Upgrade CD transport/player vs. Sacd transport/player


Seeking to upgrade my CD listening experience and am not sure how to proceed. Here the my opions:

1. Cd transport,  such as Teac, Jays Audio, Audiolab, to connect to my dac which is currently a Weiss 204, but will upgrade to a Meitner Dac/streamer, specifically the MA3i. Not looking for a cd player. 

2. Sacd/transport/player-here is it gets complicated. I have researched SACD sound that also guarantees that I will hear the DSD layer of the SACD. If I go the SACD transport route such as the Onix Zenith Shanling XST20, but after looking at this option, it seems very difficult and no guarantee as I may need a special box (which I am told is legal) along with HDMI and or i2S connections. One member tried a few combinations and could not always  get the combinations to provide the DSD layer. Does hearing the DSD layer of SACD make a big difference vs. SACD PCM?

3. SACD Player-here there are multiple players such as Accuphase, Ps Audio and others that decode the DSD layer, but all of them are close to or over $10,000.00 in cost. 

4. Not sure which way to proceed.  The big question is, is the SACD sound with or without the DSD layer far superior to redbook? I can buy a top cd transport for less than $5000, but the SACD player is far more expensive. Is there anybody that has compared the two. Is the difference between top sounding redbook vs top sounding SACD substantial enough in order to justify the additional cost required to obtain the SACD player that decodes the DSD layer?  

Thank you for your time and attention.

 

kjl1065

The time of physical media has passed. With the level of investment you are considering, you should seriously consider just getting a high quality streamer. With a careful choice you will be able to get the same quality of sound and access millions of albums. Qobuz for example also has over half a million high resolution albums. The albums you already own are probably all there. All this would not have been a serious consideration ten years ago without a huge investment... today streaming at or better than CD and Vinyl quality is here. 

My main system with the same master the sound quality of vinyl = Red Book = stored file = streaming. you can see my system under my user ID. I no longer play my large vinyl collection or CD collection. It has completely freed me to explore all music... at the cost of less than one CD per month. 

@ghdprentice - The time for physical media has passed for you, and that's great - you're saving money and hearing more music.

To pronounce physical media's time to have passed for everybody else seems a bit much, though. Many people actually LIKE physical media. 

I agree that streaming has many advantages. But I have many cd's and enjoy listening to them. I m trying to obtain the maximum resolution from CD's or Sacd's. Not sure whether it should be via cd or sacd. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.