What surprised you the most about the URD and would you consider buying one at this price point?

@mikecampbell5856

11 ай бұрын

I;m surprised that Schiit would make a mechanical device like a CD transport. I'm an old retired guy so I will probably not get one. Maybe they will come out with a more basic model. I love my Schiit Modi 3 DACs.

@user-cz5ri9fb3r

11 ай бұрын

I too am an early adopter of the Urd. My first impressions are as follows; the Urd has replaced an Audiolab 6000 transport. Sound quality has improved. The Urd has a stronger low end response than the 6000 as well as a much darker background. The latter is a big win given my near field desk top installation. The Urd is not without its limitations. First, it does not read old CDs very well with imperfections very much captured. This was a strength of the Audiolab. The second would be wimpy buttons. Now buttons have never been a Schiit strength, but DACs and preamps are not as “button” intensive as cd transports, so this is an opportunity for Schiit. The big inspiration for the Urd is in the digital hub. This essentially allows you to improve/add streamer/laptop connections with a superior USB resolution. My computer and Win Pro streamer are both vastly improved. Richer and darker. Lastly, I like the Urd form factor. It is a natural fit with my Freya preamp and Bifrost 2/64 DAC. So is it worth the money? Big yes if one utilizes the digital hub. Maybe if sound quality and form factor matter versus one’s current installation.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Excellent points, thank you for sharing!

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

Your crazy to spend that amount on a cd player. A cheapo cd player sounds the same as d most expensive cd player on d planet.

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

You are just boastig that yiu are rich and can afford shit products.😂

I could never hear a difference with my cambridge cxc transport and my cheap Yamaha player. But it looks cool in my Cambridge stack.

@Wordsalad69420

4 ай бұрын

Yeah. The price for this thing is the form factor (smaller), finish/look and USB input/output. Transports pretty much end up "sounding" the same using the same DAC. Anyone who says different is deluding themselves. Especially those who say that they can hear clear differences like bigger soundstage. Literally impossible if the only thing different is the transport. But the same people claim that expensive power cables somehow produce larger soundstages. Lol!

Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard. Heard what? Urd Urd Urd, Urd is the Word.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

That Schiit, like most transports, is ridicuously expensive. I recently bought a used CD with a scratch. My trusty DVDA player (remember those?) would not play thru the scratch (as would none of my other players) except an unused Sony BDP-S1700 Blu-ray player ($60). So I swapped CD players and use the Sony with a Schiit Modi DAC ($100), that is also used for streaming. The Sony has no front panel display and is not connected to a TV, so I attached a Raspberry PI 7" LCD monitor ($25) via HDMI to display player setup & CD track info. This works great & is inexpensive!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Love it. Thanks for sharing!!!

@trevorbartram5473

11 ай бұрын

The Sony Blu-ray player was unused because of a wobble (vibration) when playing Blu-rays but plays (lower speed) DVDs & CDs fine. Any of the Sony players (S1700, S3700, S6700) should have similar superior error (scratch) correction capabilities!

Great review! I would for schite because I think they are a great company & I would want to support them in North America & beyond. I did attempt to buy one of their DACs ,but they were having supply issues - issue issues that meant I would be waiting for longer than the months I waited when I finally gave up. The transport looks to be a brilliant solution. Certainly, your review encourages me to try again.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Good luck! I’ve yet to buy anything Schiit I haven’t liked lol!

Ive never understood ppl that prefer tapes or vinyl over cds or 320k mp3s, or flac which are perfect, clean and never degrade

I'm an early URD adopter too. I have the same Sony Blu-Ray player you featured as well as a Yamaha transport that was my dedicated CD player. I conducted a similar experiment feeding a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC into a Schiit Mjolnir 2 and Focal Clear headphones and my conclusions mirror yours; I preferred the URD as there was less digital 'sheen' to the sound which makes it less fatiguing. What really justifies the URD for me is the convenience of the 'digital hub' experience, and the upgrade in sound streaming Roon from my PC. The difference in quality between a USB connection from the PC straight into the DAC versus into the URD and then into the DAC (Unison output and input) was striking. I did some comparisons between the same master streaming via Qobuz and the CD and the differences were even less noticeable than the difference between CD transports.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I look forward to spending more time with the digital hub side of things. Thank you for sharing your experience and for watching!

I used a Oppo 105 for 4+ years- primarily for SACDs and CDs- never for video. I replaced the OEM power supply with a ~$200 aftermarket PS which was huge, but eventually I sold it and bought a Marantz HDCD-1 which sounded much better than the 105, but it died. Since my preamp also has a dac I decided to buy a Audiolab 6000 which sounds fantastic when using very high quality COAX and PC. They come up frequently on the used market fro < $400. Quite the bargain

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome. Thank you for sharing!

It’s a nice looking piece and I am well ingrained in the Schiit ecosystem (Bifrost saga + and Vidar) but I already own the Audiolab 6000cdt so think I’m all good, also have USB out from Auralic Aries to Bifrost.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome. I reaaaaaallllly want to upgrade to the Bifrost!

