Researching SD Card Transports

[panasonicst60]

On 7/29/2022 at 11:34 AM, bodiebill said:

After my SDTrans384 blew up (see above), by chance I noticed one offered 2nd hand in Germany and I picked it up. It has upgraded clocks (NDK NZ2520SDA). I was not even sure whether I would ever buy another one, but I am so happy I did! I built it in a cheap bamboo box (there is also a lid). It is powered by a Paul Hynes SR4T with 5V, which is split into the main DC input and an MPAudio DLS-HPULN LT3045 (mounted underneath upside down) that converts 5V to 3.3V for the clocks. Still the best source I have heard by far! Beats streaming every time. It is a hassle though with the limited formats (only wav and dff) and small SD cards. Worth it to me though.

 

 

 

Nice setup! The SDTrans384 is very intriguing but it's too much of a diy and limited for me. I'm looking for a sd transport that comes close to the SDTrans384 but more user friendly. How would you compare the HX500 vs Aune S5? I'm fairly new to sd transports and any help would be appreciated. 

[panasonicst60]

I just got in today the Topping M50 and will compare it to my Denafrips Avatar transport to see if it will hold up. The Denafrips Avatar has the best SQ I have ever heard from a transport. Looking for a sd card transport to dethroned the cd transport. I'm also curious how a PI2AES or the Mercury streamer would compare in SQ to a good sd transport. 

[panasonicst60]

Back then when I was into cd transports, I compared the Oppo, Cambridge cxc, audiolab 6000cdt, and my current Denafrips Avatar. I was able to hear clearly the difference between every one of them. The Denafrips was head and shoulders above the rest. Besides comparing cd transports I also did power cables and was also able to hear differences.

 

I'm currently doing a comparison between the Denafrips Avatar to my Topping M50 and from my limited time so far, they sound very similar. So similar I don't think I'll past a blind test. Do note that I am running the M50 with the P50 power supply. I wasn't expecting a $200 SD transport to sound close to my reference cd transport. I'm quite shocked to be honest. This raises the question of how the M50 compares to the HX500 or the MDP-2. I have to do more burning in on the M50 and a lot more listening to be sure though. This is just my very early impressions. 

[panasonicst60]

I must correct what I stated in my pervious post. I had quite a bit more alone/quite time today(finally) and I definitely can tell a difference in sound between the Avatar and M50. The Avatar was slightly smoother sounding, certain instruments felt more focus, singer pushed back a bit, and it felt a tad bit more realistic(singer in the room). The M50 was slightly more forward in it's presentation, more articulate, and was more unforgiving on bad recordings.     

 

As of right now, I feel that the Avatar is my preferred sound, but the M50 is more accurate to the source. I will need a lot more time before I conclude as the M50 is hardly broken in at about 50hrs. 

[panasonicst60]

Has anyone has success with any of these SLC 32gb micro SD on the Sdtrans384?

 

https://www.greenliant.com/products/memory-cards.dot#interface=sd-microsd

 

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/SanDisk/SDSDQED-032G-XI?qs=gZXFycFWdANjQZU1Hw3L6Q%3D%3D

 

If not, then is there any SLC micro SD that is currently available from a reputable dealer? 

[panasonicst60]

21 minutes ago, sonodynesrp205 said:

Hello,

 

can I ask how satisfied are you with Topping M50? I am looking for a transport for my Ares II dac. 

 

regards,
Simon

I ended up getting rid of it. It just didn't have the smoothness refinement sound as my reference CD Transport. It would probably integrate well into a system that is on the warmer side. One of the highlights was the HibyLink which was very convenient. Changing music on the fly on my phone was so nice(I still miss it). Overall it was a very high value item and for $200 it's pretty hard to beat and not recommend. The next competitor worth looking at for $300 would be the Aune(never tried), but it doesn't have the HibyLink. 

 

One small problem I had with the M50 was on 2 songs I heard a tiny bit of weird distortion(digital?). Tried two different sd cards with the same results. Tried the same files on my other devices with no distortion. Didn't go into further investigation as I was retuning it anyways. Might be a sd card compatibly or firmware? 

[panasonicst60]

2 minutes ago, sonodynesrp205 said:

Thanks for the quick reply. I might order it to try it in my system to see how it performs. May I ask which DAC you used? USB connection?

 

regards,
Simon

 

I was using my built in DAC on my Emotiva XMC-2 with digital coaxial. Yeah I know, nothing special :) It also has a I2s which I didn't try. 

[panasonicst60]

So I finally got my Sdtrans384 in about a week ago. I'm running it with a LHY Audio 50w psu. Of course both not fully burnt in yet (leaving it on daily), but this thing is amazing, SQ wise. Functionally, it's not as bad as I thought. I have a bunch of 32gb micros and scrolling through them and finding an album to play was surprisingly easy for me. I takes a bit of getting use to and time naming and setting up your SD card accordingly of course. But if you know what you're getting and do a good amount of research, it's not that bad.

 

I put the Sdtrans up against my reference Avatar CD transport and to my surprise, it didn't take me long to notice that the sdtrans was superior in almost every way shape or form. From clarity, instrument separation, dynamics, and staging depth were up a level from the Avatar. Only after owning the sdtrans for a day, I am happy to say that the Avatar is now sold(never thought I would get rid of it). I have never heard anything better digitally than the Sdtrans384. The hype is real. It is simply jaw dropping. Merry Christmas to me! 

 

Special thanks to Bobfa and bodiebill for your post, convincing me to pull the trigger on the Sdtrans384.

[panasonicst60]

22 hours ago, bodiebill said:

@bodiebill

Interesting take on the M50. When I tried it, i wasn't impressed with it when it came to SQ. However the usability was great. In my comparison I only tried the digital coaxial though. Granted the m50 couldn't even beat my reference cd transport. The sdtrans knocked both my reference cd transport and m50 with ease. I'm sure in a few months, once you get bored of the m50 you'll be back to the sdtrans ;) I still stand by the sdtrans being the best of the best. I may have to buy a backup just in case they ever stop production.