And that’s the old (discontinued) version.
The 2021 NEW version is : CDT2-MK3 (New 2021!)
Indeed.
I just did a shootout with the same recording (We Get Requests The Oscar Peterson Trio) on the DMP. Japanese single sided SACD vs regular SACD vs red book CD vs DSD file on memory stick.
First off, The regular SACD sounded pretty good. It had nice 3 dimensional images, nice soundstage, ample air around instruments, and excellent clarity.
The CD layer flatten the soundstage and veiled the images. Very boring sound next to the SACD layer. I would not buy this SACD player, if eveything I play on it sounded like this, truthfully.
The memory stick DSD file sounded very close to the SACD, also very good in all areas, but I give edge to SACD being slightly clearer.
Then the Japanese single sided SACD. It sounded like a different recording, it was so much better than the rest. I kid you not. The liveness, the dynamics is to another level. You can hear the substance and texture better. The high hats on the left had more body and air, the piano in the background was more present and live, the bass on the right sounded more like a real bass. Granted, this recording is mastered differently, but this why I buy I buy a good SACD player for, to get this kind of exciting sound.
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Has anyone heard the Jay’s 2021 NEW version : CDT2-MK3 (New 2021!) along with their NEW
DAC2-MK3 R-2R (NEW 2021)
Much less then the Holo May KTE ($3,098. vs. $5,598.)
In fact, the Jay’s combo TOTALS $5,596
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Hi Scott,
This is going to be long, so please bear with me.
I bought the DSD DAC & Bridge II in October 2019. Initially, I was using mConnect to stream CDs locally ripped using Naim Core. I did notice sound quality was average. Things sounded better playing direct from Naim Core using SPDIF coax. Quite a few users on PSA forum condemned Bridge II as a source of noise. Others complained about connectivity issues. So, I experimented by unplugging Bridge from the router, and listening through the SPDIF coax port, and I liked the improvement. Then I uninstalled Bridge altogether, and that made things even better.
A few months later, there was a sale on Nucleus+, so I took the plunge and bought it along with Matrix. I2S, without Bridge sounds great.
A few months later, I ventured with HDPlex to improve Nucleus and Matrix sound quality. Simultaneously, the LPS served the router which had a positive impact on the sound of Roon Nuc. That tempted me to re-try Bridge which improved remarkably. Not only this, Bridge no longer affects I2S sound quality.
Earlier this year, I thought adding an audiophile network switch would definitely have an impact on the performance of the Nucleus and Naim server. Melco S100 made Bridge II perform much better in every way. Many would dread spending on a “tweak” but every time I listen through Bridge II, music sounds fresh and engaging. Every record sounds like a new purchase! Remember the debate of Qobuz Hi Res/ vs Tidal MQA? Bridge MQA decoding is so well implemented, it betters locally stored 69/24 files!
Matrix and I2S are there to listen to the very few DSD files in native mode, otherwise, everything else goes through Bridge and I love it. You mileage may vary depending other system components, cables, power quality, room setting, ears, etc.
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I recently acquired the Jay’s Audio CDT2 MK3 transport. It is still burning in. It needs still many, many hours of burn in and is still opening up.
I have it hooked up to my PS Audio DSD DAC on I2S with an Audioquest Vodka HDMI cable.
See my comments above in this thread as to my impressions thus far. The sound has opened up spatially and is so much bigger, and I’m hearing for the first time subtle, fine nuances and details, and the dynamics have significantly improved.
It does not sound bright or “digital” to me.
Similar favorable impressions are to be found on other forums.
For the price as an audiophile transport, I think this is really good value for money, unless you have an extra $4500 to spend on the PS Audio transport.
For now, my Jay’s is my reference transport. Indeed, the Jay’s transport was used by Steve Guttenberg recently as the digital source in reviewing the very high-end Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC.
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I am playing CD after CD in my MKIII tonight and I do believe what I am hearing beats streaming. I am not too concerned though as no matter what this sounds really fine!!!
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Check out this review:
Similar sentiments are expressed here:
Paul McGowan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwoh00QzfM
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Thank you, Serhan.
SEE
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It’s the first I have heard of it being discontinued. I checked their website and it is listed as a legacy product. Did you ask why they discontinued it? Is there a new version on the way?
Yup, no longer in production. Sometimes companies cease manufacturing a product not because it’s bad, but because stock is not moving fast enough, or because it negatively affects sales of other more profitable products. At other times, parts availability becomes a challenge to manufacturing.
When dCS announced the end of bridge production, they briefly reduced its price, but in no time they made a U turn on that 
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- No
- I have no idea.
I discovered it was no longer in production by perusing the dCS web site (in the same manner you confirmed it’s “demise”).
Cheers.
Here’s Paul’s video on why transports sounds different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_UzqlW5R5w&ab_channel=PSAudio
Thanks !!
I didn’t know about Jay’s Audio until reading this thread.
I love my PS Audio PST, but all this praise for the Jay’s is intriguing, especially at half the price of the PST. A serious competitor for PSA?
But can you try it and return it if you don’t like it, like the PST?
Maybe when I need a new transport.
I would say if you have the PST you are set and you can forget about it. My question is can the same be said for the Jay’s?
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I like the Jay’s. It’s really good value for money. But if I had one, I’d be longing for a PST.
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You have been able to afford the PST. Think of it as a long-term investment. In a different price league to the Jay’s, with some really top class technology, like the galvanic isolation. The Jay’s costs a lot less, so I don’t think one can compare. The Jay’s is good value for money at its price point. Perhaps the Jay’s comes a close second to the PST, given the significant price difference, but I have not heard the PST to say definitively so. Enjoy the PST.
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