Opinions needed; which is a better choice and why?

Since I am a newbie to the higher end of audio do you all think I should stay away from a Transport/DAC combo and go with a single box solution for my source? Am I justified in my hesistance to mess with all of that extra cabling and jitter reduction, clock locking etc. or is it worth the trouble?
I am strating to see why the source is one of the most important components! I could not believe the difference between the Linn Genki and the ARC CD3, to my ears the Linn lacked the inner detail of the ARC.

Oooh man do the Kestrels sound awesome with the Tempest. I have had Kestrels with a few amps and the Tempest was by far the best match, incredible bass with that combo.

I am now using a system with Audio Physic Virgos', I do still miss those Kestrels....

The Magnum version of the Tempest is so much better in every way. Much more refined and detailed with being very musical. Better drive and depth to the bass, the power supply is doubled and the output transformers are %50 larger this isn't just some little tweaking going on. Rogue has really upgraded the big things ! If you can swing the extra dough I can safely say that the Magnum upgrade is easily worth twice what they charge for it.

Have Fun

Hey Meby, I have a seperate transport and dac. To me the logic is that each piece is doing what it was designed for. Hence a one box player depending on price MAY not equal seperates. I always see the PD65 advertised as a great transport yet it's a one box player. Yes jitter may play a factor but with units from AA,Monarchy and others that issue can be addressed. Hope this helps Meby.

All,
Since there are such great deals out there on the Sonic Frontiers Power 1, I am leaning towards purchasing one. Anyone who has owned or demoed one of these how do they compare sonically to the ARC VT50? I understand they are much easier to bias than the ARC amps. Also anyone who owns one what preamps are you using and are you satisfied?
Thanks,
Meby

meby, from what i can glean about your tastes in gear, i think you might really like tube BAT amps. try to listen to a vk-60...they can be found for under $2k used. the ARC stuff sounds great but is more expensive to retube and more difficult to bias (BAT is auto-biasing).

whatever electronics you buy, definitely buy used! however, i agree that speakers are probably best purchased new or as demos from a store, given the problems that can occur in shipping. others may disagree.