last count, when I last looked at the concept - just to follow the creators I do, I'd need to have like 8 different content portals. (Websites, apps, podcast services, etc.)
Some of the alternatives are also pay-walled. I get that people want to make a living on this stuff, but I'm not about to spend $100+/month to follow the people I watch for free otherwise. It's not that I can't afford it, I'm just an unapologetically cheap son of a bitch. LMAO :-D
That being said, I'm also getting angry at the amount of ads being injected into these things. It really is getting excessive, when you also add in ads that are integrated into the content. (Sponsors who require long presentations.) I was watching a video from one of the people I follow that are 2m 45s long. It had two pre-rolls, and with his intro and integrated sponsor, I was over a minute in before there was any content, and then another 10-15 seconds on the outro with the usual subscribe, comment, like BS. When I click on something and 40% of it is ads, upselling, and other shit I'll be honest, I start thinking about why I'm following them.
Steve fortunately puts together a concise video most of the time and he's got some good music recommendations. I don't mind if he tells me about another project he's done, because I enjoy his interview series and other reviews. Some channels don't seem to have the same respect for their viewers' time.
What would help with these alternatives is if there was a single site that we could make that would take all of the accounts that a person has and could turn all of them into a unified scroll of content. So say you've got LBRY, Odysee, Rumble, Floatplane, etc; all of those would get attached into one aggregator which would create a list of things to view based on what you're subscribed to in a single page. It would be possible to also load in a discovery aspect of such a thing, but that would be more complicated as a 3rd party system.
No disrespect to vinyl because that's where it all began,i love vinyl also but i don't miss the cracks and pops,some people have given up on the cd,i enjoy the clarity of them,i still enjoy the vinyl from time to time.
Still buying...still hemorrhaging money towards quality sonics. Lifeis good!! The CD rules my shelves. Also I could never part with my Cyrus CD i.
The Doors is a great album
I enjoy some of Mr. Guttenberg's reviews on UA-cam. This, however, misses the mark. I am researching available CD transports, and despite his caption on the "Leak CD Transport," I come away with no understanding of how it stacks up against some competitors. Whichever unit I ultimately purchase will be paired with the BorderPatrol SE-I dac and input on whether I need to stretch financially to purchase something like Jay's CD Transport would be appreciated.
How would you compare the separate transport to the Naim audio CDX or even the Oppo UDP-205?
My Cyrus CD player sounds better than any streamer I've ever heard. Love CDs.
Would like to see Steve review one of those.
What have you heard? I use Amazon HD music and stream CD or better quality bit-perfect FLAC. CD is not better than streaming of the same data. Actually CDs are prone to data errors while streaming is not. Yes, streaming can sound bad when music is compressed or you use some computer or phone destroying the data.
@@ThinkingBetter I’ve been streaming through Tidal for a little less than a month now and I’m astonished at the number of recordings that aren’t available. You can’t listen to what’s not there!
@@jonathansturm4163 Some tracks are lacking but with streaming you have many more options than you would ever be able to buy as physical media.
@@ThinkingBetter David Bromberg’s first LP is missing. The two most recent Fat Freddy’s Drop albums are missing. There’s an early Hendrix live LP missing. The listing for Richard Thompson is less than half as long as what I have ripped to my music server! These are mainstream artists’ work, not the more obscure stuff I’d not be surprised to not find.
It was be nice if you listed the CDs along with the equipment.
I prefer vinyl but still love CDs, and I have quite a few of them.
I have a highly rated DAC/streamer, the Cambridge CXNv2 and enjoy streaming Qobuz and TIDAL. But, most of my CDs sound better than streaming (at least when using my Cambridge CXC CD transport).
I kind of hate Steve a little right now for making me aware of this gorgeous piece of kit. Now I've kind of got the bug to buy it in walnut and sell my CXC. Steve, are you TRYING to hurt my marriage??
😉♥️
Unless you have a high-end system to begin with, CD transports are a waste of money.
If you're like me and can only afford a Marantz NR 1605 and a Sony UDP X700 DVD player with $300 to $400 speakers (each) you probably can't hear the difference.
The Sony does do SACD, unfortunately the Marantz only outputs in PCM (still sounds MUCH better than a regular CD).
Prove me wrong!
Think bluesound vault 2i it’s a better system
2tb for ripping and other high res up to 24bit 192khz.
Play from usb, hdd or stick.
Airplay2.
Full bluesound support, app
Bluetooth aptX HD.
Two ways with wireless headphones.
Digital and analog in out.
MQA compatible.
TIDAL, Spotify Connect, Deezer ++.
Touch panel on top for basic function, start, stop, next, previous tracks.
High quality headphone jack.
++
Vinyl and CD's, plus DVD's, and BluRays are all great!
CD is my main format with SACD on second place and on third place comes.................nothing. Only CD & SACD here w.o.w.
Once again, Made in P.R.C. is blurry if it can be seen at all and isn't mentioned.
Tony in Venice Florida
Steve, UA-cam commercials obliterated your posting. What is up with this crap.
