what are the Best Direct to amps Digital Players ?

I have owned two. EAR Acute and now Ancient Audio. Both are excellent tube based players, but the Ancient Audio actually includes a pre-amp circuit with additional inputs.

Audiolabyrinth, I think you need to rethink your approach. Your parameters (<13K, single box, volume control, plays CDR, DVD-A) narrow the field to a very limited number of players (potentially zero). The problem is once you identified that player (a) you probably have to buy at full price, and (b) you are missing out on better options. So here is my thinking. Assuming rackspace is not an issue, it appears a single box is needed to avoid having to buy a pair of very pricey analog cables. Fair, enough. Just get a digital transport that meets your needs. Highly acclaimed PS Audio Perfect Wave transports are showing up in droves (nothing wrong with the transport, just many people moving away from spinning discs). Pick one up for $1,500 (MSRP = $4,000), and your in business. (of course you need a half decent digital cable - $500 tops). Now you have a very wide field of D/A converters with volume control to choose from, in your price bracket (you have around $10K left), and endless reviews / opinions. Also, you can now keep your eyes open for a used DAC that makes it to your shortlist.

First think to ask now is are you OK with digital VC, do you want analog VC, and if so how important is it is tube based. If you want tube, Aesthetix Pandora is a good option, and I'm sure there are others. If you want analog, you can get entry level MSB. A highly respected DACs with digital VC is Berkeley Audio design, well within your budget.

The advantage of this approach is you have many, many more options, and have access to the used market, and in my opinion you will end up with better sound for the money, simply because DACs is where the action and hence innovation is these days in high end audio.

Not necessarily. We all have out own rationale of how we spend audio money. I personally never look at how much I spend on a piece, but at depreciation. If audiolabyrint bought his cable at a very high discount (say 40% of retail or less). His cost of ownership of the cable is very low, because he can always resell at a small loss. I do it all the times - have spend thousands on used Transparent audio cabling and always got all of my money out. However, on the latest greatest digital gear, you take big hits. So $13K in digital will be worth half in 2-3 years time. Good reason to cap the budget.

@ Edorr, You are absolutly correct, I did pay alot less for my I/c and power cable than retail, I bought them here on the gon for a savings nobody has EVER heard of, atleast not me!, ,now I do have more money tied up with the rest of the cables, I also own the Taralabs the one i/c and speaker cables to be used on a second system when we rebuild that system, we sold that system to help buy the Taralabs zero gold i/c 1-meter, nothing wrong with buying used if you get the cable in question authenticated as I did,, It appears we have buying used in common, If I did go the approach you have mentioned I would settle for nothing less than the Tara zero gold digital cable, I would be un-happy if I down graded my sound to use a two box digital system, the field is wide open, I just need a volume control intergrated digital player, It can be cd/sacd, etc.. analog volume preferably, or high quality well made digital volume control, you know like transformer based volume control like the Ayon has got,, this may be temporary a couple of years untill I can get a $10,000.00 and higher cost point pre-amp, thats what it will take to out perform what I am doing here, I believe I love analog turn table sound, thats exspensive for what I would build one like,,Edorr, you are a very well seasoned audiophile, that makes it easy for me to talk to you, the reason I have such cables is to me they are an important componet in the system, your last post was spot on with me, funny, it was like you were psychic or something,LOL!, You are the best!, you have really helped me, thankyou, you are a gentleman!, I trust your recommendations as well, they are very sound!, keep the ideas rolling, I will look into what you said above, nothing is not under my micro-scope period that every one has said on this thread concerning digital, you have not gotten to my questions concerning the Esoteric k-03 and the Aestetix Romulus, Have you heard these units before?,, Happy listening.