Doesn't DAC Do Heavy Lifting vs. Transport?

Like you, I assumed that the DAC, not the transport, did the "heavy lifting." That is until I improved my transport with the addition of a reclocker, which lowered the jitter. The improvements were far from subtle. They included: greater perceived resolution, less high frequency shrillness, and better image focus.

My conclusion: The transport is very important. Is it more important than the DAC? I don't know. It probably depends on which DAC and which transport.

Bigbucks - I assume your question about using a buffer is for me. The point I was trying to make is that the amount of jitter in a transport is an important consideration for achieving good sound. This was an attempt to address the OP's question, "Does the transport impart its own influence on the sound?" I only mentioned the reclocker as an illustration of how jitter was audible in my system. But you are correct in pointing out that, when a reclocker is used, the jitter characteristics of the transport are less important, or perhaps irrelevant, depending upon the method of reclocking. Similarly, if the DAC reclocks the incoming signal, the jitter characteristics of the transport are less important, or perhaps irrelevant, depending on the method of reclocking.