I have the Cambridge Audio CXC transport. it was attached to a Schiit Modius DAC. Then I upgraded to a Schiit Bifrost 2. Of course later I upgrade to the Bifrost 2/64 card. I'm happy with this setup and don't see changing anything for a long time.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks - I'm looking for a transport up to this level so this was super useful, and note the UK price is similar - accounting for the 20%VAT purchase tax. (Freya is almost 30% more expensive AFTER the tax uplift!) Top runner for me remains Audiolab's new CDT9000 and your review hasn't quite convinced me Urd would be a better choice. Impossible to hear the two side by side of course... Love CD - it's my main source.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I would love to get a hold of an audiolab transport too. Thanks for watching!

Digital sheen. I had a lot of that when using a dvd player as a transport. It became evident in a side by side comparison with a audio lab 6000cdt. The audiolab had dramatically less of that “sheen” you’re talking about. I was absolutely surprised that the audible difference was so big. I kept saying to myself- it’s only a transport. Anyways. This has revitalized my cd listening. So I could believe that the Urd may be even better.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I'd love to hear the difference between the Urd and 6000cdt you mention to determine if there is that much change in sound. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

A very enlightening lecture, demonstration on the topic of the Schiit Urd CD Transport, and comparison to CD Players. Thumbs up. It is good that you have bought an American made hi fi audio product. Although I'm in Canada. I believe in American made, and industry. I know what you are saying about differences not being night and day; but maybe dusk and dawn! In my case, the differences is less then dusk and dawn. If a CD Player is well engineered, and as accurate as the manufacture has designed, and built it can be connected as a CD Transport; and the output is going to be of excellent performance. As for myself, I don't think I'd go that high for a CD Transport; I'm saving up for a Subwoofer that's going to be over $1,000 after tax. Canadian GST. I have up to 4 different CD Players, whereupon one of them is actually a CD Transport connect to my Sony DH520 Receiver of 85 W (2012) for audio only. I have three of those CD Players connected to an external DAC. I conducted experiments, and to listen, and enjoy the music from CDs on those four CD Players connected by Coaxial Cable, and a Sony CD Player connected with an digital optical Toslink. Three CD Players are connected to a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (2023) to the Receiver by Blue Jeans RCA Cables. Except for an AMC CD6 (of 1992) is connected by BlueRigger Coaxial Cable; to BD/DVD COAXIAL Input of Sony Receiver. A Marantz DV6400 SACD/DVD (2003) is connected with a Blue Jeans Coax Cable. A CD Transport is a Cambridge Audio CXC; also connected with Blue Jeans Cable. A Sony CDP-970 (1989) I purchased from Canadian ebay that's very close to mint condition; it's connected with 3 foot Blue Jeans Optical Cable Toslink. Results are rarely noticeable. And if those sonic, musical advantages are there, they are very small. AMC was an American audiophile-level manufacturer of hi fi audio products deep into the 1990s. And my opinions, and hearing observations are from listening experience. Although it is obvious, and a matter of fact, a good Digital to Analogue Convertor is just as important as a disc drive laser assembly. Simple consideration, but maybe a bit ignored by some audiophiles who believe, and place more importance on a laser pickup, electronics of disk drive, and transport mechanism.🔉🎵🎶

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Great information, thank you for sharing!

While I have not heard the Urd, you won"t hear where all your money went until you start getting into nicer dacs....but as you said you will start upgrading. My guess is you could probably easily spend a couple thousand dollars on a dac before you start to get diminishing returns on a $1300 transport. Schiit will have done their homework on the competition and do not tend to inflate their price to performance ratio, so it "should" perform better than the Audiolab. Good luck and I will stay tuned as this really is intetesting. Cheers.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you! I gotta find some gear to sell so I can upgrade DACs soon, lol. Thanks for watching!

@brugj03

5 ай бұрын

So you have a subjective opinion about something you cannot have an opinion about beccause you haven`t heard it.

I've got mine and I love it. It's my first CD transport so I don't have anything other than an old DVD/BluRay player to compare it with. Nice review!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you! So glad you’re enjoying it as well.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you! So glad you’re enjoying it as well.

@blah5387

11 ай бұрын

How did it compare to your old Blu-ray player

I get the same sound with my vintage amp and 2007 Yamaha cd player. Never fatiguing with CDs. I dig it too. Less than $1400 by a lot 😅

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

That is awesome!

A similar product but much cheaper at around 750 dollars is the new Shanling ET3 transport. It, like the Urd has a usb digital out and it also has hardware up sampling of cds to hi res pcm or dsd via it's I2S out.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I will check that out, thank you!

Be careful, that rabbit hole has deep pockets! Lmao. Love your content. ✌️

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Oh yeah I figured that out fast lol!

Cool video and topic! This is the first one of your videos I’ve seen. I’m a Schiit fan - value and quality for $ Also have the og Saga, Valhalla 2, and the minimalist little Sys. I was following the development of the Urd for awhile. The Unison Usb is supposed to be excellent. Schiit used to sell a unison converter before I think. Usb can be pretty noisy out of a computer, so this is a valuable feature. The fact this cd transport is this expensive in Schiit dollars means it’s quality is likely worth more. I have an older cd player from Synthesis that I auditioned for. Since then, I’ve been on a journey to better it’s output via a dac based system. I did try using this cd player and even an oppo 103 as a transport, but it wasn’t as good or as musical as the Synthesis player. I think you’re on to something having a known excellent digital source for dac comparisons👍 Digital tends to be sensitive to clean power and decent cables in my experience. I look forward to seeing future vids on your dac explorations. As you go up the dac ladder likely the differences will be much more apparent!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing and for watching!

