If the DAC is the same, how different do CD transports sound?

Your CD player will sound different if you use it as transport, you will hear the digital cable , interconnect, and pc used by your DAC. I find using DAC is better.assuming  it matches .Not always its up to you how you will utilize The changes.

zlone

When using an external DAC, isn’t a CD player really just a streamer?

No, streaming and CD playback are two entirely different protocols.

 without a blind test with matched levels your reporting is only anecdotal. As Perry Mason would say "Can't stand up in Court".

Well, I have forgotten your scientific approach "it's only 0 and 1".

If you say so. 🙄

jasonbourne, Why don't you tell us exactly how you do your blind a/b testing, including all of the details of set up etc? Then we could copy your methodology  and see if we agree with your conclusions. 

Hey jasonbourne. I think the first consumer CD player was introduced by Sony in 1982. The CDP-101. I was in Germany at the time (in the US Army) and my buddy bought one at the post exchange. Also Philips (the co-developer of the CD player) introduced one as well. I actually bought the Hitachi brand, just like you did... but a little later.

Also I agree that if you find a quality integrated amp that can switch two digital sources and the listener does not know which one they are listening to, that might be a good way to test two players. I think any way you can do this with headphones might be an even better way to eliminate external noise.