Digital has definitely improved since then and I would recommend going with a dedicated CD transport for Redbook CDs and using the Sony for SACD playback only. I had the Audiolab CDT6000 for many years and it outperformed my older Rotel CDP used as a transport. The CDT6000 is still available on Amazon for $480. I have since upgraded to the Jay’s Audio CDT2 MK3 transport which has taken my CD listening to a whole new level.
would the Sony SCD 5400 Ex make a good transport?
I recently acquired a Sony SCD 5400 hoping it would be an upgrade from my Rega Apollo. While there is much to admire in terms of resolution and PRAT I find the sound has a lot of the digital glare/hardness; strings are quite steely which is tiring. Was wondering if this could be corrected with a (better?)DAC using the Sony as a transport. Or is it better to look for another player. The Sony costs as much as I want to pay for a CD player