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Best CD transport?

I recently bought the new Rotel DAC for my Mac Mini based digital music system. And boy is it good. With Amarra fronting iTunes, I've never heard such good digital. But ripping my CDs to the Mini is getting tiresome. What current CD player would make a good transport for the Rotel DAC? I was thinking that I would just get the Oppo 105 and call it good but that seems to be somewhat repetitive. And of course I would be tempted to A/B the two DACs instead of enjoying music which I've been doing a lot of lately. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks
dfwlistener
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
The Esoteric X-01 would probably be considered one of the best CDP to use as a transport, if not the best.
I have no relation with the seller.

Cheers,
John
zd542
5,339 posts
 
Here's a few I like. Wadia 270, Oracle and dcs.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
The Esoteric may be overkill with it's digital input, superior DAC, and better jitter control than the Rotel.
Oppo and Sony make good transports and the Oppo can stream content. What's you budget?
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
Dfwlistener, if it were me & I was on a budget I would consider selling your Rotel dac, buying a new Sony XA-5400ES & sending it to Modwright to get the Ultimate Truth mod which should out-perform anything around that price point. And the Modwright Sony XA-5400ES would be a much better SACD player compared to a stock Oppo 105 connected dac-out to your Rotel dac. That also gives you the flexibility to roll the stock tubes with upgraded NOS tubes as recommended by Dan Wright to get a different/better sound. I know Arnie Nudell is a big fan. Just food for thought.
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