Why Purchase A CD Player or Transport ?

I'd never go back to cd's, and I have well over 2.5K of them. I've found streaming superior to cd's, and this in earlier days of streaming to which I've since made further upgrades. Last two transports I used were Mark Levinson #37 and modded PS Audio Perfectwave memory. Add the nearly limitless availability of music via streaming, slam dunk for streaming IMO. With $4k you're well on your way to very nice streaming setup.

All the time doing research and trying different devices is extremely interesting to me, complexity is fun, I understand this may not be for everyone. And as Cleeds mentioned it doesn't have to be difficult, very nice setup can be assembled via tried and trued methods involving minimal complexity.

I'm a huge advocate for streaming, can't put into words how much my listening experience has improved since streaming. Not just sound quality, but also the ability to choose with just a few presses of buttons music to fit your particular mood at that particular moment! My listening session ebb and flow, stream of consciousness takes over.

Shazam! Some people here get it. You don't have to give up cd's just because you stream, you rip the cd's to local files, don't need a transport. I found cd rips sound quality superior to cd over transport at time I was transitioning, final nail in cd playing coffin.

Take the funds allocated to cd transport, put into streaming setup. Streaming is the future, fewer and fewer recordings will be released on cd format over time.

Another consideration. Many new innovations with streaming equipment, highly likely it will only improve over time. Should we expect cd transports are going to evolve in similar fashion?

@vonhelmholtz  You laid out the reasons, wise choice in my estimation.

Novel idea, have both cd transport AND streaming setup, one doesn't have to preclude the other.