Esoteric K-03 or Luxman D-03x

You all make valid points. I've never owned anything other than a one-box unit so I really hadn't seriously considered a separate transport and dac. Maher123, I agree that most every issue that I've had was a transport related one while the dac component of the players I've owned have been trouble free. I really don't have enough budget for a "newer" Esoteric player that might be more reliable. When stuff breaks, it's a real PIA to get it repaired because either the cost is ridiculous or the equipment takes a long time to repair. Is there some reasonable amount one would have to spend to get a decent separate transport and dac? I primarily play red book cd and I never owned any sacd's. Are the transports that play one vs both less expensive or more reliable? There appear to be a million dacs available today and I've seen some that are ultra expensive and others that seem reasonable in comparison. How about the cabling between the two? I'm not that technologically competent enough to be able to chose a average dac from a better one. I know it seems like a lot of questions but maybe that's why I've always chosen a one-box solution in the past. Any suggestions?      

I tried to contact TAP earlier today and they're closed until January 2021. Not much they can do to help at this point 

I'm getting more confused. I want a simple set-up but the more I investigate the options, being locked into a one-box unit has its' disadvantages as well as its' advantages. I've just always had the one-box option but it hasn't worked out too good so far. It appears that the transport being the mechanical part of the equation is the weakest link. Do others, like yourselves, run into the same issues with transports with a one box platform?  

trebor32,
In your opinion, after owning the D-05u, how does the D-03X compare? I've heard some say the the D-03x is better than the D-05U and compares favorably to the D-06U. I only play Red Book cd's and really don't miss not having SACD capability now. I don't stream and might consider attempting it in the future, but currently not a deal breaker. Thanks, 
Skip  

68pete,
Thanks for your reply. I had an older Esoteric K-03 that I was close to buying but things just didn't work out for a few reasons. I'm sure it would have been an excellent player but I was so afraid of buying an older player because of the difficulty getting it repaired if there had been an issue. I understand TAP does a good job but when you live across country(SC to CA)from the repair facility, it can get expensive just to ship it let alone the cost of repairs if they can be done there.  You obviously have been more than satisfied with your K-03X, which would work for me not having any volume attenuation capacity, because I run my player into a preamp. Maybe I'll keep on the lookout for a "newer" K-(x) player that might have been a demo unit or the like. 
Thanks,
Skip  

mountainsong402,
I appreciate your input. I don't think I've heard or read anything negative about Luxman players. You have a very, very nice group of Luxman players so I'm guessing your experience with Luxman would be far better than most others. I suppose there are always going to be players that will be better than others in certain respects, but I'm trying to buy a reliable player that has relatively current technology without paying an arm and a leg. In the perfect world, I guess my first choice would be an Esoteric unit of some level only because I really thought the X-03SE that I had previously owned was a very nice player. It was very well built and sounded good and I am curious as to how the newer mid-level players would be in comparison. I recently had a Marantz SA-10 that I just sold that while a very nice player in its' own right, didn't do anything special in my opinion. So here I am again!
Thanks,
Skip

Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks to all those Goners who graciously offered their experience and advise

Thanks. I ordered a Luxman D-03X player based on reviews and the input from other members here and now just have to wait for it to arrive. It will be a while since the distributor, Luxman USA, is waiting for new product to arrive in the US from Japan. I'm excited because it's been years since I've bought a brand spankin new anything audio-wise. I'm listening to more vinyl these days because that's my only other option. I still love pulling an album out and playing it. I have a modest system but it's truly amazing how much pleasure I still get from it.