mbl CD Transport 1621A

CD Transport mbl 1621A

MBL has its fingers in just about every audiophile pie there is, from CD players and DACs to preamps and integrated amps to power amps and speakers to cables, racks, and speaker stands. In terms of source devices, the company's ne plus ultra is the 1621A CD transport and 1611F digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

The drive operates as interface between the musical reproduction equipment and the world outside represented by compact discs. Thus, it is the first step for perfect reproduction of music. For this reason, we indulge in the luxury of the best CD drive available on the market, the mbl 1621 A, that is equipped with a stable aluminum diecasting frame. But this would not be enough since here, too, the devil and the difference between the most perfect and all the others is in the nuts and bolts. Therefore, we further improve the absolutely and durably precise tracking 3 beam laser drive at some important points. Thus, to avoid vibrations, the drive is for example mounted on a sub-chassis with a weight of 4 kg: a solid block made from brass, aluminum and Terodem, spring-mounted on three points for isolation. And the highlight is the adjustment: The drive can be adjusted absolutely horizontal as it is true for very good record players.

The solid top cover made from 10 mm thick aluminum that protects the drive against sound pressure waves of the music coming from the speakers is not less complex and at least as effective as the measures mentioned above. When removing the cover for changing CDs you feel its weight and the high quality of its workmanship. Due to its unique shape and material design developed by mbl it closes the mbl 1621 A drive like a safe. To avoid resonance within the CD chamber the cover is cut three-dimensionally screw-like. Due to this shape there are no parallel surfaces between the CD and the screw-like cover.

The 1621A starts with a die-cast aluminum frame and 17-pound, spring-loaded sub-chassis made from brass, aluminum, and Terodem, a vibration-damping material. Its 3-beam laser pickup assures accurate transcription of the data on the disc, and the transport mechanism can be adjusted to be perfectly horizontal.

As a transport, the 1621A has only digital outputs, including AES/EBU, S/PDIF (BNC and RCA), and optical ST. To convert that signal to analog, an ideal companion is the 1611F DAC, which provides a variety of inputs, including two AES/EBU and four S/PDIF (two RCA, two BNC), with the option of adding an optical ST and two optical TosLink inputs. Analog outputs include one pair of balanced XLR and two pairs of unbalanced RCA. The 1611F can process PCM resolutions up to 192kHz/24 bits as well as SACD bitstreams, with 16x oversampling for CDs.

The handling of the stabilizer is full of joy and is not more amazing than the solid appearance of the drive which reflects the solid quality of the 30 kg device in an subtly elegant way. The 10 mm thick cover of the drive made from solid aluminum lets you have no doubts about quality Imperturbability is a trump.

SPECIFICATIONS

CD Mechanism

CD PRO 2 LF Module

Heavy die-cast frame

3-beam laser for high tracking accuracy

Laser: 780 nm, max. 0,5 mW

Glass Lens

Linear sledge for radial tracking

Fully digital servo processing

19 K SRAM FIFO Buffer with digital PLL

Media

Standard compact disc (Red Book)

Resolution: 16 Bit

Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz

Number of Channels: 2

Modulation: EFM

Error Correction: CIRC

Rotation Speed: 3,3 – 8,3 revolutions per second (200–500 rpm)