CD players, transports… not a hot topic these days.
What was once the pinnacle of listening to music is now mostly a trend that is going into obscurity, completely shadowed by music streamers, and in recent times by vinyl consumption. CDs are not selling as much as they used to, becoming harder to find at some shops.
But believe it or not, for me, physical media is the best way to listen to music. Investing in, owning, and touching the physical copy brings you closer to what the artist originally intended with the album. CDs are my favorite way of listening to music. There is no hassle in changing sides; you can pause and play, and they require far less investment in cleaning and preservation.
Unfortunately, in the past 10 years, the science and effort behind creating and improving existing formulas of CD players have been really minuscule, and not many new exciting products have appeared on the market. Marantz, Cyrus, Technics were the ones creating exciting gear worth checking out recently. But one of my friends actually told me to take a look at the new Audiolab transports.
Audiolab is certainly not a brand I associated with CD players. I went to check them out at my local resellers. I was pleasantly surprised by the maturity of sound and exceptional richness in the mids that I had to get one of those.
Sound Quality
It is an incredible device, I can tell you right now. The first thing that really grabs you immediately is how capable it is in resolving all these fine details in sound. The moment I heard all the details in drumming and openness of vocals, I was amazed. It is like I never listened to CDs before; it opened my eyes, and I was there in that moment to become the old grumpy me, telling how listening to music via physical media is the only way to listen to music.
I am a bit old head in that regard, as to me connection I have with my medium, both physical and emotional, is always important to me while playing music. It is a ritual of audiovisual senses, and me being part in the middle of the universe.
Okay, I have gone a bit too far, but in short sentences, I was impressed with the CDT9000. The expansiveness and openness are the first things that initially get you. But it is not the only quality of Audiolab; it is the way to compactualize the inter-sonic spectrum to give the perception of depth and openness. It gives instruments a breathing space around them as they become more airy and streamlined in their lane. It certainly benefits from having an amp and especially speakers to complement its soundstage.
Some kind of acoustic reflectors should also help with expanding the soundstage.
It is a lovely listen, which flows like a river. A very relaxing and pleasant place to be, which flows from the source into the never-ending larger sea of tranquility and sonic love.
So, Audiolab really gives this soundstage, which is wide open with very rich dynamics. When that snare hits, repeatedly, it feels so full and real right next to you, mixing with hi-hats, cymbals, bass of the drum; all of them have presence and texture, and all of them have space; none of them are pushing each other or combining into a muddy mix. Vocals spread out with timber; it truly has this almost reverby feeling to them. There is breath and afterglow happening to help feel the more presentation of vocals.
This is all done with the sound sounding a bit bright. While not punchy or forward, I can definitely sense that the treble has been detailed enough to expose all those fine dynamics to reach the surface. Detailed-wise, for detailed peepers, they might feel a bit disappointed here as the sound is mostly restrained, bright, yet still being close to neutral.
One of the records I listen to try to see how much gear separates instruments and vocals and how it resolves details is Opeth's Damnation. Such a lovely record. It was produced with such a love by the great wizard, a prog prince, Steven Wilson. He is one of the best producers of the 21st century and has worked with many legends in the rock sphere. The reason why this record fits Audiolab's sonic characteristics so much is its demeanor and nature. It is a very soft record with wide sonic scapes of textures, details, and instrumentation, followed by the phenomenal voice of Mikael Akerfeldt.
This is a traditional prog, played by very technical death metal musicians. So, that means the presence of drumming and guitar is going to be at focus, and as such production and mixing have separated every one of those characteristics in place, giving them definition and presence. And it truly does bass, guitar, drums, electronic textures, and sonic passages. You can notice their role in the sonic stage; you can definitely feel them with authority, driving, and leading the song. It is all open and present, with Mikael's vocals having this lovely timber. It is a treat to listen to this album until eternity on this CD player.
The second record I wanted to talk about is the one with more verve, dynamics, and punch. It is David Sylvain and Robert Fripp's Damage Live. It is one of my favorite live recordings; it is a collection of jazz and rock musicians doing their best to outplay each other and yet to work as a team in one big whole. There is a lot of distorted guitar and heavy drumming, and the tempo that goes up and down. The ferocity and galloping of instrumentation come with a large expanse of dynamics and presence. It is a record that I love because of that, the ferocity and yet dynamically sharp into driving me to tap my hand and enjoy the rhythmics.
Now that I've explained the sound as best I can, I realize that Audiolab could not resolve enough, at least not how some other players are doing that. And while still great separation and a great soundstage, I kind of missed a little bit more of that punch and drive. It is strange to say that as it was not bad; it was just once that you have tasted something with more class, it is hard not to compare. But there were great separation and great soundstage, and David's vocals were great but missing a little bit more weight here which I am kind of used to.
