Jay’s Audio CDT-2Mk2 and DAC-2 Signature
Transport comparisons
Since the original review in early December 2019, the Jay’s Audio CDT2-MkII transport has seen lots of use and during this time, it has been compared to a couple of other CD transports.
Some of my visitors have indicated to prefer the sound of the Jay’s Audio CD transport feeding the Jay’s Audio DAC-2 Signature as well as into the CH Precision C1 DAC over the sound of the Antipodes CX+EX combo, strengthening their belief that music servers can’t match CD players full stop. There is no denying that while the server sound is more solid and articulate, it is also more static than that of the CDT2-Mk2 transport. Personally, however, I can’t really say that one beats the other on all parameters and I still like both presentations for their own qualities.
Either way, I’m sure glad that I did not get rid of my CDs after ripping them as I am really finding my way back to spinning CDs!
Below are my findings of the comparisons that I conducted so far. All the players were used under identical circumstances with the same power cables and digital interlink and set up on the same Artesania Modular Rack.
van Medevoort CT-333
The CT-333 is no longer available but was a serious contender in its day. Based on the Teac VRDS-T1, it uses one of the simpler VRDS mechanisms that uses a plastic platter and regular motor instead of a metal platter and a brushless motor. The van Medevoort version does add a better clock and some other small tweaks such as extra shielding in key areas. This particular player was recently serviced and received a brand new laser mechanism.
Quite unexpectedly considering earlier experience with several Wadia CD players, the CT-333 sounded gray and dynamically restrained. While it did sound neutral and accurate, the delivery was uninspiring and pretty much the antithesis of lyrical. Mind you, this was not a matter of it just being so accurate that its sounds more like a music server than a CD player. A comparison with the Antipodes CX and EX quickly confirmed that it sounded both more solid and timbrally richer as well as more dynamic and exciting. I’d be tempted to assume that the CT-333 had gone off-spec but because it was recently serviced, that is not likely to be the case. In any event, the Jay’s Audio CDT2-MkII sounds pretty much like the opposite of the CT-333 with a full tonality, lots of dynamic drive, and particularly fluid and lyrical behavior. I can’t rule out the possibility that the CT-333 is performing less well than it should but as it stands, between these two, it was absolutely no contest.
Spectral SDR-3000
The Spectral uses the best Teac VRDS mechanism of its time, modified according to Spectral specs. The mechanism was also used in the Esoteric P2s and looks very similar to the one used in the Wadia 7. This particular Spectral player is still original and has never been serviced.
Unlike the CT-333, the SDR-3000 puts up good competition for the Jay’s player. Of course, that’s not unexpected as it had an eye-watering retail price some 20 years ago and to this day as a second-hand item still commands significantly more than the Jay’s costs new. The Spectral does have a different presentation. Darker and fuller but not as dry as I remember any VRDS-equipped transport to be, the bass is even fuller than they Jay’s which I feel already has a quite fulsome bass. The Spectral has excellent transient reproduction but interestingly is also smooth and fluid, especially for a VRDS drive, although it is not quite as free-flowing as the Jay’s. That’s only to be expected when comparing a swing-arm drive to any other drive. In comparing with the Jay’s player, the preference could tilt either way, depending on what music was being played. With Nu-Jazz from Eric Truffaz or Smooth Jazz from Norman Brown, the Jay’s open and airy presentation adds more lyricism to the music and sometimes it even seems to be a little bit speedier. On the other hand, the slightly calmer Spectral counters with richer textures and an even more natural sound that works especially well with acoustic instruments. With weightier and more incisive piano, the Analogy Records sampler (sourced from analog reel-to-reel tape) sounded most convincing on the Spectral.
