Transport with XLR digital out for 1500 new/used


My Micromega transport has been declared irreparable. Loved the sound with Nordost Silver Shadow XLR and need to replace with transport with XLR digital out. Thinking $1500 for new or used could work. Thanks for input.
celtic66
I've used the Parasound C/DB-2000 for the past few years and it's a great sounding transport compared to everything else I tried. I never tried the Meridian 500, but depending on what digital cable you use, transports can sound very different -- and what works best for one may not be the best for others...

One of my friends also bought a used Parasound and couldn't believe the improvement it made in his system. I'm not selling my Parasound. :)
The Theta DaViD has an AES/EBU output which you desire. It also plays DVD's and can be had in your price range.
The discontinued Theta Pearl and Jade transports both offer AES/EBU output on XLR's, and employ the Pioneer Stable Platter mechanism. I own the Pearl and think it sounds great, but I have only compared it against lower-priced one-box players used as transports. The higher-line Jade featured a digital buffer circuit to reduce jitter which the Pearl lacks. Pearls seem to go for about $600-$700 used, Jades a few hundred more, but both are well under your budget max. (Theta dropped these models a couple of years ago to focus on transports based around DVD drives exclusively.)