Is a transport/DAC combo better than a CD player

I prefer the transport and DAC seperates because of a few things. Better isolation, better flexiblity, easier to get a high quality transport mechanism and high quality DAC chips. Cheap - I would recommend a used Aragon D2A2 DAC, they have excellent build quality, sound, and service. Think I saw one recently on gon for about $400, then pair with any good CD player as the transport, or get a seperate transport.
Moderate price I have and like the NorthStar 192 Transport and DAC list $5,000, but can pick up new for $2,800 for both, or used for about $2,000

Thanks. Much appreciated.

Dlite

Advantages of a one box player is space savings, one less power cord and digital cable. That being said, I have tried six different transports with my Audio Logic DAC, they all added something to the sound, but the biggest difference I have heard comes more from the digital cable then the transport. Go to your local dealer and get a few digital cables to see what works with your set-up and do try a real expensive one to see what the differences are compared to ones within your budget.

Happy Listening.

I think in general a new CD player (current technology) outperforms a trans/DAC combo until you start getting into the higher priced gear, like maybe the $4K-$5K range on up. However, it may be very useful to use an existing older CD player as a transport connected to a DAC as a way to make an incremental improvment and not have to spend quite as much at one time. I guess if I had $1K or $2K to spend, I would probably look for an all in one unit, or buy just a DAC, and use my CD player as a transport, and maybe update the transport later.