Not using an ad blocker? I can’t recall ever seeing an ad on the Audiophiliac Daily Show, even before I became a Patron!
Adguard for us Mac users
@@tothemax324 AdBlock Plus on Windows/Chrome.
Yeah. Sorry Steve, I can't really take you seriously on this one. $700 to take the bits off a CD and send them down the pipe, please. You know maybe some people sit around looking at their CD player, but I don't. It's not even in my listening room, I have an equipment closet. I'm quite happy with my CD200BT.
All these things have TCXOs in them. What are they, like $5 from DigiKey at qty 1? Please. The bitstream is relocked at the DAC unit anyway so as long as it's in the window it's indistinguishable. Anyway.... You pay more so it's gotta sound better??? 🤔
A giveaway, they list frequency response on that chart you posted. Dude...
Dear Steve, English is not my native language, and unfortunately sometimes I hardly understand what you say by hearing. Could you please provide a short list of your recommended music albums in the description or comments to your videos? Thanks!
Off-center coax port did it for my ocd. Ughh
$695 for just a transport? I really wouldn't call that affordable. I would think the sound quality would come from a decent DAC as the transport is just putting out 1's and 0's. You get to a point of diminishing returns going nuts on a transport. Same can be said for those that spend $1000's on a turntable when it is the cartridge that is making the sound. As long as you have a decent built turntable that is well isolated, you are golden. That is unless you really have golden ears can can hear the difference a $695 transport makes over a $200 - $300 one. For me, I'll pass.
definitely get sound and colour from Alabama Shakes Steve. Love the Doors and everything they did. You are right they packed it in
nothing worse than commercials interrupting a commercial. c'mon it's a retro looking transport for cripes sake...
oh yes, if you have 1000's of CDS you do need this- but in order to actually get any sound you need a DAC. in this case the Denafrips Terminator DAC is $6300 or so retail.
We don’t. Because USB now is better than spdif. We can buy Raspberry, 4TB HDD, LG portable USB CD, and have it all.
Steve you probably didn't read the e manuel for the Leak rightly. Suggest you go back and re read it; find the right Teacher , like it SEEms you need...And of course you can petition the Lord with your prayers, but always remembering He is THE boss, but also a doting Abba (and not a Nordic one though) who knows that sometimes there is nothing worse for you that an answered prayer, or so they say...
My 30+ year old Magnavox CD player with Phillips 16 bit A/D gets almost daily use.
OK, I'm confused, if you own a bunch of CDs you obviously have a CD player, probably a good. Why would you dump that for a transport?
I use a Jolida Fusion Transport CD player... served me well over the years but had to send back to factory for repairs and upgrades...
If you own 100s or 1,000s of CDs you DO NOT need this: SLOT-LOADING Leak CD Transport......
Love Soft Parade…Morrison Hotel is there best …
Not sure if it matters how many cds you have .. 1p..20… ? If you love just those and you want the best out of then … then …
Control the arms... geez Looking at the specifications sampling etc. Not sure what is so great about it for the price? Have a lot of gold mastered CD's with higher sampling than that.
what is the benefit of a CD Transport over a CD Player?
Some people consider separates to be better sounding just as some do a pre-amp/amp sound better than an integrated, but it isn't necessarily so. If the cd player has the same DAC chip as the stand alone DAC, it will sound the same, and actually may sound better since there is one less connection to pass through.
Must have taken some discussion at leak - stick a dac in, then if you buy the matching amp you buy the dac twice, and unnecessarily add its noise to both components. probably makes more sense in the amp these days as CD becomes more of a specialist item. i wonder if this trend will spark more transports? (the project transports look a pretty neat range. ) Yes - I am buying 2nd hand CD's!! same remote as audiolab!
Seems you've swallowed the guff that "CD becomes more of a specialist item". No, that's what they want you to believe. Meanwhile millions of us love our CDS.
@@legrandmaitre7112 Quite the opposite! (maybe re-read my comment?) I listen exclusively to CD in fact, and do mention I am buying them. What I mean by 'CD being more specialist' is it is becoming less mainstream, as indeed it is - to our advantage - as SG says. I believe the best digital sound is to be had through 16bit 44.1 as a few are starting to notice. My main point is wondering if we will see more transports as dacs become more common in amps.
excellent review of the leak cd player which helps keep the torch burning for owners of cd players and collectors of compact discs.
if elvis were still here today,he would have the leak transport in his bedroom system at graceland.
Absolutely agree on the Alabama Shakes cd, great music, lousy recording.
Really conflicted here! At $12.99 per month for unlimited streaming, I'm even questioning all these FLAC files I've got stored! 😀
No need to feel conflicted, keep listening to your FLAC files while the rest of us decides what they like. everybody is happy.
I love CD's!!
They transformed music collecting for me.
@@jonathansturm4163 for me they hit the soft spot between, convenience, sound quality and just looking good on the shelves
@@lamecasuelas2 I seriously miss LP sleeves; I need a magnifying glass for CD inserts. But I don’t miss record cleaning!
Speaking about interviews, should interview Darko.