@Martian128

11 ай бұрын

I like that you can add other (presumably storage) devices to it via USB. I'm guessing it will play audio files on a USB drive. That would make it quite versatile.

I’m still using my Oppo 105 that has been modded by Custom Analogue Audio and I love it. If I was to consider an upgrade here, it would be to splash out on a hi-end DAC.$1200 US dollars is a good starting point for a good DAC and you mentioned a Denafrips Aries II which would be a significant upgrade to the Modi II DAC. I think if you did a comparison with Schmitt, Sony and Cambridge with an Aries II DAC that might be a better comparison. Thanks for your video, very interesting.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing!

@keithmulkey3352

11 ай бұрын

Same here except mines not modded...love it

I am very impressed with my URD it bests my vintage Sony 507ESD in sound quality with my Yggdrasil GS (which is no small feat since the Sony is the best standalone CD player I have ever heard) , but I still love my CD player due to the Sony's superior full featured remote and amazing face buttons. I fully expected to return the URD because I thought no other would ever best my beloved Sony in depth and dynamics.

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Awesome. Thank you for sharing!

My first thought is that DACs inputs are not isolated when it comes to sound differences. Extra riding alongside the digital signal not being filtered out.

Thank you for the honest honest review. I wish I could pull the trigger on it but I would buy other stuff with the money knowing myself too well. I felt better that its not a night and day difference. Other reviewers make you feel like shit that you dont have this or that gear. Congrats osn ypur new gear and enjoy.

@ForeverAnalog

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words and for watching! Never feel bad for the gear you own! It’s all about enjoying music however we can.

Verry well done. Did U use the cd sound upscaling mode on the sony while listening?

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

I don't recall an upscaling mode option on that player so I must not have. Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

Just got this yesterday and purely from an aesthetics standpoint, this thing is absolutely amazing. Like no other CD transport or player I have seen. I also like the smaller form factor. The only thing that bothers me is that the power button is in the back.

@ForeverAnalog

4 ай бұрын

I just leave mine turned on now. The buttons seem to be more responsive when I do!

I have the Audiolab CDT-6000 transport. Blew me away. Hooked to my ifi Zen Signature DAC. No going back to a traditional cd player for me.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Love that and so glad you like the Zen Dac - I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet!

Good Channel Bro. A plus presentation

@ForeverAnalog

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Nicely done. I probably would have upgraded the DAC first and then improved the transport, but either way your next logical step is a DAC upgrade. Based on what you’ve told us about your system, and as someone who has owned older Klipsch Heritage speakers (and currently own a pair of Cornwall IVs), I would lean toward the Denafrips Ares II as I think its warmer, softer, more analog presentation would be a better match with your Heresies. But that’s me. The Bifrost is a good one too if you’re wanting to keep it in the Schiit family, as it were.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for the great advice! I was just looking at an Ares II today!

@mat.b.

11 ай бұрын

that struck me as well, very cart before the horse

@eddihaskell

9 ай бұрын

I would upgrade the transport first. If you primarily listen to CD's a transport is your "base". The same logic would apply to vinyl freaks, make sure your "record player" is top -end with a quality cartridge first.

Does the Urd make noise while it operates? I have my Sony CD player close to me, and the noise I get from the spinning CD really annoys me. I also have an Emotiva CD player and it makes so much noise I can't use it even if it's 10 feet away from me.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I haven’t heard noise but to be fair, I’m sitting farther away in my listening spot so it’s not so close I would hear it. I’ll try to get close and listen further

Urd get it?rhyms with turd!got that out of my system!it never seems to end.but really when i saw you would be reveiwing this i was totally psyched. then i went and saw the price. for me a dedicated transport is def on the wish list but i may have to really think about where i would drop 1299 bucks o plus fees.thanks for the clear review and as always love your schii i mean channel ! maybe a follow up review down the line?

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thanks! I always forget about “follow up” reviews with so much new gear being released but I’ll make a note on this one.

off topic but will you be reviewing the Emotive sub i guess you got a while back?

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Most likely…at some point. This summer was crazy with travel and I’m behind on everything lol

I think you will like the Ares 2, in my system it sounds more airy rather than in your face. I’d recommend that you get a Kimber Kable D60 coax too. If you don’t like the cable, then just send it back. Don’t upgrade both together, replace the DAC, see the difference and then upgrade the cable I’m using a Philips BDP9700 Blu-ray player, I’d love to get the Denefrips Avatar if it was in my price range, I do like the Philips Blu-ray, it has a clear lid so you can see the components, but sound quality, I’m sure I can do better

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I have an Ares 2 on the way…so excited!

I would love an Urd, but other things are more necessary. I use a POS Sony Blu-Ray into a Schiit Modi Multibit 2 now. Lovethe MMB2!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

Great review, real men don't look at manuals. LOL Having no internal DAC allows you to try different DACs. You're not stuck with one on board DAC.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Skipping the manual this time kicked my butt lol

@mikecampbell5856

8 ай бұрын

@@GeirRssaak I'm using Sony Blu Ray players with Schiit Modi 3+ DACs in two of my systems and I love them.

