SB duet dig to theta casanova vs transporter dac

i guess my question was too specific! anyone...?

me thinks newer dac (transporter or outboard) will be better (sounding) assuming you have a resolving system, good cables, etc)

One thing to consider is that the Transporter will play sample rates up to 192/24 natively, whereas the Duet (and other SB devices) will only play up to 48/24 natively. So with the Duet, you are only capable of feeding your Theta 48/24. Higher sample rates are what separate Redbook from SACD, DVD Audio (and beyond). This combined with new measures for clocking and reducing jitter is what will effectively narrow the digital analog gap (and potentially eliminate the gap altogether).

Something else to consider, is that the Transporter will set you back close to two grand and right now PS Audio is running a Trade-Up special on their Perfect Wave devices (PWT and PWD). They will give you the original purchase price of your current DAC/transport (up to $1,000), which means you can get the PWD for $2,000. In case you weren’t aware, there is going to be a "Bridge" product available sometime later this year that will transform the PWD into a music server. I suggest you read up on this exciting new product. To my ears, the PS Audio DL-III DAC sounds better than the Transporter. The PWD is way beyond the DL-III DAC. These are exciting times for digital.