Your buying decision should also take into account the availablity and possible cost to bring your front end up to the new standard(s) should a concensus ever be agreed upon. Of course if your interests are only in 16/44 CDs then the above will not apply.
CD player or Transport and DAC
Wanting good sound but not wanting to throw money away, how much more do I get for a separates source than for a single unit? As an example, scanning the for sales here, a Wadia 860 weighs in at $4,500 and a 27ix / 270 combination at $10,000. Similarly for ML equipment. So how much more do I get for the extra $5,500? Any thoughts and experience and other ways of achieving similar quality?