Ruminations On CD Players

Other posters have made the same points, but my two cents:

1) The DAC is the main determinant of the sound. Transports matter, but imo the DAC/transport ratio is 80/20 in terms of ultimate SQ. I have had good DACs make average transports sound better, but not the reverse

2) DACs are more durable than transports. No laser, no disc spinning mechanism to misfire, no tray or door issues.

3) should you decide to explore streaming in the future, you can get a relatively cheap streamer, pair it with a good DAC, and have excellent results.

4) used DACs tend to be more durable then used CDPs for all the above reasons.

5) you can use any old CDP as a transport as long as it has digital outs. Perhaps your old Arcam can still function as a transport. You can always upgrade to a different transport later

If your budget was around $3K I would spend around $2500 for the DAC, new or used, and the rest on the transport.

Pro-ject has some well regarded transport and DAC choices if you desire matchy-matchy:  DS2T Transport - $899; S2+ DAC -$399; RS2T Transport - $3199; RS2 DAC -$2249.  (Maybe a little weird that they don’t have any DACs in range between $399 and $2249 - I think they used to.)

Plenty of options - Get an old Rotel and have the parts upgraded along with the laser if you want really good sound but don't want to spend too much.  Or get an old Cary 306SACD model and have that upgraded.  Once that is upgraded it will complete with much higher priced DACs for a ton less in standard Rebook CD sound.  We were amazed how good it sounded compared to DACs like the Mola-Mola, Kasandra, etc.

Happy Listening.

Thanks for the info and advice.  One of the posters asked about my system.  I have a Prima Luna Dialogue One amp and Forest Totem speakers.  I don't have a streamer and hate to say never, but I'll likely stick with CDs and vinyl.  When the time comes I'll pick a separate and inclusive CD player from the suggestions, and find an online dealer with a liberal return policy.    

Going down the road of transport and DAC gives a lot of flexibility for future upgrades and "tuning" SQ to ones liking. Limit of $2K is well enough to start on this path. Cambridge or Audiolab transports, very well regarded, and lots to chose from DAC category under $1.5K. Been there, done that.