looking for the best cd transport only, without dac


I have a Hegel H160 with inbuilt DAC and I'm looking for cd transport recommendation for $1000 or so. I have Harbeth SHL5 + and like an open and transparent sound. I've considered PS Audio PWT and other used options. I'm currently using my $75 Sony bluray player for transport and surprised how good it sounds. I've auditioned transports like Marantz and Cambridge. Options like Primare and Audionote I have't been able to listen to, the latter ones used to get closer to price point. There is also the Oppo 203, but wonder about quality of sound sacrifices in jack of all trades box? When I have compared the few transports I've tried the sound quality differences were quite subtle. So have people here done some serious comparisons of sound quality of just transports and have any great recommendations? Thanks
ckharbeth

Showing 1 response by mattmiller

CEC blah blah blah (good luck with that) Who needs a Transport??? Outdated! I say get a music Streamer from Auralic or Aurender, connect to the cloud and stream Hi Rez. Also incorporate and copy all your discs (I assume u have a lot) to a NAS drive and access them from the streamer as well. AND, because your Hegel has Digital inputs: 1 coaxial, 3 optical, 1 USB, 1 ethernet (RJ45) you are good to go with connection using the USB audio! In this way your DAC will receive a very clean jitter free digital signal that allows for highest streaming quality as well.


Matt M