Can anyone please recommend warm sounding transport/DAC to replace tubed cdp ?

I replaced my tube cdp with a SimAudio 260d transport, Chord Qute Dac and a Empirical Audio BNC to BNC Digital Cable.

Call Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio and even if you don't buy the equipment I listed. Give that digital cable a shot. It was $250 and came with a 30 day money back. Best digital cable I have come across.

rodge827: I have a modded Jolida JD100. 

aniwolfe: thanks for the cable recommendation. I'm afraid the upgrades you describe are, collectively, beyond my $2500 budget. 

Well the dac you get used for around $600. Go to hifishark.com and type in Chord Qute hd. Also I highly recommend the MCRU Linear Power Supply. About $340. Here is a link below

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MCRU-FULLY-REGULATED-LINEAR-POWER-SUPPLY-FITS-CHORD-QUTEHD-EX-PEACH-DAC-/350591199458?hash=item51a0dd28e2:g:ysEAAMXQHO9ReOfG

As far as transport maybe check out the Cambridge CXC Brand New for only $400? Used PS Audio Perfect Waves for $1000 which you noted on your original post.

$250 for the Empirical Digital Cable (541) 595-1001 (a must) support@empiricalaudio.com

Thats about $2200 total with the Perfect Wave... $600 less with the CXC.

aniwolfe; thanks for providing more information. The difference between a transport like the Cambridge and the PS Audio, as you surely must know, is that the PS Audio stores the digital data in memory first, and then plays it. I do not want to get involved in computer audio but this seems like a way to get similar benefits. It turns out that the Schiit Gungnir I'd hoped to demo, would cost me $200 (Schiit's 5% fee + shipping) should I elect to return it, which seems awfully expensive to me. I'm open to any alternatives I can demo affordably. I stopped purchasing gear I could not first hear in my system, in my room, years ago. Is the Empirical cable HDMI or Toslink?