I bought the transport and bit frost..i have freya plus and loki 2 agers ...and buchart s400 mark2 silver wire a 2 svs micro 1000...in small room i have 7 different systems carry audio and falcon acoustics and source point tens and krell and infinitys kappas all.kinds of stuff...the first improvement to my small schitt system was the bit frost 😊 out went denifrips areies 2 i dont know if the schitt transport helped i just bought it to be all one brand system but the dac was really good up grade....

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome thank you for sharing!

You had something about the other two being bright or forward sounding. Is that something tone controls can remedy? I love Schiit products, but honestly 1400 dollars is out of my range for a transport. My CD collection isn't large enough to justify the cost. Great job on the review. I'm sure it's a awesome product.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Great question! I should’ve mentioned the Saga+ preamp doesn’t have tone controls so I did not factor that in to my comparison. Thank you for watching!

WoW…I’m still using my Denon 3520 ( The Beast) ..it’s heading into its 3rd decade and 4th DAC …it has XLR, RCA, Optical, COAX …a player should give you options. Great review and thanks for the music recommendation. Great video 👍☕️🔥🍕🥓

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank for sharing and watching! Love that Denon!

@IvanITpro

11 ай бұрын

To me, my Denon AVR-S760h’s internal DAC sounded livelier than the latest Schiit Modi+ DAC. Go Denon! 😁🙌

@brugj03

5 ай бұрын

Your Denon will outlast that piece of plastic crap for years. The price for that POS is ridiculous as it will last a very short time.

@carminedesanto6746

5 ай бұрын

As the OG owner of the Denon ..it’s heading into its 3rd decade….

Great review! I am curious if you tested the sound quality playing cd on the urd vs streaming directly via mac? I am thinking does cd sounds better than lossless streaming service haha

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I did not for this video but that might be an interesting round two video idea!

@yugioh887

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog Cant wait!

Does the Urd recognize home-recorded CDs (i.e., CDRs)? Someone told me that commercially-produced CDs have better reflectivity than home-recorded CDs. I've been using a Marantz 4300 CD changer that I bought many years ago - I feed the digital output through an optical cable into my RME ADI-2 fs DAC. Recently, the Marantz device is showing increasing reluctance to read CDs. It's pretty much stopped recognizing CDRs, and it's become more and more reluctance to read commercially recorded CDs, both CDs that I purchased ages ago, and recently purchased CDs. For a long time now, I've been ripping them to iTunes as lossless tracks, but I'd like to be able to play the disks directly. $1400 (purchase price plus California tax is a lot), but maybe I'll buy an Urd. Any thoughts?

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

The Urd does not play CDRs, sorry.

Nice review. Thanks. Definitely would sound better with a higher end dac , suspect the modi’s power supply would not be as good as the Urd’s. The bifrost 2 or the Aries anniversary addition should better showcase the benefits of the Urd. I have a Primare DD35 cd transport and noticed a bigger benefit when matching it with a better DAC. Audio is a expensive hobby 😢

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Yes I can’t wait to upgrade DACs. Thanks for sharing and watching!

@r423sdex

11 ай бұрын

What is a high-end dac. You could be wrong about the power supply, you would have to measure it. Audio is a cheap hobby, if you know what you're doing. You need to visit the correct forums and watch the right KZread channels. A good forum would be ASR and for speakers try Erin's audio. Then you will understand it's not that expensive.

@Joel-m777

11 ай бұрын

@@r423sdex thanks for the advice, it all comes down to perspective and your own personal experience. I have owned quite a few dacs so I use that as my personal reference. I currently own a holo spring 3 dac. I am fan of Erin’s audio corner but not so much ASR but that’s just my opinion. Cheers

Try out a Geshelli Labs Dac, the JNOG J2. Very affordable and the sound is addicting!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I would LOVE one but they are soooooo back ordered lol. Thanks for watching!

I have the URD into a Yggdrasil Dac and it’s amazing.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I would love to experience that DAC!

Great review! But still very difficult to retire the Oppo... And it plays my SACDs.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I would love an oppo! Thanks for watching!

After hearing one wave review after another I just ordered a Geshelli J2S dac to go between my Nad amp and Nad CD player. I got it with a updated Sparkos opamp on the rca outputs $340. You might should check this out when you can 👍

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

Awesome. Jealous! I definitely have Geshelli on my list of future purchases. Thanks for sharing!

@calvinnapier9977

9 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog I sent Geshelli an email asking them to send you the J2S. Also sent them a link to your channel, we'll see 👀 what happens.

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

@calvinnapier9977 amazing. That is so kind of you! Thank you so much. Fingers are crossed!!!

Having a Philips Blue Ray linked to my Lyngdorf 1120 isn't bad at all! Gain needs to be set at -30 vs -20 for spotify. Still my Speakerland Scan-speak minimonitor (kit) may be in advance of an berillium upgrade to get voicings slightly more forward? New crossovers and tweeter is about 800 euro. The lyngdorf cd transport is too wide and expensive. think it's close to 7000euro already for the monitors and streamer but the Bluesound N330 in't a match at all LOL. nice review! I guess I set my priorities correct now.

@ForeverAnalog

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and for sharing!

This is the kinda product I really want to own because I appreciate what they did. But I also don't want to pay the money and not sure if I would ever use it. At same time, maybe it will inspire me to get more CD's and get into it. Tough call. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people are in my boat and would really consider this if it was $799 but this feels like a tougher call.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Totally understand! Thanks for sharing and watching.

