Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi Jon,

The CAD Audio Transport (CAT) is built with any music storage the customer wants. We can install SSD or HDD.

You can also use a NAS over Ethernet, USB thumb drive, etc. You can have multiple music storage locations if you wish. The CAT will see them all as one library.

So yes, there is a direct input for a USB thumbdrive on the CAT.

We recommend using internal SSD storage for music because in my opinion it gives the best sound quality of any option available.

Along with an internal SSD you can also connect up to a NAS via Ethernet if you wish.

Most customers choose a 1TB SSD, enough space for at least 1500 ripped CDs, which costs about £350 at the moment.

Best Regards,

Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

I had the good fortune of hearing the Computer Audio Design (CAD) which I think is a USB DAC - whereby you rip cd's to a computer first. Scott Berry also makes a kind of player/ripping device. I am not entirely sure ass to connectivity with your front end, but it was utterly brilliant - very natural, no glare, no hash, it was to all intents and purposes just right - I have never heard digital that 'right'. I've heard DCS which is fabulous but as a sort of CD High Res sound to it, Burmester has a certain luxury, MBL I recall had a Burmestereque luxury as well. But the CAD - that was something else - effortless correctness

Thank you Lohanimal!

Best Regards,

Scott Berry
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Hi Agear,

Yes, CAD was at the Warsaw show this year. We were in the Tulip room with the 1543 DAC, CAT and CAD USB Cable along with Boenicke W8 speakers and Purist Audio Design interconnects.

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/poland2014/11.html

Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Hi Mattnshilp,

All our products are sold with a 30 day money back guarantee. If you are interested please contact me through our website:

http://www.computeraudiodesign.com/contact/

Best Regards,

Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Scott, is it your opinion that the internall SSD sounds better than an SDxc card? I was told otherwise, but have no direct experience.

The thing is that a 500GB SDXC card in now about GBP400 and in a year or 2, 1 TB will likely cost that amount. That means that one can hace one's ENTIRE library in the top pocket with say 5 to 6 1TB SDXC cards and these cards are not constantly shifting data around for efficiency sake like HDDs and SSDs and are ligtning fast, as evidenced by their use in hi-speed photography.

Hi Wisnon,

In my experience an SDXC card does sound better than a standard SSD, but is more expensive. As you said for the price of a 500GB SDXC card you can now get a 1TB SSD. But the question I have spent a lot of time on is: Why does it sound better? I feel I have found the reasons and have implemented that technology into the CAT.

Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Please correct if I am wrong - for 24/192 data, the transport can transmit this to the DAC which then downsamples to 24/96?

Hi Jon,

The 1543 DAC has no capabilities to upsample, downsample or filter. The CAT can be set up to take 24/192 data and output 24/96 or anything else you would like.

Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Hi Scott,
1. What happens to 24/192 data after transmission from the CAT to the DAC which supports sampling rates up to the maximum of 176.4?
2. Can the CAT output to any other dac or is it, by virtue of its single output which is usb, limited only to the CAD DAC?
3. My conclusion is that the CAT cannot function as a stand-alone transport without the DAC. Is this correct?

1) The CAT will downsample the 192KHz to 176.4Khz (or any other frequency you would like)

2) The CAT can be used with any USB DAC. We also have some people using it as a high quality audio / CD ripper Ethernet server. Any digital device that uses Ethernet streaming can use the CAT. So you could use one CAT to connect up to both a USB DAC and another "streamer".

3) Correct. There is no Digital to Analog converter inside the CAT

Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com

Hi Jon,

The CAT is designed to output via a USB connection or Ethernet connection. The CAT does not have S/PDIF, RCA or XLR connections.

The CAT will play back any format at any bit rate and any resolution available.

The 1543 DAC will "natively" playback up to 176.4Khz. If you connect the 1543 DAC to the CAT it will playback DSD via DSD over PCM (DoP).

I have no plans to make the 1543 DAC accept DSD natively. I have had customers concerned about this and my suggestion is to please go to any of our dealers with some of your DSD files and have a listen to the CAT and 1543 DAC.

The bulk of our customers are people that have been involved in audio for many years and have a large collection of CDs and possibly a CD player that has a few years on it. I am personally also a big vinyl nut and I have tried to get the sound of the 1543 DAC and CAT to be a bit more like that and less like many digital components out there that have "sort of CD High Res sound to it" as Lohanimal mentions.

The CAT and 1543 DAC combination will playback any file currently available.

Best Regards,

Scott