Description
PS Audio PMG Signature SACD Transport
The PS Audio PMG Signature SACD Transport is an engineering triumph, designed to extract every nuance and detail from your CDs and SACDs with unmatched precision.
With galvanically isolated outputs and ultra-low jitter design, it breathes new life into your CD collection when paired with any DAC. And when connected via I²S, it unlocks the raw DSD layer of your SACDs—delivering what was once hidden to external DACs.
This is not nostalgia. This is revelation.
The PMG Signature SACD Transport is the ultimate disc playback system—worthy of the name, and the legacy.
View Owners Manual >> View PS AUDIO >>
Features
If you’re like most of us, you still have a cherished library of physical discs. There’s something timeless about opening a jewel case or sliding a disc from its sleeve—the feel, the ritual, the music waiting inside.
Even in today’s world of streaming, CDs, SACDs, and data discs often deliver the best sound in a system—when paired with a truly exceptional transport. None are finer or better sounding than the PMG Signature SACD Transport.
This is PS Audio’s statement piece, and it defines state-of-the-art disc playback. From the first notes, you’ll hear the staggering leap in performance it brings.
Its secret? A fully galvanically isolated output stage that physically and electrically separates the delicate digital audio stream from its noisy environment, dramatically lowering jitter and noise. Hear more than you ever imagined from your discs with the PMG Signature SACD Transport—the finest they’ve built in over four decades.
Design
43 years after the introduction of the CD, PS engineers have continued their quest for perfection in the art of data extraction and delivery so you can finally hear what’s been locked away in your CD and SACD collection.
The PMG Signature SACD Transport is their most advanced optical disc transport. The galvanically isolated output stage couples the output of the drive mechanism to the PMG’s internal Digital Lens with nothing more than a pulse of energy across space, any hints of noise or ground contamination are eliminated.
The results of this complete isolation are magical: a previously unheard level of image separation, openness, and effortless reproduction. Never have we experienced noise levels this low—a seemingly velvet blackness that must be experienced to understand.
Application
CD, data discs, and SACD reproduction is unequaled by any other player we know of.
CDs played through the PMG Signature SACD Transport come closer than ever to high-resolution PCM and DSD, uncovering new layers of dimensionality, soundstage, depth, and musicality previously unobtainable in other optical readers or server-based audio systems.
Like its predecessor, the PerfectWave SACD Transport, the PMG Signature opens the long-restricted DSD layer of SACD to PS Audio DACs. The PMG will deliver the raw DSD layer of copyright-protected SACD directly into your PS Audio DAC through I²S.
This means that you’ll uncover the wealth of audio’s finest digital medium, DSD, and hear exactly what the mastering engineers who created these discs have enjoyed all along. Hear what you’ve been missing with the PMG Signature SACD Transport.
Galvanic Isolation
Unlike the relatively quiet environment enjoyed by analog electronics, digital audio equipment is inherently noisy. Digital timing clocks running at speeds high enough to rival radio transmitters pose a serious challenge when the goal is a clean, jitter-free digital audio output stream.
Engineers have spent decades experimenting with shielding, grounding, and isolation techniques to tame this noise—not just to meet regulatory limits, but to achieve true sonic quiet.
The most effective solution? Physical separation and full electrical isolation. Standard digital audio subsystems rely on wires for signal and power, which radiate high frequencies and worsen the noise floor.
The PMG Signature SACD Transport takes a different approach. Its output stage is both physically and electrically isolated—no wires, no shared ground paths, no common power supplies.
Inside, two completely independent power supplies serve separate duties: one for the noisy internal electronics, the other exclusively for the ultra-quiet output stage. Signal transfer between the two is achieved through a focused, short-wavelength radio link—eliminating interference and preserving the purity of the audio data.
The result is stunning. With the PMG Signature SACD Transport playing your discs, musical details once buried beneath noise and jitter are finally free to come to life.
DSD Master Layer
The Sony/Philips introduction of the SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) in 1999 heralded a new format of high-performance audio. Not since the original introduction of the Compact Disc in 1982 had there been a major improvement in the performance of digital audio.
With the SACD, digital audio took a major leap forward, surpassing not only the Compact Disc but, to many, the performance of analog. The technology behind the SACD is DSD, a high-sample rate (2.8mHz or 64 times that of a CD) 1-bit recording system that achieves 120dB of signal to noise ratio and dynamic performance without any hint of digital glare.
Unfortunately, the DSD layer on SACDs is locked and cannot be extracted from the disc for playback on an external DAC. That was until the introduction of the PMG Signature SACD Transport.
The PMG is able, through the use of their I2S output, to directly connect the DSD layer to a PS Audio enabled DAC. The results are breathtaking. Now SACD owners can connect directly to the master quality source locked onto the SACD’s master layer.
This is a major triumph for music lovers around the world. Hear what mastering engineers get to enjoy. The pure DSD Master layer.
FAQ’s
- What does the PS Audio PMG Signature SACD Transport do? It reads SACD and CD discs and outputs a highly accurate digital signal to an external DAC for the best possible sound quality.
- Does the PMG Signature SACD Transport include a built-in DAC? No, it is a dedicated transport only, designed to be paired with a high-quality external DAC for optimal performance.
- What disc formats are supported? It supports SACD and standard CD playback, allowing you to enjoy both high-resolution and traditional disc libraries.
- What makes this transport better than a standard CD player? Its precision disc mechanism, low-jitter digital output, and high-quality power regulation deliver greater clarity, timing accuracy, and musical detail.
- Is the PMG Signature SACD Transport easy to use? Yes, it features straightforward controls and seamless integration with compatible PS Audio and third-party DACs for simple, reliable operation.
Specifications
Physical
- Unit Weight: 30.3 lbs (13.7kg)
- Unit Dimensions: 14 3/4” x 17 1/2” x 4 3/8” (with feet) / 375 mm x 445 mm x 112 mm (with feet)
- Shipping Weight: 40.5 lbs (18.4 kg)
- Shipping Dimensions: 20 1/2” x 24” x 10” / 521 mm x 610 mm x 254 mm
- Color Options: Black / Silver
Power Requirements
- Input Power: 120VAC or 230VAC 50 or 60Hz
- Power Consumption: 25W
Media
- Optical discs: SACD/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R*/-RW*/+R*/+RW* (*Audio data file only)
- USB Drive: USB Flash Drive with audio files
- Supported File Formats: MP3/WMA/AAC (~48kHz/320bps) WAV/FLAC/AIFF (~192kHz/24bit) ALAC (~96kHz/24bit) DSD (~5.6MHz)
Outputs
- I2S: 1 I2S output for PCM and DSD (raw)
- Coax: 1 output for PCM and DoP
- BNC: 2 outputs for PCM and DoP / Use in tandem for double-rate DoP
- XLR Balanced: 2 outputs for PCM and DoP / Use in tandem for double-rate DoP