@TriAmpHiFi

11 ай бұрын

There are 3 other products in the Urd, besides the CD transport itself, that are included, but that you might not be aware of; 1. The Urd is a non-asynchronous re-clocker. 2. The Urd is a Digital/Digital converter 3. The Urd is a LPS The Urd is not a CD transport, it's a tool to stay ahead in the digital signal chain wars. Their winning too. Tos-link, 75Ohm BNC, MQA etc are all going bye-bye. Hello fiber-optic. Keep your digital separate from your analog! Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

I've been happy with a Sony UHD Blu Ray as CD transport

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome! I’ve used one for awhile now myself!

The built-in ddc makes this a no brainer component. Kind of amazing if the ddc is good. The usb to aes is quite valuable on its own.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Agreed! Thanks for watching!0

did you ever hook you cd player and sony blu ray as transports?

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Yep!

I'm actually in the market for a new CD transport but having a hard time justifying the price. I'm in the CXC Cambridge Audio ecosystem and the CXC for about $600 is on my short list along with this. I don't see me using the USB unless I use it to plug it in to my CXN-V2. (I believe it has a USB port.) So honestly, not sure. Love the G-horn and Modi 3 DAC. Use them for desktop use.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I was eyeing the CXC too! I bet it’s a great transport as well.

As a bit of an experiment add some weight to the top of the various CD players/transports. You might try using a record weight if you already have one. Otherwise buy some lead weights from the hardware store or fishing tackle store and put them in a box. You can try placing the weight at different positions on top of the units or even more than one weight. I've used weights off and on over the years. It works on some units and not others. You might also try sorbothane vibration absorbing feet. I seem to recall some guys applying sound deadening material, like they use in cars, on the bottom of units. Don't block any vents. I would think that stuff might be hard to remove. I would try any of these with your cheaper players to see if you can get them to sound better.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Great advice, thank you for sharing!

@eddihaskell

9 ай бұрын

I put an old laptop computer on top of my CD transport. It serves another purpose -- my two cats like sitting on top of it and cannot scratch my new transport painted finish with their claws this way.

Have you ever tried to play old CD's in various bad condition and see what machine handles them the best ? Would be an interesting test.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I haven’t but that’s a great idea!

@homerjones3291

10 ай бұрын

I have a Cambridge Audio CXC V2 and mine is very picky about the condition of the CD; if buying used I won’t pick up any that have even one scratch. My former CXC was the same. That said, they sounded great with equipment costing much more than they. I had an Audiolab CDT6000 for a bit but didn’t the sound with my system, though it was less picky with discs.

Any one of these DACs I can recommend as substantial upgrades to your Modi: Bifrost 2 (OG version, not the 2/64 which sounds less analog), EF400 (on sale $399), Cayin RU-6 ($250)

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Interesting that the OG Bifrost 2 sounds better to you! Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

@Reeeepicheep

10 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalogYes the OG has a warm, thick, rich, smooth sound to it that makes for a fun listen. 2/64 has forced detail and stretched sound for wider soundstage but ultimately sounded harsh and had more of an artificial/digital sheen, likely because it switched away from Analog Device chips in favor of Texas Instrument chips, which for me were a downgrade. I would encourage you to check comparison reviews to see which sounds preferable to you or would work best in your setup.

If your this invested in a schitt CD transport you must get a DAC with the Unison to Unison connection. That's why it costs double what other CD transports cost. It's proprietary but your stuck with it to get the very best sound from your transport. I would try at the very least a Bifrost 2 with the Unison connection.

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Agree but I’m also using a non Schiit DAC at the moment and it sounds great even with non usb connection!

Schiit states it only really plays store bought Redbook CD’s.. Did you try old CD-R/W’s burnt with Flac or Alac files? Any success getting them to play?.. I got confused a bit, so does the Urd use USB-C or Micro USB for sockets? Thanks!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I don’t have any burned CDs so no I didn’t try. Besides Schiit seemed pretty adamant they wouldn’t play. Urd is USB-C input!

@FelixtheMetalcat

11 ай бұрын

WHY would they design a transport that won't play other types of CDs? It is one oddity at this price point I just don't get.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Great question

@rickg8015

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog I also have SACD’s with a Redbook CD layer.. I hope the Urd could play the CD layer in them.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

It should be able to!

Ideally, unless theres nore at play, a CD transport shoujd soubd hoarver your DAC sounds.

I have the Cambridge transport and think that it sounds much better than my Sony Blu-ray player and my Harmon Kardon cd player.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

IMHO the reason for the Transport would be to use Different DACs , the DAC would be the Sound Changer that would suit your Tastes as the Listener!

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

Agreed - swapping DACs in and out is a lot of fun!

It looks great

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I think so too!

I would suggest trying other (better) DACs - the Modi is a decent budget DAC. Another good budget unit is the SMSL SU-1. The other suggestion I would have for a really good DAC, is the Geshelli Labs J2S. At $260 plus options - with a Sparkos op-amp it sounds much better than either my Bifrost 2/64 or my Ares II (with 12th Anniversary update). By the way, the coax is one type of S/PDIF connection - the other is optical.

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Agreed! I got my hands on a much better DAC and hope to record an update to this video soon!

