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looking for the best cd transport only, without dac

I have a Hegel H160 with inbuilt DAC and I'm looking for cd transport recommendation for $1000 or so. I have Harbeth SHL5 + and like an open and transparent sound. I've considered PS Audio PWT and other used options. I'm currently using my $75 Sony bluray player for transport and surprised how good it sounds. I've auditioned transports like Marantz and Cambridge. Options like Primare and Audionote I have't been able to listen to, the latter ones used to get closer to price point. There is also the Oppo 203, but wonder about quality of sound sacrifices in jack of all trades box? When I have compared the few transports I've tried the sound quality differences were quite subtle. So have people here done some serious comparisons of sound quality of just transports and have any great recommendations? Thanks
ckharbeth
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
I say rip it

Now Rip it
Into Shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it (jittah)
It's not too late (for phase smear)
To rip it
Rip it good
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
PS Audio PWT. I've owned one for four years now and it is by far the best CD playback I've heard (I2S through my Wyred 4 Sound DAC2SE).
264win
51 posts
 
You are now using your BluRay player, are you looking for a universal player? If so I'd recommend to go back and listen t the Marantz UD7007
It plays CD/SACD along with BluRay beautifully! And it can be found for under you price point.
It's not the last word in CD/SACD play back but in its price point I'm not sure it can be beat?
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
I agree with mattmiller! Get a Streamer instead of a transport (any old CD or DVD player with digital output would work just fine!). A Streamer will give you much more options (like Hi-Rez and easy access to ripped CD's)!
ckharbeth OP
8 posts
 
I stream through Airplay Tidal HiFi and love it. However, I also like physical media and the ritual of handling and reading CD's and vinyl and their covers. A NAS drive is something I'll consider at some point. But for now I have a lot of cd's I like listening to and while the Sony bluray is good for transport, I was wanting to see if I can get a good sound quality bump for my $1000. I'll check out the Marantz as another option. There seems a number of transports by the likes of NAD or Rotel that also propose good value. I appreciate any real world guidance here as it is difficult to really assess sound quality differences at a dealer. 
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