Aqua La Diva
The La Diva is a current-production Philips CD-Pro2-based transport from Italy. At near 8.000 euro, it is considerably more expensive than the Jay’s CDT2-MkII. While the higher cost is not visibly reflected in the quality of its case or its overall looks, I do like its distinctive appearance. In terms of sound quality, however, it is evident that the Aqua is the more audiophile player of the two. Besides, linear and Swing-arm mechanisms always sound quite distinctive, and here, that’s the case too. The Aqua is more articulate and more immediate with tighter bass and a cleaner and crisper midrange and it has more distinct soundstage layering. This player’s transients, in particular, are among the fastest and cleanest that I have heard while its tonality is as pure and convincing as it can be. The Jay’s is comparatively more rounded and less immediate but instead more weighty and voluptuous and even if it is less focused than the Aqua, the Jay’s CDM-4 has that unmistakable flow that makes it easy to get swept away by the music.
The Aqua is fluid and highly refined and I would not call it dry but its extremely precise sound can make it come across as a little bare with some music and in some combinations. The big Martin Logan ESL 15A’s certainly know their way with the Aqua’s extreme resolution, sounding very impressive while their super-potent bass prevents the sound from ever becoming too analytical. The cleaner and thinner-sounding Magico S1 MkII’s also clearly illustrate the Aqua’s audiophile qualities but there is also a lot to say for the sweeter and more voluptuous-sounding Jay’s CDT2-Mk2. While I Ultimately find the Aqua to be most realistic and impressive player of this bunch, with some CDs, its honesty could also render the performance a little too matter-of-fact. That’s not the Aqua’s fault but in these cases, the Jay’s does turn in a more engaging performance.
Final Conclusion
Sometimes I wish the wonderful world of audio was more black and white. You know, this player is fabulous and that player sucks. But as I gain more and more experience, increasingly I find that it just isn’t that simple. While there is no doubt that the Spectral does some things better than the Jay’s and the Aqua does many other things better, the bottom line is that, for a large part, the system-match dictates the relative success. Then, even when selecting the most audiophile components, personal taste also comes into play. The CDM-4 mechanism has a unique and unmistakable sweet and free-flowing quality that seems to be present in every so-equipped player that I used and the Jay’s player takes this to the max. Its implementation of this mechanism is clearly superior to that of any of the classic CDM-4-equipped players that I used and I often find myself being amazed at its utterly musical performance even in the presence of extremely elevated contenders. Ultimately, better performance can be had but it will cost significantly more.
FAQ
- How to switch the CD transport to standby?
- Although there is a button on the remote control, there is no standby option.
- How to dim/switch off the CD transport’s display?
- Although there is a button on the remote control, there is no display dim option.
- Will a custom remote control be issued for the DAC?
- Jay’s Audio will not be making a custom remote control for the DAC2-Signature because it is believed that most people do not need a remote control for DAC and adding one will unnecessarily raise the cost.
(As a combo, or the transport on its own)
External Links
Manufacturer: Jay’s Audio
Available from Boelsz Audio
Hi Christiaan,
Sold my jay audio cdt2 which I had for about 7 mths.
If you have the opportunity, please consider having published review of even more cost effective Denafrips Avator with same Philips CDM 4 transport but with clock input as well as more i2s outputs than just single hdmi of the cdt2.
Used with the special order of Denafrips Terminator Plus (replaced my 10 mths old standard Terminator) with oxco clock and synced with the Avator’s clock input, it is endgame of my system in near future with Audible Illusion L3A pre amp, Sanders Magtech amp and Revel Salon 2 speakers for me and back to CD playback last many days and nights.
Btw, many thanks also on the Antipodes which I took the plunge and just received together with local purchase of 2x Samsung EVO 4TB SSD … will soon hear how it performs against the oxco clocked Denafrips Avatar soon.
Cheers.
Richard
Hi Richard, I may well review the Avatar indeed. The unit certainly looks interesting.
I’m curious to hear how you experience the Music Server versus CD player sound. So far, I have not heard a server that truly equals a good CD transport on all accounts. Servers can certainly better CD transport in some aspects but they all do some aspects better than others. It also depends on which CD transport/CD player you compare it to. Antipodes is particularly great in terms of solidity, transient behavior and overall dynamics. All the servers that sounded more fluid or refined also sounded rounded and too mellow for me. It remains interesting why a theoretically inferior format can sound so great.