@ruudsmith3836

10 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog been without home audio the past 10 years due to broken DAC. just got the Bifrost, right out of the box the Bifrost makes great music from my ML31. I'm interested in the URD, always sorry I let go of my Theta Data...but I don't need the URD at the moment...i'm figuring the URD will be good with Bifrost

@NeilBlanchard

8 ай бұрын

@@GeirRssaak I have found the DVD and Blu Ray transports are not great sounding. I have a Audiolab 6000CDT and I am quite happy with it. It is about error correction and jitter and noise, I think.

Be interesting to see how it compares to the Jays CDT2 MK3 or even the Denafrips Avatar

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Agreed!

I was interested in the Urd, but ended up buying an Audiolab 9000 CDT. The 9000 are the one to beat in the 1500 ish price category

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Yeah those look very nice. Congrats!

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

​@@ForeverAnalogstupid spending.

@pnichols6500

11 ай бұрын

That was my inclination, looking at the 9000 as well.

I wonder if my Rush 8-track will sound better somehow routed to the urg/DAC?

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

8 track with USB! That would be amazing lol. Which Rush album is the real question???

@dinosaursr

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog It’s from Hemispheres. I was kidding around😀I don’t have a copy but have nightmares of my late seventies youth riding in my buddy’s Toyota and the only music he had was that Rush album 😂. Being 🇨🇦it meant we had to listen to Rush!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I really enjoyed the Rush documentary from Netflix a few years back!

@dinosaursr

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog yes! Also Neil Peart’s book Ghost Rider is a really good read. Highly recommend it.

I'm a big fan of Schiit I own a Sega and a Modi. I'm surprised to say this but my initial reaction is that Urd is too big. I like my audio components to be small and out of site. I would probably get a Tangent II CD player and a second Modi instead. It would cost a lot less and occupy less space... although that means I would have to haul the CD collection out of storage and then need to find space for that LOL.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Same with my cd collection. I can’t believe how many years I’ve lugged those things around 😂

What happened to the BlueRay player?

@ForeverAnalog

4 ай бұрын

I use it for movies

Are there CD signal formats that aren't supported by optical TOSlink ? I would think optical would offer good electrical isolation to make any interference impossible. I may think of this high end as optional in the scope of EQ blasphemy. Just trying to recover from FOMO and trying not to fall into rabbit holes. I shall forever be your failing pragmatist.

I was like you why spend $1300 but then again why not! I have had 2 weeks with it and I'm enjoying it so far like the usb connectors for future use

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Awesome! Did the stop/eject button confuse you at first? Lol.

@baddavis75

11 ай бұрын

No I did read the instruction before playing@@ForeverAnalog

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

@@baddavis75 I learned my lesson lol

@baddavis75

11 ай бұрын

I also connected to a Denafrips Aries II and the modius dac. I did like them both both the Aries II playing to my Schiit mono Vidar 2 amps and on to my Cornwall speakers and wow!! @@ForeverAnalog

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

What an amazing set up!

Dont feel bad about the money. My oppo bluray player cost me an arm and a leg. But its still dominates with cds, sacds, and bluray audio. Sometimes you win

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Those oppos are awesome. Congrats!

I guess I'm wondering why you don't just import a CD into your computer and then play the wave files from your computer and use the money towards a nice converter like in my case I have a Lynx Hilo which sounds amazing.

@ForeverAnalog

8 ай бұрын

Good idea, but my computer does not have a CD drive and I'd rather not have it tied down to my audio system as I'm also using the laptop for work while listening to much. The Lynx Hilo sounds pretty cool though. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for watching!

@thomaswalder4808

8 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog You can buy an external USB CD drive for less than 30 USD and your laptop should be easily able to playback music while you do other work with it

People who listen to CD's as a source of music sometimes do not realize how important a high quality transport makes to excellent music playback. I purchased an Audiolab transport three months ago -- to replace a broken dvd player as a transport -- and the different is night and day.

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

I upgraded to the Schiit Urd transport and love it

@eddihaskell

9 ай бұрын

Let me make a recommendation on a DAC that you may be able to find in the used hifi audio components section -- the 25 year old MSB Link DAC III D/A converter- preferable with the separate P-1000 power base (2 components). They were a Stereophile recommended components. The half and full Nelson factory upgrades that were done at the MSB factory make it sound better, but if my memory serves correctly, were not crucial.. I am using this with my new transport, and the reproduction (I listen to classical and voice) is superb. It may be counter-intuitive to purchase an older DAC, but it works. I hesitate to purchase used hifi but these two items do not have moving parts, and do not overheat or need reconditioning with capacitators like amps do. @@ForeverAnalog

I would like to see this transport compared to the Emotiva and the Audiolab 6000 to see if paying twice the price makes a difference.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Agreed! I need to track down a 6000 for cheap lol

@amazoidal

11 ай бұрын

Ask the viewers if anyone can send you their unit for a couple weeks.

$1400 for a cd transport awh heck no!! 😂

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Lol. I understand!

@r423sdex

11 ай бұрын

Wiim mini !

@adaboy4z

8 ай бұрын

@@GeirRssaak I have a Sony Bluray as well. I like my vintage Technics Pl-555.

