When my trusty warhorse and high moded Pioneer PS65 (stable platter) died, I went into a deep search mode as my budget was/is limited. after days of searching and reading, I settled on a Marantz HD CD 1.(MSRP $650) In addition to being a player it has toslink AND coax out.
My dac/pre is Audio Alchemy, which even has inputs for a streamer. My intent was/is to use it as a transport, so I never listened to the player circuit.
I had been using it all long with toslink but something in my system was not as it should be. I started a hunt to replace my AA DPA-1 amp with AA monos, then PS Audio 700 monos, or Nord Ice/N Core
FORTUNATELY, before I pulled the trigger, I got to hear my system via a prototype coax (not at liberty to say whose) but the cable was TRANSFORMATIVE
SO, IMHO, MAKE SURE WHATEVER YOU REPLACE IT WITH HAS COAX
HTH
My dac/pre is Audio Alchemy, which even has inputs for a streamer. My intent was/is to use it as a transport, so I never listened to the player circuit.
I had been using it all long with toslink but something in my system was not as it should be. I started a hunt to replace my AA DPA-1 amp with AA monos, then PS Audio 700 monos, or Nord Ice/N Core
FORTUNATELY, before I pulled the trigger, I got to hear my system via a prototype coax (not at liberty to say whose) but the cable was TRANSFORMATIVE
SO, IMHO, MAKE SURE WHATEVER YOU REPLACE IT WITH HAS COAX
HTH