CD/SACD-проигрыватели и транспорты — Emm Labs EMM Labs TXi

The TXi is a CD transport from EMM Labs, the Canadian company founded by Ed Meitner, known for its digital converters and SACD technology. It completes EMM Labs' flagship digital front end as a companion to its latest converters. Announced in 2025 with shipping from July of that year, it reintroduces physical media to a system otherwise built around streaming and files.

Key specs that matter

The TXi connects to EMM Labs DACs through the proprietary EMM Optilink optical interface. It has RS232 communication with the DAC. Power comes from the Meitner X-Power System, a switch-mode supply engineered and built in-house. The mechanism is a hybrid of top loader and drawer. The chassis measures 438 x 381 x 102 mm and weighs 15 kg.

Engineering and use context

Optilink carries the digital data from transport to DAC with precise timing, and EMM Labs has used proprietary links of this kind for years to keep clocking under the DAC's control. The RS232 connection lets the DAC act as the user interface for the transport, so the system works as a single unit. The Meitner X-Power System is a switch-mode power supply designed for very low noise, minimal ripple and stable output. EMM Labs has long favoured its own high-frequency power supplies, whose switching frequency can be synchronised with other circuits to keep noise away from the audio band. The mechanism combines the precision of a top loader with the convenience of a drawer, and a suspension system isolates it from external vibration and chassis-borne noise. Its internally damped, non-magnetic case is CNC-machined from aluminium. The TXi reads CD only, not SACD. This hybrid loading invites the listener to handle discs as part of listening, which EMM Labs presents as a return to engaged, disc-by-disc playback. The processing is left to the DAC. The company's converters apply its MDAT processing, which detects transients and upconverts incoming PCM and DSD before conversion, so the transport's job is to deliver an accurate bitstream. The earlier TX2 was a CD and SACD transport with an Esoteric drive and its own MDAT2 processing, linked by the EMM Optilink glass optical interface. The TXi takes the opposite approach, keeping the transport simple and relying on the DAC.

Pairing

The TXi is intended for EMM Labs' DA2i and DV2i converters, and the DAC may need a firmware update to enable full functionality.

Alternatives

EMM Labs' TX2 is the earlier CD and SACD transport of the brand with MDAT2 processing.