Hi Christiaan,
Thanks for your quick response and further sharing.
By itself and with the standard Denafrips Terminator, the sgd1.8k Denafrips Avator sounded only a bit better but notably so than the sgd2.6k Jay’s cdt2 mk2 when I bought it.
It is when I installed the Terminator Plus with oxco clock out to the Avatar that the Avator stepped up to a different league from the Jay’s cdt2 mk2.
Furthermore, I am using the Avatar’s i2s output to the Terminator Plus which when compared to aes/xlr output/input was also obviously with wider up/down and left/right staging, clearer/more extended frequencies and cleaner/darker presentation.
Hope this clarifies a bit more but Antipodes via usb without synced clock will be put to task and there is no chance for me to venture to Aurender W20/se with clock input/ouput but I am a converted believer now on what a superior clock especially synced to DAC’s can achieve in sound quality improvement.
Cheers.
Richard
Hi Richard, all clear:-) I’ll keep the clock option in mind.
Hi Christiaan!
Just reading your observation ’bout Jay’s Audio cd transport. Wondering why you didn’ t compare Jay’s transport with Ayon’s?
I believe major thing when listening is synergy between components. I can tell you my example. My setup consist of Ayon S-5 dac/preamp/streamer and I tried few transports (Northstar, Accustic Arts Reference Drive II and Ayon CD-T II).
With Northstar my system was ok, but the sound was not as good as with computer audio. After that I put Accustic Arts transport (12000 €, ouch!) and I was amazed how Accustic Arts put cd reproduction to new dimension way ahead of computer audio reproduction.
And best for the last, Ayon Audio CD-TII (half the price of Accustic Arts), put sound to even greater level. I’m sure it’s because of the synergy between Ayon components…
Oh, btw all three transports had the same Philips Pro II drive, and all sounded different!
Just my observation!
By the way, GREAT blog!!!
Best regards from Zagreb, Croatia, Europe!
Jurica Kosovic
Hi Jurica, Glad you like it! Alas, I can only compare to players that I have available. The CDT-II has returned to the manufacturer long ago. Yes, synergy is a very big thing and this is what I emphasize in nearly every review. Also, I agree that transports can sound very different, even if they use the same mechanism.
Hallo Christiaan,
Hoe verhouden zich kwalitatief de Sony xa50es en de Marantz cd94mk2 tot dit loopwerk van jay? Mvg, jeroen
Linear Sony mechanisms sound very different from Philips swing-arm mechanisms. Please have a look at the Classic Philips/Marantz comparison to read more about this. In short, the XA50ES as a transport sounds lean and tight, a little restrained and timbrally synthetical, ie it does not really sound natural to me. Any CDM1/CDM4-based transport that I tried, even old and worn ones, sound riper, fuller, sweeter and more spacious. Most of them also sound timbrally more convincing. Older ones or ones that have gone off-spec can go overboard in ripeness and become too slow and woolly. Between Jay’s and the CD94 it really depends on how good the CD94’s mechanism and electronics still are. Without a recapping, most of them will by now have gone off-spec. They do this gracefully but become slow and dull in the process. A CD94 in factory condition will sound close to the Jay’s in terms of overall character (fluid, refined and free-flowing) but likely still different due to the difference in the power supply quality, capacitor brands and the quality of the clock crystals.
Hello Christiaan,
I had fun reading your review in 3 episodes, which I found very well done and very informative, well done and thank you! However, have you heard of Denefrips’ Avatar transport cd player which uses a mechanism similar to that of Jay’s Audio? And then there is also the DAC Denefrips Terminator! It could be very interesting a comparison between the two, what do you think?
Looking forward to reading you !
