Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport (Black)

OK, full disclosure time; I have a "proper" hifi system - turntable, pre amplifier, mono-blocks (that's one power amp for each speaker!), even a 78-speed turntable to play my shellac disks. My CD replay then had a disaster, my old Arcam transport finally gave up the ghost and I could only survive so long using a Marantz CD player as a transport only, pushing the signal into my Arcam DAC. After spending a host of time looking around at transports with prices from £300 up to £5,000, I ended up going for the Audiolab. I would have gone to listen to it before buying, but the only real way to assess a component would be to take my of my system with me and its just not worth the time, risk or effort. A day or so later, it arrived - quality packaging by Amazon - thanks. Remember this is a precision instrument, so having it dropped and bashed is not going to help things at all. It all fired up, a couple of cable connections and I was off. Wow! An immediate improvement over the Marantz and over the coming hours of playing things tightened up as the machine settled in. I have yet to try the digital feed, but the signs are that I will stick to the coaxial feed. The only slight niggle - the remote. It is cheap and plasticy - poles apart from the device itself. Many of the buttons don't appear to do anything. Would it really kill Audiolab to spend £20 on a suitable sleek remote to reflect the quality of the transport itself? OK, you generally only press "play" and listen to an entire CD, but still; it does gripe. That sound quality though - that is what I was looking for, and the CDT delivers in spades.

This CD transport is a brilliant bit of kit. It is just a transport so you will need a DAC either seperate to your amplifier or integrated within it. There are no RCA line level outputs from the CDT , just digital outputs. The sound from this transport is excellent. It is detailed , full in bass and with a rounded midrange. The slot loading mechanism is easy to use. I think its great value for money.

The Unit was very well packed and sealed from Audiolab, which was just as good as Amazon Delivery wasn't. It came in an oversize Amazon Box, loosely packed and the delivery man didn't realise there was an UP arrow as it was delivered on its side! However unboxing, installing it on my Naim based system and letting it run on disc repeat for 3 days has shown it is bulletproof. It plays my CD's and recorded CD's well and sound quality is beyond reproach, especially at the price. I suspect you will have to spend an awful lot more to better it. I play it through a Naim V2 DAC using a good Quality Atlas Hyper DD Digital cable connected to the DAC. A Fabulous machine, buy with confidence. 5 Stars

Excellent quality and good value for money

It’s an excellent value for money transport. I returned it because I was fortunate to demo both a Primare DD35 transport and a Hegel Mohican (the former is 5 times the cost of the Audiolab, and the latter nearly 10 times the cost) The Primare and Hegel are better but not “night” and “day” better. A highly recommended transport for up to a £1000. It’s as good as both my Cyrus transports - the CDT and the Signature - when partnered with a highly capable DAC. Say, the Chord Qutest or Hugo or the DAVE. I own these three DACS in different set ups, and the Audiolab fits right in without any compromise regarding compatibility or sound quality

I have just received the Audiolab 6000CDT and the improvement in dynamics and presentation was immediately noticeable. But after only 4 hours of play I am returning the unit. Every CD there was a click and half a second pause. This occured 2 or 3 times per CD. It was definitley NOT the result of scratches of damaged CDs, that sounds totally different. I am returning the unit to Amazon (Sevenoaks HiFi) tomorrow and back to listening to my Marantz 6006 via Chord Mojo Dac. Definitly the Audiolab sounds much much better but can't handle the clicks and pauses. I'm going to stick with a CD transport because the results are immediately noticeable. Rather interesting though that the box did not contain batteries for the remote. Update: The CD transport was returned over two weeks ago and apparently 'lost' in transport by Hermes or 'misplaced' by Sevenoaks HiFi. Following a complaint to Amazon I am going to get my refund after 4 phone calls.

Well built and solid feel. Replaced an old pretty expensive Micromega CD player and produces a slightly different but well balanced, detailed sound. The bass in particular is tight and well controlled ( better than the Micromega). If you have a good DAC this is an excellent value CD transport.

i feel the unit is overpriced when you consider you have to also buy a DAC to use this, maybe its just me , but i ended up buying the Merantz CD player

Présentation superbe et valorisante. Je I ai acheté pour pouvoir relire ma collection de CD, associée à mon Micromega M-100. Alors qu’il n’est pas encore rodé, le gain de musicalité me saute aux oreilles : présence, précision, rapidité, transparence, profondeur et largeur de scène. Un vrai régal. Si le gain de précision est marquant, les premières notes sont encore quelque peu pointues, mais je ne doute pas qu’après quelques heures de rodage, davantage de rondeur apparaîtra. Quelle musicalité d’ores et déjà. A adopter sans doute permis.