cheap used transport vs cheaper cdp w/ digital out

Find an old Theta Digital transport on eBay. Ones that sold for $1500 to $8000 new, now sell for $300 to $1000. Built like tanks. There are newer DVD/CD transports as well, but they will still cost a lot used.

There are quite a few for sale here on AgoN as well, but eBay usually has better bargins, so check around. The older models to look for include, Basic I & II, Data Basic I & II, Pearl, and Jade. They all will be a giant improvement over your old Rotel.

Some are based on Laserdisc players, others more traditional CD transports.

If not for you or too expensive, any used decent former higher end Pioneer, Toshiba, or Denon DVD player will work OK, for not much $$.

Look for a used broadcast cdp; I found Denon DN c-680 on eBay for $88--it sells new for $1,000, it's built like a tank, and has coax and xlr digital outs.

The Thetas will indeed be a huge improvement over your Rotel while they work, but I have on three different occasions (Data Basic One, Data Basic Two, Voyager) convinced myself that the exterior construction (which is indeed tank-like) and a great price had to mean a good used deal, only to end up with indifferent reliability. My learning curve isn't steep, but it does slope upwards: the fourth used transport I bought was a Wadia, not a Theta. The tank stays pretty much the same, but the maladies don't linger on.