Considering buying a CD transport

This thread has gotten me really interested in a new transport... the Onkyo C-7030 I'm currently using, while serviceable, isn't a world-beater by any means, and understandably sounds inferior to my previous DX-7555 player as a transport. 

I'm not sure I'm willing to go all-out with the PS Audio PWT. Was going to go affordable with the Cambridge CXC, but now considering stepping up to a C.E.C. TL-5 ($2k) as a longer-term investment. They're still made in Japan and I've heard they last forever. Cambridge, OTOH, isn't know for their reliability...

Anyone audition a TL-5 before? I know there are reviews that say the PWT trounces the TL-5100, but then there are reviews stating that the TL-5 trounces the Tl-5100 as a transport, so maybe it is a little closer... not that I put a lot of stock in reviews or anything... :)

Im not familiar with your partucular Cambridge Audio player but maybe this will help. Due to the differences in the size of the pits or burned surface of DVDs and CDs, they require the reading laser to send a light beam of different wavelengths to read the information on each type of disc.
To accomplish this, a DVD player is equipped with one of two things: A laser that has the ability change its focusing accurately based on DVD or CD detection or, more commonly, a DVD player will have two lasers, one for reading DVDs and one for reading CDs. This is often referred to a Twin-Laser Assembly as is usually listed in the spec sheet for DVD players that have them.

Nutty, thanks for the information. I did some poking around and couldn't find any reference to a twin-laser assembly in my 751BD in the owner's manual. The very detailed 6 Moons Audio review (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/cambridge/1.html) makes no mention of it either, but does briefly refer to the signal being read by a "modified universal Sony drive." One assumes that if it did have such a feature, it would have been loudly touted in the literature.

On a different subject, my Wyred4Sound reclocker arrived yesterday and I've had only a little time to listen to what it does. First impressions are extremely favorable though. I'll detail this in a separate thread in the next few days, after some more thorough listening.

cooper52, and others in copy.

Years ago, when I was shopping for a new CD player my local vendor emparted some of the information I posted above. Also on disc players, the motor slows gradually as it reads the disc from the center to the outer edge....CD's play at a lower RPM than DVD's. I suppose all transports are not created equally. And some are created specifically. Perhaps the OPPO BD 105 has a dual transport, judging from all of the glowing reviews. 

N

Very nice- cardani. Wireworld makes fine cables/cords indeed.