Do the various Philips drives or the TEAC VRDS transport mechanism each have a particular sonic signature regardless of which maunufacturer uses them in their designs?
Exlibris, I see that you have asked this question couple of times in this thread. I would like to answer that.
YES, both these transports have a distinct sound, meaning one distinguish one from the other.
Simplistically speaking the Philips transport sounds more like a good suspended TT while the VRDS sounds like a well-built high mass TT. By the way, I am new to TT but it was interesting for me as well I was able to co-relate the sound of these transports to the TTs. And more interestingly the VRDS is indeed high mass design. Does that mean an all analogue TT and a digital transport have similar design considerations in some areas ? I dont know but it does seem likely to me.
Coming over to specifics:
1. The VRDS is clearly more extended at in the low frequency region and goes really deep and articulate. The philips doesnt articulate deepest bass notes as well as the VRDS. You can sometimes clearly hear the Philips rolling off bass beyond a stage.
2. The VRDS presents an extremely stable and rock solid holographic soundstage, almost with an iron fist. Listen to a big classical sypmhony on it, you will know what you were missing all these days. You will also hear soundstage layers in a more obvious manner in a VRDS. The Philips sounds "normal" in this area. The soundstage is good but slightly moving, a bit hazy and not so holographic compared to a VRDS. You will notice this only if you hear a good VRDS in the same system, else the Philips will sound just fine.
3. Tonality: Here the Philips is one of the best performers of all transports I have ever heard. Tone and more importantly Timbre is extremely accurate in Philips transports. I have heard the early CDM1, CDM9, CDM12 and now CDPro2M. All of them exhibit this character. They just to it near perfect. The VRDS has a timbral coloration towards the darker side. I have heard about 4 VRDS including the latest ones and they all have it. Simply speaking I have not heard any other transport as tibrally accurate as a Philips. I am very sensitive to this aspect of music reproduction so it is almost the first thing I hear in any system.
4. Philips in general also sounds more fluid, and a bit livlier than VRDS in general (again suspended vs non-suspended thing).
In general, VRDS sounds special, as in real hifi, while Philips sounds normal but more natural, more like music.
If one has to choose between these two transports alone then it will boil down to genre of music a lot, a western classical listener would like to have a VRDS with him even in his coffin. A jazz, blues, country listener will love a Philips and may not care much for the "special effects" of a VRDS sound. A rock listener will be happy with either.
BTW, I have not yet reached a conclusion on this but many Philips transports I have heard also have very good PRAT (suspended design?).
