Cambridge Audio CXC vs Nuprime CDT-8 vs Audiolab 6000CDT

Art K.

Art K.

The Voodoo You Do!
I am in the market for a CD transport and these are within my budget. I would like to stay under $500 but would stretch it for the Nuprime if it’s that much better. The transport will be paired with my Border Patrol DAC SE. Any experience with these would be appreciated. Hell I’ll even take opinions.
 
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All of the comparisons I read favored the Audiolab. The Cambridge is well liked but if it has the Cambridge house sound I can live without it. They all looked good on paper. The Audiolab being a slot loader almost was a no go, but I am going to give it a go and report back.
 
Art K. said:
After a little research I pulled the trigger on the Audiolab. Should arrive by the end of the week.
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I also looked around after seeing this thread... I was intrigued with the Nuprime CDT-8 mainly because of the I2S output which 'handshakes' with my PS Audio DAC

Anyway... eagerly waiting for your Review
 
I have been using a Cambridge CXC for about 3 months, paired with my PS Audio DAC, sounds great.
 
I too, have the Cambridge CXC, and it has been trouble-free and a great performer. As for the Cambridge Audio "house sound"--there is no "house sound" to just a transport. The "sonic signature" will be determined by the DAC.

Personally, the "slot-loading" feature of the Audiolab is a definite deal-breaker for me, but that is just me.
 
savatage1973 said:
I too, have the Cambridge CXC, and it has been trouble-free and a great performer. As for the Cambridge Audio "house sound"--there is no "house sound" to just a transport. The "sonic signature" will be determined by the DAC.

Personally, the "slot-loading" feature of the Audiolab is a definite deal-breaker for me, but that is just me.
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Actually there is. I have checked this out myself. I owned a Rega DAC and several CD players that I tried with it. They all sounded different. The Cambridge which I owned at the time did indeed maintain that sound through the Rega DAC. Almost like a hybrid of the two sounds. So too did the Marantz and Rega decks. I too had bought in to the sonic signature being the DAC. Another clear example is the experiment that got this thread going. Using my Oppo as a transport vs the Luxman CD player with my Border Patrol DAC SE. The difference was remarkable.

There was a time when slot loading would have been a deal breaker for me too, so I understand.
 
savatage1973 said:
there is no "house sound" to just a transport. The "sonic signature" will be determined by the DAC.
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I don't know about "House sound" but there's a definite "Quality sound". When I got my first good DAC, I tried every spinner I have — CD,DVD, multi-players — 6 or 7 in all.

Only 2 make the grade, and the difference isn't small. It's like a great cartridge into a great phono-preamp, compared to a mediocre cartridge.

"Bits-is-Bits" is common knowledge, but all of Human History proves "common knowledge" is 99% wrong.

A true "Digital Cable" is needed too. This mustn't be confused with all those ICs that say "digital" on them as a hype-word. At first I used a top-quality "High End" IC between transpart and DAC. Then I did some research, and learned that digital-transmission cables have very different construction. So I made a digitial cable. My DIY was much better than the very pricey, but normal IC — no doubt a "real" one would beat my home-made.
 
bimasta said:
I don't know about "House sound" but there's a definite "Quality sound". When I got my first good DAC, I tried every spinner I have — CD,DVD, multi-players — 6 or 7 in all.

Only 2 make the grade, and the difference isn't small. It's like a great cartridge into a great phono-preamp, compared to a mediocre cartridge.

"Bits-is-Bits" is common knowledge, but all of Human History proves "common knowledge" is 99% wrong.

A true "Digital Cable" is needed too. This mustn't be confused with all those ICs that say "digital" on them as a hype-word. At first I used a top-quality "High End" IC between transpart and DAC. Then I did some research, and learned that digital-transmission cables have very different construction. So I made a digitial cable. My DIY was much better than the very pricey, but normal IC — no doubt a "real" one would beat my home-made.
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Couldn’t agree more.
 
This Audiolab transport is revelatory. As stated by someone else here, the difference isn’t subtle. If you’re still spinning CD’s you need to get a dedicated transport. Everything is better.
 
Frank Sol said:
Any update on SQ ?

Thanks
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Oh yeah, as stated a couple of posts ago, a dedicated transport is the only way to go. I can’t compare it to other transports as this is the only dedicated transport I’ve used. I can say that it beats anything I’ve used with this DAC.

First, the build quality feels first rate. Clearly it’s not a DCS piece but it’s nicely weighty and the buttons soft touch is really nice. It reads discs quickly and is ready to play before I get back to my chair to hit play. The slot load mechanism is relatively quiet and once playing is silent. It feels sure and sturdy.

The sound is spacious and three dimensional. Instruments sound natural and organic. Cymbals sound metallic yet not a bit bright. PRaT is particularly good especially for a sound that has so much meat on the bones. If this is the Audiolab house sound I’m in.

So far I really love it. Best sound I’ve ever had in my home. The 40th Anniversary P3’s are really making the most of it.
 
I think the slot load is fine - I have a PlayStation 4 and it is used a LOT and it works great and has worked great for years. Some people have bad luck - but I would not be too concerned with that.
 
The only problem I had with slot loaders was that many of the scratch the CD. This one does not. So far I really love this deck.
 
I missed a CXC for $150 by a few hours; used but barely, at a store only blocks away. Oh well. I'm using a Panasonic DVD-A machine, one of the very early models to "launch" the new format. Hard to remember there was actually a "format war", and not long ago — DVD-A lost, and I got this one for a 97.5% discount. I figured the mechanics must be excellent, as a lot of money was riding on it — couldn't have DVD-Audio fail because it didn't operate well, not after the 100s of Millions invested.

It was clearly the best of the many transports I referred to in #12 and beat all my CDPs by a mile. I can defeat all functions except the transport, and its remote is the best I've had for anything: every function I want, and intuitive to use. I'll still have my eye peeled for a dedicated spinner, but the DVD-A sounds damn fine.

I'm only writing this so I can still feel part of the gang, all you guys with the "right" stuff...
 
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