In the example comparison ... 860 to 27ix/270 ... what you get is marginally better bass / imaging / depth and significantly better seperation of instruments / voices (when the action gets heavy). Is the improvement worth it? That will always be a personal decision. For me, once you have heard the difference ... how do you go back??
CD player or Transport and DAC
Wanting good sound but not wanting to throw money away, how much more do I get for a separates source than for a single unit? As an example, scanning the for sales here, a Wadia 860 weighs in at $4,500 and a 27ix / 270 combination at $10,000. Similarly for ML equipment. So how much more do I get for the extra $5,500? Any thoughts and experience and other ways of achieving similar quality?