looking for the best cd transport only, without dac

On the Cambridge CXC, I listened to it contrasted with the SimAudio Neo 260d. And they were close, some tunes I almost preferred the CXC, others the Neo seemed to have a bit more holistic and natural feel. I had the dealer level match and use the same cables for both, so a fairly good comparison. I left feeling like the 3 plus times price for the Neo was hard to justify. Which led me to explore other options and feedback, like with you all here. I don't own SACD, so I'm not worried about that. Have any of you been able to compare the CXC with the PS Audio perfect wave? 

I stream through Airplay Tidal HiFi and love it. However, I also like physical media and the ritual of handling and reading CD's and vinyl and their covers. A NAS drive is something I'll consider at some point. But for now I have a lot of cd's I like listening to and while the Sony bluray is good for transport, I was wanting to see if I can get a good sound quality bump for my $1000. I'll check out the Marantz as another option. There seems a number of transports by the likes of NAD or Rotel that also propose good value. I appreciate any real world guidance here as it is difficult to really assess sound quality differences at a dealer. 

Thanks again. I wish there was a way I could compare PS Audio PWT to the CXC to hear how much of a difference those two cd transports may actually sound? I think the question in the back of my inquiry here is do cd transports really sound that different. Can anyone share more about directly comparing different transports and how much difference you thought you heard? Cheers, 

I find the discussion and experience of differences in the sound of hifi components fascinating. I know there is a passionate group who feel that DAC's and transports and even amps and cords don't make much of a difference in sound quality as long as they are solidly made. I've come around to realizing for me that speakers are where I put the majority of my investment and notice the most difference in sound. Yet I also experience some differences in other audio components including speaker wire. Maybe this is placebo or inadequate level matching? All that to say that I can imagine there may be some sound quality difference in a cd transport and it's related lens and clock etc. I think I'm wanting to find the sweet spot where I'm not wasting funds chasing some small negligible sound improvement. For me that Hegel and Harbeth SHL5+ both hit this mark. My goal is to now find the commensurate cd transport. The Esoteric and a few others I find a bit bulky, aesthetics are also part of the sweet spot equation for me. So far the CXC and PWT seem the two that are potentials.  

Charles1dad,
Thanks for sharing your listening experience. This is just the sort of feedback and comparative listening I have been looking for. There have been some PWT's refurbished that were for sale here, but seem all gone for the moment. The last one for $800, which seems like very good value. I'm keeping an open mind on other alternatives or insights that emerge. 

When I auditioned the Neo260D and compared to the CXC, the differences were very subtle in a pretty good and isolated local audio shop. There was some music that sounded to me better through the CXC and others through the Neo and a lot that was hard to discern a difference. This is part of what began this post for me, is there much of a difference in transport only cd players? So I really appreciate people here who have actually had the opportunity to directly compare different transports directly. 

This is where my query came from. After comparing the Neo and CXC I wondered if there was something beyond the CXC that would sound much better, more transparent etc.? And not cost much more than $1000, new or used. The PWT seems the closest option I've seen mentioned in this thread that some feel sounds noticeably better than the CXC. All of this subject to interpretation of course. 

I too look forward to your feedback on CXC vs 105D. This should be another opportunity to see how different a transport may sound in a home setting.