dCS Paganini SACD/CD Upsampling Transport

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General:
Beautifully built SACD/CD transport that almost feels like a solid block of aluminum. 

This is a transport only - meaning you'll need a DAC of some sort to use along with it for a complete digital disc playback system.

Your purchase includes the power cord and original box.

About the Paganini CD Transport
Paganini Transport is built to the highest specification and features a sleek, solid aluminium fascia, thick aluminium casing, metal buttons and a smooth transport mechanism. Its TEAC Esoteric™ UMK5 drive is robustly constructed and features a metal tray built specially for dCS. All signal processing and electronics in the Transport are designed and developed in-house by dCS.

Paganini Transport upsamples CD data to DSD, transmitting DSD data over the IEEE1394 and Dual AES interface. SACDs are played in their native format and also transmitted over IEEE1394 and Dual AES. Native CD data is available from 4 PCM outputs (2x AES3 and 2x S/PDIF), as is downsampled SACD data.

Paganini Transport is intended to be used with the matching Paganini DAC or any suitable industry-standard DAC. The unit may be run in Master mode or by using the DAC as the system clock. Performance is further enhanced by adding the Paganini Clock to the system.

Key Features
- Upsamples Red Book CD to DSD format and plays SACD in its native format.
- Uses a solidly constructed TEAC UMK5 mechanism with a metal tray built specially for dCS.
- All dCS products use a sophisticated multi-mode Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) which significantly reduces clock jitter.
- Improved power supplies give lower running temperature and superior tolerance to AC supply variations.
- Aerospace-grade aluminium chassis and laminated acoustic damping panels reduce magnetic effects and vibration.
- Low-power LC display makes the user interface easier to read, keeps power requirements down and minimises electrical noise.
- ‘Soft’ approach to programmable logic allows new software to be loaded from a dCS update CD to add new features and adapt to changes in digital formats.

Ownership:
Single Owner

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested on our bench with both CD and DVD. XLR and RCA working as they should.

Included:
Exactly as pictured and described above.

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Reviews:
Click Here

Specs:
Upsampling CD/SACD Transport
Dual layer TEAC UMK-5 CD/SACD mechanism.
460mm/18.1” x 400mm/15.8” x 110 mm/4.4”. Allow extra depth for cable connectors.
1.5kg/25.3lbs.
IEEE 1394 interface on 2x 6-way connectors. The interface outputs dCS-encrypted DSD (1 bit data at 2.822MS/s) whether a CD or SACD is playing. 2x AES/EBU on 3-pin male XLR connectors. Each outputs CD format data (16 bits at 44.1kS/s), whether a CD or SACD is playing. When set to Vivaldi mode, the 2 outputs act as a Dual AES pair, carrying dCS-encrypted DSD data whether a CD or SACD is playing. 2x SPDIF on 2x RCA Phono connectors. Each outputs CD format data, whether a CD or SACD is playing.
CD data may be upsampled to DSD.
Word Clock input on 1x BNC connector, accepts standard Word Clock at 44.1kHz or 88.2kHz. Sensitive to TTL levels. Word Clock output on 1x BNC connector. With the transport in Master mode, a TTL-compatible 44.1kHz Word Clock derived from the internal crystal oscillator is available on this output.
Better than +/-10 ppm when shipped (not temperature compensated).
dCS Premium Remote control supplied as standard or RS232.
Factory set for 100, 115, 220 or 230V AC, 49-62Hz.
20 Watts typical/30 Watts maximum.

Weight:
23 lbs.

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Better

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Best

Kimber Kable - Coaxial Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Optical Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Digital AES/EBU Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Select Series Reference USB Cable

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Good

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Better

Kimber Kable - 14AWG (Gauge) Power Cords - Best

Testing Process:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. When the unit is first powered on we check the drawer mechanism function.

After the visual inspection we connect the CD Player RCA outputs to our Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates a real world input impedance and allows us to monitor the output on an oscilloscope. We start with a test CD with precision test signals to verify proper output on both channels. If the CD player has balanced outputs these are also tested at this time.

If this check passes, we move onto evaluation with actual music CDs. We listen for clicks, skips, and drops during playback. At this time we also check the transport functions including Play, Pause, Stop, Repeat Track, Next Track, Previous Track, Fast Forward, Rewind, and programming if applicable. If the unit has a remote control, all remote control functions are verified.

If the CD player is capable of SACD playback we test its ability to read SACD layers on multiple discs including standard and hybrid SACD's. At this time we also check the unit’s digital outputs where applicable. If SACD layers are being properly read we should see the digital outputs mute during playback. On redbook CD playback we verify that each digital output maintains proper lock on our bench DAC.

After bench testing is completed, CD players are set up for testing on our long term test rig. During extended testing we make sure that unit can play through several different discs from beginning to end with no skips or lockups.