Best Regards
Pascal
Hi Pascal, glad you liked the review. I know of the Terminator and have reviewed the Venus. Indeed, I noticed that Denafrips have a transport similar to the Jay’s but as of yet, there are no plans to review it.
…. … There is also the DAC 300 from the French manufacturer Atoll (2495 € / 2810 $) which could be interesting to test!
Hi Christiaan ,
Thank you very much for your time to respond! Thank you for the link while waiting for a possible review of the Dac Terminator and the CDT of the same brand, which would lead to a duel Denefrips vs Jay’s Audio! Héhé …
Best Regards
Thanks for the great review!! I am looking for a high end (not SOTA) transport that will improve on the already good sound I am getting using the EAR Acute as a transport, but for a reasonable price such as the Jay’s Audio. This is one heavy transport for under $3,000, 15 kg. Does it track burned discs and discs exceeding 80 minutes? Cyrus XT signature transport is about the same price but reportedly is critical of CD quality(?). Reviews of Cyrus are not specific. Also, I noted that there is no pause button. How does one pause during play? Does one have to fast forward or backward to get back to the place one stopped at?
Hi Stephen, I’ve not heard the EAR Acute but it uses a very simple Sony transport and typically a change from a Sony mechanism to a Philips Swing-Arm mechanism yields a sweeter and more liquid sound, as described in the Jay’s review. Philips CDM4’s are extremely reliable and I’ve never found one that did not read a CD. The Jay’s uses a NOS CDM4 mechanism and also reads all the CD’s that I have fed it, including very old CDR’s. Even though the Cyrus does not have a dedicated pause button on its front panel, its play button is a toggle between play and pause. Depending on what it’s doing, its either play or pause. The remote control does have a dedicated pause button.
Hi Christaan,
How does the DAC compare to the Jeff Rowland Aeris?
Honestly, you can’t really compare these products, not only very different sonic presentations but also too big an overall performance gap. Although I have upgraded several times after the Aeris, I still feel that it is a very good DAC. In short: the Jay’s is more like a Wadia: robust, sonorous, a little dark and a little rough. It also bears some resemblance to the Esoteric D-07, the PS Audio PWD MkII and, to a lesser extent, the NWD. The Aeris is much more fluid and refined and is a bit like the Bricasti M1 Classic but a little fuller and sweeter and slightly less highly resolving. It also has some similarity with the Accuphase DC-37 (but the Aeris is actually better, IMHO). There is enough solidity in the Aeris’ bass to satisfy my needs but it’s not entirely up to Wadia standards. The main areas in which the Jay’s differs from the Aeris is that it has more sonorous bass, even more impact, and a more natural timbre.
Maybe you can inform me as to the differences between the Jay’s Audio CDT-2Mk3 (new version) and the Denafrips Avatar which look the same and similar inside but differ in price and some features. My main concern is the pause/continue feature lacking in the CDT2-Mk2 version. I don’t know if the Avatar has the same problem.
Good question. I’ve not seen or used either just yet. I’m not sure what you mean by the pause/continue feature. The CDT-2Mk2 has a pause button and it works as expected. As with normal Philips servo systems, pause means pause and unpause while play means play and replay.
Dear Christiaan,
I happened to be a big fan of your articles / reviews, which I have been reading for past couple of years. Therefore I would really love to know your opinion on two subjects.
I owe the CD transport Jays Audio CDT2 mk2, which I bought roughly half a year before you published your review. I totally agree with everything you wrote and I honestly find your review the most accurate from all the ones Ive read. I even connected digital S/PDIF cable Mad Scientist HDC after reading it, and I can also confirm that the connection with Jays Audio makes it a fantastic digital source. Unfortunately, there is a small catch: there are irregular outages of sound lasting about half a second during playing a CD. I have tried several digital cables and I am unfortunately experiencing this trouble only with Mad Scientist HDC. Have you ever experienced something similar?
