DAC or new player ?

You may want to invest only to a relatively cheap teac vrds cd-palyer and use it as a transport instead of a more expensive dedicated transport. I use vrds 10SE, and that is just fine. It may lacks the refinement of many highend transports, but it has a very dynamic and full bandwith soundprint. Surely, better than (for me) than a ML39 as transport.

Has anybody listened to the modded Pioneer players by Music Concepts? Are they worth $1500? The web site says it plays them all cd,sacd,dvd-a and is a 24bit/96 unit.

I couldn't stand the suspense so I purchased Musical Fidelity's V-DAC unit and so far, for the money,I am pleased. It sure has "opened" up some of my favorite cd's. I don't know how bass could be any more defined but it is. I "see" more into the music. It gived clearly defined mids and highs.
I am working on interconnects now in hopes of even more exciting results.