Pioneer CD & DVD as Transports

Joel,

Incorrect. Esoteric does OEM and use the Pioneer Transport and associated DSP servo circuitry in the DV-50 and DV-50S models. This was most likely done because of a price point to meet and for production. This is same transport mechanism that is in the cheapy Pioneer DV-563, 578, pioneer dv-45a, dv-59avi, muse 11 etc..

There is nothing wrong with this transport mechanism. It is ROCK SOLID! and reads every disc, every time, right gmood1??

Esoteric does utilize a different clamping system for the disc, which should improve vibrational characteristics.

The VRDS transports/circuitry costs WAY much more to build and implement, since this is done at TEAC and not mass produced like with the Pioneer OEM models, and then TEAC upsells the VRDS to Wadia who then put them into their machines (which are not cheap! we are talking about a second mortgage here!) . This has to be one of the reasons they have a $13K msrp on the higher models.

Flye,
Thanks, good info. Do you have any idea how much difference I'll hear between these units(e.g. DV45a vs. DV47 vs. 563) if they are all just used as transports?
How much of the sonics are based on "the transport within the player" vs. other aspects of the design & construction.
I'm trying not to overpay for the internal DACs that I won't be using in the DVD player.
Thanks to all,
Spencer

Sbank, as much as transport matters, digital cable is just as impotant. There are huge differences between various digital cables. I experimented with different coax cables between the S7700 and Bel Canto DAC2 and was surprised actually how different these cables sounded. So make sure you get yourself a decent cable.

Audphile1,
Good point. So, can you & others please comment on what you thought of the various digital cables you've tried? Thanks,
Spencer

Sbank, OK, I'll put in my $.02 here.

Monster Interlink Datalink 100
Very basic. Absolutely nothing wrong with using this cable in a mediocre home theater set up but not in a 2ch audio system

WireWorld SuperNova 3+
Very good for the money. Pretty smooth highs for a cable at this price, decent midrange and OK bass(deep but not detailed). Imaging pretty good, staging a little narrow.

WireWorld SuperNova 5+
A slight improvement over 3+ in all areas. Still a very good cable for the money and I would not hesitate to recommend it or the SuperNova 3+ to anyone looking to get a digital cable in under $200 price range. Differences between this and 3+ are very subtle.

Acoustic Zen Silver Bytes
Very detailed sound. More detailed than the SuperNovas. Pretty wide soundstage but not very deep. Light on bass and a little thin on vocals. Very close to the SuperNovas, but a bit brighter.

Stereovox HDXV
Very close to AZ, but with a little bit more low end.
Top end and mids are basically same as AZ.

Synergistic Research Phase II X2
A little dull sounding even by comparison to wireworld. I preferred HDXV over it.

Synergistic Research Resolution Ref X2
Better than Phase II but still something is missing. Doesn't have the PRAT, stage is a little improved over Phase II. I again preferred HDXV.

Virtual Dynamics NiteII
Now we are talking. Smoothest highs, fullest midrange, deepest bass of all the cables I described before. Tighter bass, details in the bass are much better. Overall this cable is the smoothest and best balanced throughout the spectrum than any of the previously discussed cables. Even on bright recordings it never sounds bright or digital. Great if you need to tame the highs but still not loose the detail. There is a pretty big gap between this NiteII cable one and the cables I mentioned previously.

Virtual Dynamics Master
This is the digital cable that is at the top of the list. It is the most expensive. Sounds so good, it is scary. Superb, no, CRAZY resolution. It will get everything off the disc to the last bit. And it wasn't even fully broken in. Improvements across the board over any of the above cables(including the NiteII). Sound is detailed, very smooth. Champ in a low-level resolution as well. When you play live recordings of good quality, this cable will make you forget you're listening to a recording. This was as close to the sound of real instruments as I heard with any digital cable in my system. Very open, free sounding cable. it seems like your system has limitless potential.

Whatever I said here is based on what I heard in my system. What sounded good there may not sound good in someone else's system. People have different preferences, different tastes. My findings in my system may not necessarily coincide with how these cables will behave in your system. So the best thing to do when you get the components you want is to try different cables in your system to see which one is the best sounding and of the best value to you.