The quality of the transport has a definite bearing on the ultimate sound produced when we’re comparing.Definitely. I have used an ARC, NAD, Onkyo, and PS Audio. Each had a different presentation and sonic signature. A major factor contributing to their sound quality is how well jitter is controlled before data is output to the DAC.
The PSA PWT is a memory player and has an advantage over a standard CDP digital output since it re-reads the disc to correct errors and then loads it into memory. So it is playing back a low jitter data stream from a buffer rather than playback from a disc.
I added the iFi iPurifier to see if I could do even better with my digital chain. With the LPS, SQ is noticeably improved.
I must add that the digital cable is an important part of the chain.