DAC and CD Transport Question

yes.
I had a decent (back in 1995, $800. new) dedicated transport with an Adcom DA700 Da converter.
When I got a Sony SCD777ES and used it just as a transport comparing it to the transport I had been using. I was blown away.(using the Adcom DA and everything else the same)
i sold that transport, but was a bit embarassed to do so.. As it was so inferior to the Sony as Cd transport.
So I would say from experience, the transport can and does have a major effect on the quality of the sound..

You can find a lot of info in the archives about this. My advice is save your money. Buy a Mac Mini or something similar and use its HD as the transport. Find a USB DAC and forget about digital cables. You'll be much happier without the hassles. I wish I'd done it sooner!

Welcome aboard!

Different transports and digital cables can sound completely different.

The differences can be so profound, you really have to hear it for yourself.

That said, many similar transports, DACS, and digital cables do sound similar.

It all depends on the particular sound the designer was going for.

In other words, designers who are attempting to achieve the same sound, with similar designs and parts, do tend to sound more similar.

Hope I didn't confuse you...

gmood1 is correct. I've used an oppo 871 as a transport as well as others, but pc sounds better by a long shot. Use a mac, just about anyone will do (the one I am listening to at the moment is a 7 yr old imac dedicated to my system. The scuttlebut is that you'll have to spend upwards to 10k to better one. If you really need a transport, the $20 cyberhome dvd player beat the pants off of the oppo with a stereovox dig cable...

I recently acquired a Benchmark DAC1, which has a circuit that makes it immune to jitter. Even so, I can hear a small difference when I use my Alesis Masterlink versus Sony 999ES as a transport. Although the Masterlink uses a cheap computer-type CD drive, it actually sounds better with some recordings than the much more-expensive Sony transport. I have no idea what is the source of this difference. It can't be jitter. By the way, the Benchmark DAC1 is the best digital source I've ever heard playing through a Modwright tube preamp.