Ok let me help !! What you more than likely heard was digital attenuation, It is what many enjoy about Roon and a few other programs no one needs to spend that type of $$$$ transport only... Some AVRs incorporate (Coax/Optical ) attenuation usually 3-5 decibels is enough. That drops closer to the bit depth of Vinyl . Shitt is just charging an overpriced option for those a without knowledge of digital

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Oooh that’s interesting. Thanks for sharing!

@thinkIndependent2024

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog More than interesting it can be proven factually and confirmed 👌👍

I would not purchase a lower priced CD transport because I have one and the ones you review do not do CD and SACD. Currently, I use a mid-1990s Rega Planet CD player with S/PDIF output attached to my Dneafrips Aries II DAC. You "should" hear a difference only if your system can resolve above the level of quality of a component. Remember what everyone forgets, bits are bits but carried on an analog signal. I can hear a difference, or my system is just good enough to present differences, for everything except cables. Either or both my ears or system are not good enough for that.

Hi. I watched this video. I watched Mike's video. It's still 1's and 0's. YES, there can be tiny small differences because CD media isn't always read perfectly (that's why redbook has error correction) so a better player/transport with better optics and such can sometimes read those 1's and 0's better. If you've done CD ripping, you experience that first hand in an objectively measurable way. However, clean and undamaged CD, reasonable optics/power/electronics/etc in the cd player, the bitstream going to the DAC should be identical. If the bitstream going to the same DAC is identical and the DAC is producing audibly different output, the DAC is malfunctioning. If you truly want the most accurate sounding CD experience, you take the CDs out of the equation. You rip the data off the CDs and store the 1s and 0s on something more reliable than CDs. (EDIT: And in a lossless format, not MP3s, etc). Pre-ripping with the right hardware has the advantage that the data on the CD doesn't have to be delivered realtime, so if there is a difficult to read spot you can have your reader and software spend extra time there to work out what the actual data is that's on that spot of the CD. Once it's stored on a medium that can be read more reliably (e.g., flash memory), you send those (reliable) 1s and 0s to your quality DAC and you're done. Your test was unblinded and as you alluded to in your tests, you are smartly aware of the possibility of unconscious bias in such tests. But what about Mike's blinded tests? That's hard to say unless I saw it happen. For all I know, the listener (unconsciously) knew which device was being play due to something happening in the setup. Maybe when the assistant changed the audio source and he announced the change was complete he was in a slightly different location depending on what was being hooked up. I don't know. But you can have people operating in good faith and come up with such problems. (Remember Clever Hans? The trainer isn't believed to have been consciously signaling the horse). You need tight controls for such tests and most people don't go to the lengths to do it right--and when they do do it right the results are unsurprising (heard no difference) so they don't warrant a "the results will surprise you" kind of video so you don't hear about it.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it.

@VargaKen

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog Thanks for reading. And if you do want to try going the CD ripping route, give me a holler. I'd be happy to give you tips!

@thomaswalder4808

8 ай бұрын

Fully agree - randomized double blind tests are the best (and easiest) way to find out if there is really a hearable difference..... But for whatever reason - most "audiophiles" hate double blind tests 🙂

And how does its CD mechanism look like? How much sound does it make? Most CD players/transports use a generic cheap plastic mechanism, despite the price or fancy faceplate. You definitely should've opened it up, made some footage and put a dB meter next to its mechanism while playing.

@ForeverAnalog

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback - the drawer isn't noisy enough for me to ever consider putting a db meter next to it so that answers a lot of questions. Check out Darko's new video on the Urd for more drawer info.

A good dac with a standard cd player will Sound great. 1200 is way too Much to spend in a cd player. I love Schiitt products and the fact they are made in the us, but I can’t see how one can justify spending that much when there are so many cheaper options that will sound the same.

Buy a mechanical sound cd player for USD 300-500 and connect it optical to a a good DAC. All the good sound is made by the DAC and cd player will just be a transport.

Great review. I definitely lean towards transports. Like many, I love the option of being able to upgrade my DAC. I currently have an ADCOM GCD-575 that has an optical out and I run it through my Bifrost 2/64. It has been my go-to CD transport for at least 10 years and have no issues with it. It is not a complete transport as it does have RCA outs. Running it through my external DAC, does sound better, especially on the top end. I do, however, am very curious about the URD. So much so that I may buy it and run a comparison to see if it sounds any better. It is a bit pricey but I have nothing but great things to say about the pile of Schiit I own now.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I'm hoping to get a Bifrost at some point! Thank you for the kind words and for watching!

@Coneman3

11 ай бұрын

Jays audio DAC better, Holo audio may even better, Audio Music DAC/1 best.

I’m wondering if it’s better than the Cambridge Audio CXC? The CXC ain’t that refined but all the reviews say it’s so goooood 🙄

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Great question. I haven’t heard the CXC so can’t do unfortunately. I’d love to get my hands on one though to A/B with the Urd!

@hushpuppykl

10 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog … I hope you do!

When buying expensive players always enquire from the manufacturer how long they intend to stock spare optical drives. They are always the first to fail, I've had some last 10+ years of heavy use and some only last two years! Caveat emptor!!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Great advice thank you!

I use my Bluray for CDs and SACDs cost me £80

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Yeah I understand this move completely! Thanks for watching!

@adaboy4z

11 ай бұрын

That's what I use a Marantz DV4200 for CD playback.

