CD/SACD player Under $4000

@philgo01 what you are asking about is exactly what my experience is (my prior comment above).  The Onix transport sends pure DSD64 via I2S to cooperative DACs.  In my case, the Denafrips Pontus II 15th was a perfect match.  Plenty of other DACs with I2S inputs that work.  However, one may need to choose the correct pinout (Onix provides ten distinct settings to try from).

P.S. For a real budget alternative, the Onix also successfully sent pure DSD64 to a SMSL DO200 MK II DAC that I bought on Amazon.  SQ was pretty damn good for the price!

Thanks @yyzsantabarbara !

I’m debating transport or player. Was thinking a player to give me different sound than streaming but it looks like the transport can potentially do that as well. 
 

I’d be interested in your thoughts on EMM unit when you get to it. 

Denon DCD A-110 SACD player , 2 channel only , no port to run a DAC. That’s because it is unnecessary the built in converter is very good. Had it 4 years now it weighs about 35 pounds. All steel chassis with copper plate.It is their 110th anniversary player made in Japan. All top quality components. The remote is metal. The hybrid discs load redbook and you use the SACD button to change to the deeper layer. It is distortion free and sounds fabulous. Friend has the 8M McIntosh and I see no difference. I have a Mac int. amplifier MA7900 though. I paid $3500 for my Denon when they’d been out only a short time but now you may find an open box for as low as $2300. Buying used gear that has moving parts like CD players doesn’t appeal to me but newer stuff probably w.b. o.k. Doubt I’ll ever wear out the laser but parts s.b. available later on if needed. Player does a great job on the redbook’s too , all but especially the 24 bit ones and the Japanese SHM cd’s made of a special material are also quite good. Has a direct stream selector that gives you exactly what the sound engineer created and plays anything you throw at it including doing a great job on the old HDCD’s as well. I’m a classic rock guy but I’m sure the player is equally impressive on classical or jazz. When I can find them usually used , I prefer the original single layer SACD discs that were mostly mfg. between 1999 and 2003,4.

A second vote for the Shanling SCD3.3, I bought this back in January and have greatly enjoyed its musicality for past 6 months.  I play mostly SACD and use it as an R2R DAC with my Mac running Roon and Hqplayer.  It replaced a Laiv Harmony DAC which was very good.  
 

the build quality of the top loader is excellent.  There are 4 ways to control it, touch screen button on the device, physical buttons, the remote control and also a mobile app.

@audphile1 …I’m debating transport or player.

Exactly!
High-end audiophile transports that complete with the very best seem to start at 4k. Likewise, a high-end DAC starts near 4k. Add SACD and it’s a budget challenge.

I plan to use the 4k Shandling SCD3.3 SACD Player as a CD/SACD transport.  It can also serve as a very good sounding CD/SACD player in another audio chain, especially if I decide to upgrade the transport later.

So many rabbit holes…