Recommendations for CD Player/DAC Combo

Lol.
Pretty sure Elizabeth is more than capable of defending herself here.
However I could not care less if she is female, male,  undecided or alien life form.
I call it as I see it no matter who says it.
No special treatment based on gender and I am pretty sure that is exactly as Elizabeth would like it.
So I truly do not believe anybody is just being nice to her at all.
Maybe nobody really cares enough to comment? Its her money and equipment and she is free to use it as she sees fit don't you think?
Not what I would do but we are not talking about me.....

I guess the majority of audiophiles are going with the Transport/DAC separates.  Has anyone personally compared the sound of the CD player/DAC separates to some really good one box combos?  Are there any hardcore purists who prefer the single component combo for sound quality?  

Is the sound difference worth having to provide extra shelf space and more cables?  The trend now seems to be building all these components into one multi tasking box.  

Thanks for the great responses.