Can anyone please recommend warm sounding transport/DAC to replace tubed cdp ?

aniwolfe; no worries. I do appreciate your input and I will keep that cable in mind should I decided to go with a different brand. 

I guess I am a bit outdated. I only have experience with regular trasnport, dac and coaxial cable. I hope you find what your looking for. Sorry I couldn't help.

aniwolfe; here's the (I think) relevant quote:

"For communication between separate transport and DAC, S/PDIF transmission via coaxial cable became the standard. The clear advantage of I²S is that the four signals of Master Clock, Bit Clock, Word Clock and music data are sent down a cable in separate paralleled conductors. S/PDIF combines them in a serial stream and the DAC receiver must ‘unzip’ the various signals and process them further. Clearly I²S has many advantages. It’s simply curious that PS Audio opted for the HDMI standard as the physical carrier for its I²S interface".

aniwolfe; I asked because my impression (based on 6Moons review)

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/psaudio7/perfectwave_3.html

is that the best sound to be gotten from the PS Audio player is via the PSA I2S interface, which is accessed via HDMI, not coax. I am a total newbie at this DAC stuff, though, so I could very well be mistaken. 

Empircial Cable Info:
This is a 75 ohm low-loss cable that Empirical Audio makes. It has true 75 ohm BNC connectors. The 75 ohm coax cable contains a center pure silver conductor and silver-plated copper shield over foil. The dielectric is expanded Teflon. The BNC-BNC cable comes with two 75 ohm RCA adapters so you can connect to any S/PDIF coax connector

aniwolfe; thanks for providing more information. The difference between a transport like the Cambridge and the PS Audio, as you surely must know, is that the PS Audio stores the digital data in memory first, and then plays it. I do not want to get involved in computer audio but this seems like a way to get similar benefits. It turns out that the Schiit Gungnir I'd hoped to demo, would cost me $200 (Schiit's 5% fee + shipping) should I elect to return it, which seems awfully expensive to me. I'm open to any alternatives I can demo affordably. I stopped purchasing gear I could not first hear in my system, in my room, years ago. Is the Empirical cable HDMI or Toslink? 

Well the dac you get used for around $600. Go to hifishark.com and type in Chord Qute hd. Also I highly recommend the MCRU Linear Power Supply. About $340. Here is a link below

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MCRU-FULLY-REGULATED-LINEAR-POWER-SUPPLY-FITS-CHORD-QUTEHD-EX-PEACH-DAC-/350591199458?hash=item51a0dd28e2:g:ysEAAMXQHO9ReOfG

As far as transport maybe check out the Cambridge CXC Brand New for only $400? Used PS Audio Perfect Waves for $1000 which you noted on your original post.

$250 for the Empirical Digital Cable (541) 595-1001 (a must) support@empiricalaudio.com

Thats about $2200 total with the Perfect Wave... $600 less with the CXC.

rodge827: I have a modded Jolida JD100. 

aniwolfe: thanks for the cable recommendation. I'm afraid the upgrades you describe are, collectively, beyond my $2500 budget. 

I replaced my tube cdp with a SimAudio 260d transport, Chord Qute Dac and a Empirical Audio BNC to BNC Digital Cable.

Call Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio and even if you don't buy the equipment I listed. Give that digital cable a shot. It was $250 and came with a 30 day money back. Best digital cable I have come across.

stuartk,
What tubed CD player are you replacing? Does it still work?
Perhaps look into having it upgraded or modded with a better clock, power supply, etc..

Thanks for the suggestions-- quite a few are new to me. 

I have the Silverlines in my HT system. .love them

Aesthetix

Ayre QB-9. I had the DSD version but both are fantastic. Or the Ayre Codex for les $$. 

nordicom: Danafrips is a name I've never come across. . .  will investigate.

Find an NAD or Primare CDP, and mate it to a Denafrips Ares DAC.