I also loved your review on Jorma Design AES/EBU digital cable. I am planning to get in touch with Jorma Design and buy this cable in S/PDIF. I trust everything you wrote in your review, but nevertheless I have a question: could you describe the sound difference between Mad Scientist and Jorma Design? Is Jorma really that good? I would really appreciate your opinion on this matter.
Sincerely,
Jaroslav
Hi Jaroslav, I have heard of instances where a Mad Scientist USB cable does not match with a certain chipset. That’s because it is deliberately made to work outside the strict format specifications, in order to gain a sound-quality advantage. The USB cable parameters can be tweaked by the manufacturer on demand. Not sure if the HDC cable can also be tuned. In any case, do write the manufacturer, just in case.
Just how the HDC and Jorma compare I cannot say right off the top of my head as I never had them side by side and the last time I used the HDC is a long time ago. However, I am expecting a couple of new Mad Scientist digital cables for review shortly.
hi christiaan
any chance that you ‘ll be reviewing a chord dac (qutest, hugo TT2, or Dave) and compare these with this combination or your other (reference) dacs?
Bye, Jeroen
I might do at some point but it’s not yet on the horizon.
Dear Christiaan,
It seems like the discontinued Denafrips Avatar CD transport was a really short-lived product, do you know why?
The buzz now all seems to be about the Jay’s Audio CDT2-MK3 (Philips CDM4/19 mechanism) and the new CDT3-MK3 (Philips CDPro2 mechanism). I thought the CDPro2 was “sold out”. Can Jay’s have acquired a large NOS stock? If you develop a new product based on it, the stock has to be fairly big, I would think for it to make sense.
I hope you get a chance to hear the new CDT3-MK3 and let us know your thoughts.
Best regards,
Per
I tried to get an Avatar review sample but Denafrips ran out of NOS CDM4 mechanisms of which they indicated to have had 4000 pieces. It’s certainly remarkable that they found the supply 30 years after production stopped. Nevertheless, I have removed the CDM4 from my CDT2, studied it up close from all angles, and compared it to the original CDM4’s that I have and I could not find any differences.
I have not heard the Mk3 version of the CDT2.
Given the case of the CDM4 for Yay’s Audio and Denafrips, it is interesting that an Asian company struck gold once again and found a large supply of CD Pro2 mechanisms as they are fast becoming unobtainium. A single NOS CD Pro2 currently costs 1000 euros from Enco, the last remaining source that I am aware of. I guess it’s plausible that these are actually refurbished or newly produced mechanisms. Which is still fine of course, if they operate as intended.
All that said, if a CDT2-Mk3 comes my way, I will certainly review it.
Update 27-04-2022: As a matter of fact, I have just been asked to review the brand new Jay’s Audio Flagship CDT3-Mk3. I took the opportunity to ask about the CD-Pro2 mechanism. Here is the manufacturer’s response: “The CDPro2 LF mechanism is NOS with Jay’s Audio modification. Jay’s Audio stock sufficient units to fulfill the market demands, as well as for future servicing needs.”
Hi Christiaan,
I am deciding between purchasing of this Jays CDT 2mk3/DAC combo and Mark Levinson 390S in very good condition after service. Could you please describe the differences in the sound off the top of your head, is the new combo much further, or can the old 390S be better in some aspects?
Thanks
Jan
Hi Jan, It’s more a matter of personal preference than one of quality. The Levinson is smoother, airier, and more refined, while the Jay’s combo sounds more robust and dynamic.
I had a choice between the two units and spent double for the CDt3 Mk3. It is AMAZING! I’ve had over two dozen various cheaper transports and a PS Audio at an even higher price. No comparison in quality. This is IT! If I couldn’t have bought the CDt3, it would have been the CDt2. I considered several others I haven’t heard, the Aqua and the T&A 2000. My prior favorites used CDM9 transports. It will be paired with a Lampizator Poseidon, currently paired with a radically upgraded Emotiva XDA1 (analog board, no Opamp) which includes 5 Sparkos regulators ($47 each) among the vast power upgrades. For $1000 DAC upgraded and $5,000 transport, finally great digital sound!.
