How important is the transport when using a DAC?

I've found the transport to be as important as the DAC.

Rrgog - Maybe there was no difference in jitter between the two CD players. There were both probably high in jitter. Also, you were likely using an inexpensive active preamp. This will easily mask any differences there. By inexpensive, I mean less than $15K. The best active preamps are tube.

One thing that you all can do to improve the resolution of your systems is to sell the active preamp and reaplce it with a transformer passive linestage (TVC). These beat 99% of active preamps.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

These days, its the least important that it has ever been. Cd transports are pretty much commodity items these days.

Audioengr, In 1990 there was no such thing as a 15K preamp. For what it's worth, the same chip set used in that Tandberg CD player back then is highly desirable today for it's musicality. I think Philips was on to something when they were developing the CD. After all, in the mid 1980s, when CDs were being introduced, they had to compete with Vinyl and Reel to Reel tapes. Since those early days the sound of CD players have changed and not necessarily for the better, only different. Also, Your comment regarding any preamp costing less than 15K is considered inexpensive is ludicrous and I am totally against commercial users pushing their products on these threads.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned slaving, yet.