Thoughts on Audiolab 8300CDQ please

[AJSki2fly]

Nearing the end of the building work in the bungalow I have just got my CDs out and racked them up on the wall, I have been thinking for some time of improve the CD and possible digital side. Current I use a Panosonic blu-ray for CD, and all digital goes through a a Caiman SEG DAC. The CD replay is OK but I know it can be improved and I have a large CD collection worth listen to, also I stream a reasonable amount using Qobuz or Tidal, through RPI/Volumio, I could also stream using Audvirna hooked up using USB from my MacBook Pro.

I am considering getting a CD Transport in the mix is Audiolab 6000CDT, obviously with this one I would need to keep the Caiman SEG.

The Audiolab 8300CDQ would give me a good single box solution and has a headphone output so I could also get rid of the Schitt headphone amp as well.

Having read up on both they seem pretty hard to beat, does any AoSer have experience of the Audiolab 8300CDQ and any thoughts would be appreciated?

Thanks

Adrian

[Macca]

cost over a grand! If I were you I'd just buy the transport, keep the DAC, save £600

[AJSki2fly]

cost over a grand! If I were you I'd just buy the transport, keep the DAC, save £600

Yes I tend to agree with you, and I think it would probably give a very good result based on what other have said in the past about the 6000CDT, but it would be nice to de-clutter and simply my setup a bit. Not that I anticipate going to a modern one box solution yet, although if my dodgy ankles and muscles keep going as they are I could see me being forced down that path sometime in the future although I will resist it. Getting up and down regularly to change and LP or CD probably does me some good.

[Macca]

I expected the 8300CDQ to be about £600 but it's twice that. Really worth £600 just to get rid of two little boxes?

Also no guarantee that the headphone output on the 8300 will drive your headphones optimally so there's that too.

[AJSki2fly]

I expected the 8300CDQ to be about £600 but it's twice that. Really worth £600 just to get rid of two little boxes?

Also no guarantee that the headphone output on the 8300 will drive your headphones optimally so there's that too.

Can get it for £995, not cheap but would not be that taking the other gear into account, headphone amp section is class A and will drive low to high impedance according to them.

[Macca]

I'm pretty sure all headphone amps are class A aren't they? Same as any pre-amp.

I guess if you can get one for £995 it's worth considering. I've no complaints so far about the transport version though, if I had the slightest niggle about it I'd have got rid already.

[struth]

I'm pretty sure all headphone amps are class A aren't they? Same as any pre-amp.

I guess if you can get one for £995 it's worth considering. I've no complaints so far about the transport version though, if I had the slightest niggle about it I'd have got rid already.

most are.. but op amp based ones arn't.

[Mr.Ian]

I have been using a toshiba sd9500 as a transport, thi serious high end build but swapping to the audiolab dedicated transport gave a small but noticable improvement in detail and clarity
.

[AJSki2fly]

I have been using a toshiba sd9500 as a transport, thi serious high end build but swapping to the audiolab dedicated transport gave a small but noticable improvement in detail and clarity
.

Thanks Ian, good to know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hifinutt]

really want a new transport soon, i put my onkyo on instead of my rotel and it was much better in terms of detail and sonics , slightly forward at times . i can hear the drive sometimes hence wanting another . not keen on the slot loader when i read stuff like this

it sounds very good but scratches discs. I've had two of these units and they both left significant scratches on some discs (as shown in the picture). Not worth it. The warranty duration is shorter than other products in this price range as well. Dim display.

https://www.amazon.com/Audiolab-6000CDT-Dedicated-Transport-Remote/product-reviews/B07HS2PDBM

[Gazjam]

I have been using a toshiba sd9500 as a transport, thi serious high end build but swapping to the audiolab dedicated transport gave a small but noticable improvement in detail and clarity
.

Betters my modded Oppo 203 as well, by quite a margin.
Zero issues here Phil with scratched discs, quiet as a mouse in operation too.

Remember reading of a minority of folks that has their 6000CDT scratch discs, all around the same time.
(Big thread on AudioGon)

I suspected a bad batch, Friday afternoon job.

[Macca]

I read about the scratched disc thing some months ago. Took a brand new CD ran it in and out three times, not a mark on it.

I have discs that have been in and out of the Audiolab about ten times, still play perfectly.

I suspect that the people who complained about this either had some sort of fault issue with theirs, or, more likely, they made a mistake and their discs were already marked.

Also worth noting that a CD is relatively robust, a few blemishes on the surface won't cause the sound to skip or drop-out, it has to be fairly serious damage to create unrecoverable read errors.

[Barry]

With slot loaders, there is a greater potential likelyhood of leaving thumb marks on the disc as it is offered up and inserted. Greasy fingermarks can cause the laser to defocus and 'skip'. That is my only concern with slot loaders.

I have a slot loading CD player in my car - perhaps I should test it out.