P.S. I have nearly 16,000 CDs (need to cull about 3,500-4,500).
Nice! I thought I had quite a few but 16.000 is something else:-)
Thank you for good advices. And how can you compare sound of the same 16/44 track from CD on Jays CDT3 mk3 +Jays DAC with Grimm MU or Antipodes K server + streamer with the same DAC? Can CDT3 CD transport sounds better than Antipodes or Grimm server?
The Grimm and Antipodes servers are reliant on the SQ of Roon, which, sadly, wavers with every release. When the MU1 was at its best, it was very hard for a CD player to come close or beat it in most areas. But as Roon sounds currently (smooth but blurred/compressed), it can be relatively easily bettered by a good CD transport. However, all servers and CD players have their own character, and “Better”, as you ask, is a relative matter up to the listener. As such, there is no “best” server nor a “best” CD player. My advice is to read my reviews in which I make lots of comparisons, and then make up your own mind.
Hans Beekhuyzen on his YouTube channel extolled the superiority of his Grimm MU1 to any CD playback INCLUDING the Jay’s CDt3 Mk3 (he reviewed). However, his credibility sank when I asked him if he listened to CDs his answer was “I listen to cds after I have ripped them to a hard disk.” Apparently, he also considers his system superior. I can assume from his answer that he does NOT listen to historic recordings of lesser sonic quality such as found on Marston, Romophone or Biddulph labels which mostly deal with vocal, piano and string 78 recordings. There is no streaming of these labels. He did not answer whether I should dump a Lampizator Poseidon DAC/pre-amp and Westminister Labs REI amps for his system and just go with a cheap transport with his Grimm MU1 to achieve sonic nirvana. I’m into music, not audiophilia. I can now afford a high end system for my quite large music collection which I listen to daily for several hours. Plus, apparently only 15% of the streamable music is of CD quality mastering or better. At numerous recent audio shows, my friends and I have experienced many high end systems with bad (not even mediocre) sound that relied on streaming. I say, if one has the CDs, choose the best CD player or separates one can find. My neighbor has 3,000 CDs but uses EAC to his computer and thumbdrives/chips (portable use as well) to listen with a complex electronic system (Berkeley, DAC and other computer equipment) to find and listen to his music. It does sound great on his $1/2 million system but so much work!
I prefer to just pop in a CD. I also listen to LPs and that’s more ritual prior to listening. With the Jay’s, I love CDs as much as analog now. Half of my collection is housed in organized sliding Can-Am steel drawer cases in my adjacent storage room. Just wonderful. Maybe the Grimm is better for “a few” recordings but it would leave out 90% of my collection.
Thank you very much, Christian and Stephen. You are both correct. If I had the biggest CD collection in the world like Stephen, I wouldn’t even ask, I’d already have the CDT3. But I only have 500 pcs, but also a similary large collection of 16/44 and hi-res flacs and dsf. I now have a Lampizator Amber 3 DAC and a Melco N1A/2 streamer. But we tried the Theta Carmen CD transport with the Amber3 and the same recordings sounded more fun and fuller and closer to the reality of the CD, albeit with a little lower resolution and spaciousness. So I looked for CD or CD transport as a solution. But the more I read in the tests and on the forums, and according to Christian’s answers, I finally decided to buy a top streamer. A CD is better than a medium-priced streamer, but the top streamers are further in resolution, fullness, spaciousness and dynamics. So I’ll focus on a selection from Melco N5, Metronome Le Streamer, Fidata HFAS2-X40, Pachanko Constellation SE+ Stellar+Oliospec, Antipodes K22 G4, Grimm MU1, Jcat XACT S1 and LDMS (Taiko Extreme, Pinkfaun 2.16 and Aurender W20SE are too expensive). Which one can have the best sound/price ratio? I demand maximum transparency, fullness, spaciousness and timbre.