A good cd transport for my Chord HugoTT2 DAC with Chord M-Scaler

Though Audiolab and Cambridge make very capable transports (I have CXC2 in my 3rd system), I am looking for a very robust higher end transport (or CDP) to replace a Simaudio Mood 260d - something overbuilt in the best high end audio tradition.

A Luxman D-03x or a D-07x would fit the bill - they are built like tanks and are probably very capable on their own and wouldn't need an external DAC for several years - and could serve as transports for many years after that...  But it would be fun to compare to the Chord products...

Well if you want overbuilt, and you're also talking about a DAC, look at the Esoteric line up.  Big dollars but no one builds anything like it.  IMHO

That is a very serious looking drive - thank you!

Here in Canada Esoteric has a very small dealer network presence, much less than Accuphase which in turn has less of a presence than Luxman.  Both Esoteric and Accuphase are overpriced compared to Luxman,  and Luxman seems to have more extensive distribution and dealer support.  I'm not sure how that compares to the US market.

Jay’s Audio CDT2 Mk3 is very highly regarded…

https://www.beatechnik.com/product-page/cdt2-mk3

As a fellow Torontonian at least we have Esoteric and Accuphase dealers amongst quite a few other high end options to audition and chose from in our own back yard. I have a knack for investing heavily out dated technologies but restrained myself recently and decided not to invest in replacing my 20 year old pioneer elite CD player that is still going strong…spent the funds on streaming and have no regrets.

Pro-ject also have a well regarded player RS2 often compared to Jays that may be worth looking into.