What about the Linn DS range?
Concept is to have no moving parts in the player itself - no hard disks, no CD transport. It has a network port and a DAC (or two, as you go up the range). Someone mentioned the Slim Devices Transporter, or the Modright fettled version, which works on the same principle.
Key thing with this design is the elimination of jitter-prone connections. Using ethernet (wired or wireless, though wireless can be unreliable), data is pulled down to the player well ahead of when the DAC needs it, and conversion to PCM stream happens right next to the DAC. No need to worry about any clock discrepancies between computer and DAC. Also no interference from computers or hard drives, which can be kept elsewhere.
Never heard one myself, but very highly thought of. Received wisdom is that each of these Linn sources better the CD player in the range above. Very probably going to get one soon.
Concept is to have no moving parts in the player itself - no hard disks, no CD transport. It has a network port and a DAC (or two, as you go up the range). Someone mentioned the Slim Devices Transporter, or the Modright fettled version, which works on the same principle.
Key thing with this design is the elimination of jitter-prone connections. Using ethernet (wired or wireless, though wireless can be unreliable), data is pulled down to the player well ahead of when the DAC needs it, and conversion to PCM stream happens right next to the DAC. No need to worry about any clock discrepancies between computer and DAC. Also no interference from computers or hard drives, which can be kept elsewhere.
Never heard one myself, but very highly thought of. Received wisdom is that each of these Linn sources better the CD player in the range above. Very probably going to get one soon.