Please Recommend Transport + DAC for $5K total

Any of the Stereophile Class A or A+ DAC should float anyone's boat. Why not burn your collection to a PC and get rid of the transport. Transports are inefficient and poor form a playback compared to a PC and a hardrive. Mac Mini has optical out or USB to connect a modern DAC.

gdhal: I’ve encountered a variety of opinions re: Yggdrasil. One common observation is that 15 days is an inadequate trial period, due to a very long burn-in time. What was your experience in this regard?

@stuartk

I’ll preface this reply by stating that I’d typically be considered a rebel in most everything and that includes audio/video. That said, you’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head. I too have encountered a variety of opinions regarding the burn-in time and whether or not to keep it on 24/7. And that may not just be a result of this forum, but other forums as well as feedback from electronics repair guys. PM me if you want the number to some outstanding electronics repair people in the Long Island and Manhattan NY area who can speak to burn-in and pluses/minus of leaving equipment on/off. Each scenario has advantages/disadvantages.

My experience in the 18 days or so that I’ve had the Yggy is that (a) it does NOT need to be kept on 24/7 to sound its best, (b) sounds amazing from a cold start, (c) is worthwhile breaking-in once when new and it achieves said break-in within a week, (d) 15 day trial is plenty and it probably wouldn’t take you that long to realize how incredible it is and (e) the 15 day trial is "generous" only in-so-far as the clock starts from when you sign that its been received from fedex, not when it ships.

EDIT:

Don't just take my word for it, if you're seriously interested in the Yggy, it behooves you to do two other things. (1) Email Nick at their support email address and ask questions and (2) read and or post here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-yggdrasil-impressions-thread.766347/ . The grand high exalted mystic ruler himself posts on occasion.  

rhljazz: I'm concerned about longevity, so anything described as "old" concerns me.  

stereo5: Yes; which is why I said "North America", not USA! 

auxinput: I've heard of LKS. Will look into it. This may be a stupid question, but where do I get info re: whether a given transport has "good digital clocks and linear power supply"? Reviews? 

whart: The Sim you mention is a top contender for me as a transport, too.
Never heard of Border Patrol. Will look into it. 

shadorne: I recognize, rationally, the sense of what you're saying about playback. However, the thought of scanning all my CDs sounds very unappealing. While I may have no choice in the end, I'm keeping my head in the sand for awhile longer.  

gdhal: Thanks for taking the time to provide the detailed response re: Yggy warmup, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've come across forums where Yggy owners insist the unit must be kept on all the time. 

auxinput: I meant to say I'd never heard of LKS.  

Sony x77es manufactued around 1992 still going strong.  It is used daily as a transport.  The Sony was built at a time when quality really mattered.  
So for something newer as a transport, the Cambridge CXC has received positive recognition in the U.K. Press.  The Chord Hugo and now the Hugo 2 is the go to Dac in most equipment evaluation.  The Cyrus transport is also a favorite.