Not a cut and clear situation. The advantages of 2 box can easily be offset by the disadvantages of the digital interconnect cable. At the the very high end, 2 box is definitely worth the effort. Well designs 2 box systems (including the digital cable) will produce an across the board increase in all sonic areas. For below $5k (MRSP) I would recommend going with a single box player. However, if you have a relatively low cost one box player, say $500, then adding an outboard D/A in the $1k neighborhood should produce worthwhile improvements in sound quality. As with everything, there are exceptions to what I've just stated.