Some Issues I have with CDT9000
And that is a good segue into speaking about issues I had with this device. While this device is great, it is not perfect as there is no perfect HIFI device or I have not heard that one. To best summarize the problems with this CD Transport, it is Audiolab CD Transport. And if you like the sound of Audiolab, you can easily skip this, but it is good to hear about problems to get a full picture. The problem is that while there is great richness in mids, I was not fully satisfied with the dynamic reach of this device.
I always felt it to be a little bit too reserved. It is truly wonderfully open and airy, but that comes at a cost. It does not offer the deepest reach, and unfortunately does not have enough punch and drive to rhythmically create live and punchy sound. The biggest problem being bass; this is as far removed from dark, bass-heavy sound as it gets. Depending on your speakers and the amp that you pair it with, it can never create that commanding agile bass. The bass was there; it had texture and presence but it just lacks that final oomph. It lacks those double bass hits, or bass guitar gives that structure and drive. I always felt that it does not move me enough.
All of these are preferences and can be helped by proper mixing of things, but the reality is that this is a rich, airy device that does not care that much about creating earth-shaking sounds. For those who prefer dynamic richness, you might not even notice this if not comparing it to other devices directly, so for many, it might not even be a minus. But the bass is a matter of preference; you might have zero problems with this as the soundstage, richness is incredible, well-structured, and they might grip you so much that you will forgive its lack of bass. But for someone for whom bass is paramount, that person might look in a different direction.
Incredible Upgrade Path
As this is a transport, it needs an external DAC so it can become a CD player. So, if you have an integrated amp or external DAC you are connected to, open the gates for this great device. One great thing about separates like this is that if you bring them equally talented company, they grow together. So, as you update the DAC, and if the transport is very talented and high-quality, it can easily follow. The ceiling of what this device can become is really high. Even with a 200-euro external DAC, or a good DAC in an integrated amp, it sounds amazing; just imagine 1000 to 2000-euro DACs will give transcendental value to this transport. So, think that there is a great upgrade path and future when you buy this device.
There are not many devices in this price range that offer this much. But I will give a few recommendations based on their price range:
Audiolab 6000cdt
Audiolab 6000cdt - If the price of Audiolab 9000a seems too much but you want the sound of Audiolab, this is the best buy. The value you get in this price range is astonishing. Although the 9000 offers deeper and bigger soundstage, more rounded and present instruments, more texture, and details, this is three times cheaper and delivers around 80% of the sound of the elder brother. This is a must-buy as this could easily be your first transport/player, and you will be blown away by the silver disc in your possession.
Pro-Ject DS2 Transport
Project DS2 transport - This is also an amazing device. It is a toss-up between Audiolab or this, for the budget transport king, and it falls down to your tastes. It is more expensive than Audiolab 6000, but significantly less expensive than 9000. It brings a very neutral sound, it is not as spacious or open as Audiolab, but it offers far better bass and more focus on tonality and dynamics. It is a good alternative.
Cyrus CDT
Cyrus CDT - This is a bit more expensive device but a legendary with a legendary pedigree. The strength of Cyrus lies in how well rounded it is when you listen to it. It extracts a lot of detail from the treble and creates a very rhythmical presentation that is very musical. It is indeed musical as it just creates an atmosphere of lovely waves of dynamics and details that make you want to rise up and dance. It is more rhythmical, punchy, and live CD transport. It offers a completely different experience from Audiolab. Each device has its points, and for different users, one might outclass the other in various aspects. The choice of which device fits your needs better will be the better device for you. Weigh these qualities, sip on some tea, meditate, and choose the right one.
Conclusion
This great transport comes in a great aluminum casing, limiting vibrations significantly and can serve as a digital hub as it can play a wide variety of files via USB A. It is also an almost end-game CD transport. Its upgradability and incredible ceiling as your external DAC grows. Pair this device with a 2000-euro DAC, and you get a device that surpasses everyone in its path. Why wouldn't that be your end-game CD player? Its scope, separation, soundstage are incredible, and music just flows around you, giving a feeling of sonic bliss and characteristics that can give you hours and hours of listening sessions without even the slightest fatigue. Please listen to this amazing device, and hopefully, you will be as amazed as I am and give life to all your CD collections, revitalizing all the fun memories you had when acquiring them.
Thank you for watching this review; I hope you enjoy it! If you want to support me and this channel, please like, subscribe, or donate via Patreon. All the best, Bye!
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