You can buy 256Mb RAM SIMMs for $140 or so apiece - since you'd need three, the maximum cost would be $420, but I'm sure the wholesale bulk cost would be decidedly less. At this point, it would be a definite cost addition to the machine, non-trivial to the point that it would only be appropriate for a high-end player.
However, I would think that it would eliminate a lot of cost associated with a high-quality transport section. I don't know much about what goes into making a high-end transport high-end, but I'm sure there's significant parts cost associated with it. Since you'd be separating the reading of the disc from the playback of the music, you wouldn't need all physical separation, so maybe at the end of the day it wouldn't be that much of an uptick in parts cost. Maybe it would ultimately cost less
I think most high-end players use one form of buffering or another towards the same goals, but the advantage I see here is buffering the whole disc, since that is what allows you to shut down the transport mechanically during playback, as well as removing all real-time aspects of data retrieval off the CD. As Gunbei suggests, there would be no moving parts during playback which removes a whole raft of noise issues. I think Pls1's calculation of about 2 minutes to load a CD is about right which, while not ideal, certainly isn't out of the question considering the lengths most audiophiles are willing to go to better the sound of their system. -Kirk
