Lokie, I have similar sentiments. Recent improvements in computer audio and availability of hi-res internet files are getting me interested. However after years of accumulating CDs and making refinements to a traditional RBCD front end, the question is when and how to assimilate these changes. I recently had a taste of the transport dilemma after installing a current-production ESS 32-bit 9018 Sabre chip in my SCD-1. The implementation allows toggling between the Sony DAC & digital filtering chips and the replacement ESS DAC combined chip, feeding into the same analog stage. Moreover I can swap between several transport sections that are in various states of modification affecting jitter. The ESS chip is supposed to be impervious to input jitter. However, the transport swaps suggest otherwise. So at least in this instance of a SOTA RBCD DAC, the quality of the transport still matters. Since the ESS chip supports universal data rates to 200kHz, it will be possible to gate its digital input to hi-res external files via USB, I2S, etc. However for silver discs this purportedly SOTA chip will continue to demand a high-quality transport.