Missing the leading T

Was said when cds come on the market that you couldn't beat their sound, it was the best you would get. the companies who said this did not tell us the truth. wonder what their next money making idea will be, may be cut the size of the recordings in half so to get the whole thing you have to buy two as that way they say sound quality is better just like they have split the hi/fi into so many parts for more cash.

Did he just wink at me 🤣

You definitely need to upgrade your DAC.

@ForeverAnalog

10 ай бұрын

Done! See new video lol

ya...no. Sorry too much for too little. But it is pretty.

imo Shanling has a better spec CD transport... it has coax, optical, AES, USB and I2S outputs..... much more choices than Urd

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Interesting. I’ll check it out! Thanks for sharing!

Robbed, you could buy the rotel dt-6000 for not much more....or get the new TEAC transport...lol at a schiit transport for 1400

You do that art behind ya?

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

No it’s by Nathan McKee - he has a store online where he sells prints!

@dougg1075

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog cool. Looked familiar.

The price is a little steep, but finding something cheaper is proving difficult, considering my snobbish tendencies. My Sony Blue Ray player = Unbearably noisy. My Yamaha CD player = Can't use the pure direct feature unless you're utilizing RCA output, but it does sound decent. Everything else below $1,300 (and most stuff above $1,300) = Appears to be made in China; I don't really care where it was designed Cambridge. I'm hoping that by the time I'm ready to upgrade that section of my rig that the three other people with high end Schiit DACs, will have made enough of a stink about Schiit not offering an upcharge replacement of the pedestrian S/PDIF coaxial output on the Urd with the far fancier BNC connection. Thanks for ponying up the dough and being the first hands on review on KZread. I want one even more now.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I was going to buy one of the cheaper transports but one reportedly scratched discs and I’d heard rumors of a Schiit transport coming so I just waited and went for it. I can see myself using this for many years to come! Thanks for sharing and watching!

Why is this thing so expensive?

You can't believe that you spent that kind of money for a CD transport?? I CAN believe you spent that kind of money for a CD transport...someone has to. Congrats!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Haha thank you for watching!!!

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

He is crazy

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

Should have spent it on expensive haircut than spend it on silly products.

@moonytheloony6516

11 ай бұрын

@@michaelcruz7704 Well it is his money after all, which means it's not your money and as long as it's not your money and only his money that's being spent, then it's not silly because it's his money spent on a product that he finds unsilly to purchase because...it's not your money. In regards to your money, and should you spend that money buying a silly product that you stated as silly beforehand, then the product being expensive and silly to buy would make your transaction plainly silly from an observer's perspective, because you said so in the first place...which would compel me to ask you- why did you buy that silly thing with your money? You'd only have one way to answer such a question which would be that you bought the silly product with your money, because you couldn't buy it with his money (the very idea of you buying a silly product with his money is absurd, but i digress) and I would agree with you 100%. Why would I agree? I'm glad you asked me that question. Because buying a silly product for yourself using his money would remove the sillyness entirely, because he owns the same product which wasn't silly at the time of his financial transaction, up to and including today and likely beyond. So there ya go.

@moonytheloony6516

11 ай бұрын

⁠@@michaelcruz7704 Crazy? Is he? let's find out together... Think about it. What is crazy? The definition for the term is defined in the dictionary as "mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild and agressive way." Well... spending money on a product isn't deranged at all. It's daily occurrence all over this planet we live on. Why I'll bet you a buffalo nickel someone in your neighborhood bought a product for themselves as I'm typing this.. There is nothing agressive about spending money to buy something unless...unless you force the person to sell you their product by buying threatening them with a flame thrower, now that would be agressive and slightly wild. i say "slightly" because technically you did pay him for it. But in fairness to your observation we should look at the second definition. "extremely enthusiastic" Hmm...now you may be on to something about the creator of this KZread channel. He is enthusiastic about this purchase. But is he extremely enthusiastic about this purchase? Extremely, which is an adverb, is defined as "to a great degree, very" So, did he use the "very" regarding his enthusiasm about his purchase?

I don't really need a CD transport or player anymore because I rip all my CDs to flac or Apple lossless files, then I play them using Audirvana software to my integrated amp that has a built-in DAC. I do have an older Schiit modi 3 that I rarely use anymore, but I suppose I could if I had a fancy new CD transport!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! I’m still a sucker for physical media lol

@earthoid

11 ай бұрын

I still have all my records and CDs in boxes taking up valuable storage space. I'm just too lazy to deal with them.@@ForeverAnalog

@michaelcruz7704

11 ай бұрын

Cds and cd player is still d best sounding audio format on d planet.

It looks like a off brand DVD player. They could have tarted the design up a bit at that price.

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

I hear you but at the same time it looks very on brand for Schiit

He could have just used the digital Output and use a DAC externally on any CD player. I would not buy this, you can get a Harman/Kardon HD 990 for around 400 bucks.

I spent $400 on my CD player. PS4. What!?!

"Press and hold the stop button to eject". That's bullshit!

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Lol I won’t tell exactly how long it took me to figure that out 😂

@allygator3260

11 ай бұрын

@@ForeverAnalog I would have taken me 20 minutes at least

14:25 - POS

The shit remote control 😂😂😂

@ForeverAnalog

11 ай бұрын

lol 🙃