Transport Question

Digital theory shows that transports all are equivalent, especially with modern DACs that control jitter very well. However, my experience has been that transports make a large difference in the sound from any DAC I have used.

Why do transports make such a difference? Everyone will have a reason, but I don't think any of us knows for sure.

I had a 260D (sold in favor of playing files) and thought it was a very good transport, so yes, I think it would be a good choice. Better than the Rotel? Never having tried the latter, I don’t know -- but I suspect yes.

@jasonbourne52 - "Far from scientific!"

I think if you read my post, you will find no claims of scientific validity. I know of no suitable tests of this propositiion that are double blind and adequately account for Type I and Type II statistical error. In fact, I don’t know of any peer-reviewed, published experiments that explore differences among transports.

I would add that without people's reporting their experiences, science (if it were funded) would not know what to investigate. The ideal, after all, is to produce sound that is subjectively convincing.

If audio were entirely a scientific endeavor, no one would play LPs, and we’d understand why SACDs sound better to many, despite being hugely overspecified and having a large HF noise envelope. But they do and they do and as Nelson Pass said: "It’s entertainment, not brain surgery."