Rich's suggestions are well worth considering. At least, I wish I'd thought more about along those lines last summer, when looking for a CDP at Erasto's pricepoint. I ended up with a redbook only CDP, and now have no uncomplicated path to a PC based front end, which I've decided might better suit my listening habits. At this point in technology, it seems a good idea to consider more flexibility. A modded Transporter would come in under 4k, I think, as would the new PS Audio DAC, which I'm personally keen to learn more about. John