How good of a DAC is the Logitech Transporter

The Touch has a newer DAC, presumably a new digital design. How would it compare to a Transporter?
Art

I have not auditioned a Transporter and would very much like to compare the Balanced output to the Touch's unbalanced one.

On the other hand, to have a more fair comparison I did test out the Touch's unbalanced out with a Philips LH200 CD player unbalanced out to a Accuphase C-202 balanced out to a P-102 powering a set of Totem Staff speakers. My friend and I could not really tell a difference, in fact the Touch actually presented a bit more clarity.

Interested enough, I also compared the Touch's digital out to a Mhdt Havana DAC amp-direct to the Accuphase P-102 with -12db attenuation and it is remarkable, it sounds warm and absolutely musical (although my friend isn't really quiet used to the tube(?) sound the Havana produces).

I say the Touch is very very good.... for an unbalanced output and the AKM4420 can be compared to the DAC Philips LHH200 uses back in the old days.

The Touch is fine, but it is no match for the Transporter, not really even close. Also, things get even better still, when using the Transporter balanced outputs...

i am pretty sure and convinced that the Transporter is very very good at the price range and maybe one of the best, but it is a 2006 product (right?), nothing wrong with that i know, but will there be a Transporter II (or something like that) out soon? any rumours yet? or, any serious competitors (similar league, similar price...) yet?

i wish Logitech brought out cut down versions of the Transporter, e.g. Transporter without the built-in DAC, or DAC without the streamer/transport, that would have been much easier decisions for many many people, me being one of them, because i can sort of try one at a time, this would be more flexible.

from what i gather from many forums (including this great forum) and reviews about the Transporter, it seems the general consensus is that the Transporter is extremely good as a digital transport (almost peerless), but the DAC, as good as it is claimed, is at best on par with the likes of Benchmark DAC1, Bel Canto DAC3 etc., and therefore one could reasonably confidently conclude that: Gee, i wish i did not buy that standalone DAC, or, another way to put it, i really want to buy it, but $2000 just to use the transport part of it? probably not...

at least that is exactly what i am contemplating at the moment. mind you, i haven't got a DAC yet, so i might still go for it.

raymond

When the Transporter was released, 'miracle' DAC chip maker AKM already had a better DAC chip available.

If hi-rez playback is a concern, the Transporter is limited to 24/96. There is no indication that Logitech will upgrade it or release a derivative product in the future.