Will computer to DAC replace transports and cdp's?

Alex - I agree that if the entire track is read into RAM and then played back from RAM, then it has the same flow-control and clocking advantages of a computer, but to my knowledge, none of the available CD players do this, except for maybe the Meridian, which is evidently just a CD-ROM drive and a computer anyway.

If you go to all this trouble, then why not just put the tracks on hard disk, where you have complete control over them in software, unlike the tracks on an optical disk?

Steve N.

Steve Nugent,
Which computers have a I2S or I2Se interface?

My recent experiments with the computer and a USB DAC have proved to me the superiority of the computer model for playback of CDs. There is no going back for me.

Steve

Mburnstein - You dont want the computer to have the I2S interface. This would introduce computer clock, power supply and ground noise into the signals. The best way is to use an external WiFi or USB to I2S converter with it's own power supply, preferably battery. My company makes these. The result in unlike any digital audio you have heard. Eliminating the S/PDIF interface makes a huge improvement by reducing jitter to infinitesimal levels. Here is a link to a recent professional review of an I2S-based system:
http://www.americanwired.com/audio/empirical/offramp.html

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

I use a Waveterminal U24 to take the USB signal from my computer and convert it to S/PDIF -- and then run coaxial out to my DAC. The U24 does not require its own power as it pull that from the USB cable: I am assuming this is a good thing?