Please help me figure out what I need to do this. My head spins with tech talk..


I am considering a sim audio moon cd transport 260dt to replace my beloved CD player that just died.I have a Plinius 9200 integrated. What do I need to make this combo work? Do I need a DAC?I get that transports are different from players but I just want to make sense of all of this in a simple way. thanks!
128x128abstract
The OP is using an integrated so in order to get tubes into a preamp stage she will need a completely new approach to what she already had.  Also, while I am a believer in streaming and do it 99% of the time, there still is a small performance difference between a streamer and a CD transport, where the transport just has more dynamics.  I've had several people confirm this and I've experienced it myself.

I can also guarantee you that besting that AMR with a transport + DAC for the same money will be an almost impossible feat.  Even streaming you have to have a good transport in front to make it work with some excellent cables in between.
audiothesis...
"Also, while I am a believer in streaming and do it 99% of the time, there still is a small performance difference between a streamer and a CD transport, where the transport just has more dynamics. I've had several people confirm this and I've experienced it myself"Are you saying that in actuality you think streaming  could be considered sonically less dynamic and therefore less musical?Is the whole advantage of going digital just relieving clutter?

That is my experience.  The margin is VERY slight but noticeable.  Over the years the delta has shrunk considerably and I imagine in a few more years it will be an even playing field in the majority of applications.  For me, even as a dealer where every bit counts, I find streaming to be a better fit as the convenience is off the charts.

Streaming provides such a seamless integration to your music and changes the entire way you listen.  Having TIDAL on tap has not only allowed me to experience all the music I love (Tool excluded since they are not on there), but it has also introduced me to so much more music that have become personal favorites.  TIDAL has become an integral tool for me as a listener and as a dealer.

Also for me, my personal collection of music does not sound as good as TIDAL, so there might be more to do to maximize this option that I am not doing.  However, for the intents of the first paragraph, the comparison was done with a CD transport vs. a streamer of the same brand/quality, same cables, and matched volume.  The streamer used TIDAL via ROON, not locally stored music.
With all due respect, many posts here give very short-sighted advice which might address the original question re: CD player, but not the big picture. OTOH, @mahler123 , @@2psyop glennewdick , and @2psyop point you to a better direction for long term enjoyment of classical music in particular. SACDs and downloads of highrez SACD-equivalent files offer many opportunities to improve the sound quality of your favorite classical recordings and will continue to do so. Ripping your CDs can be done using your computer's drive, saved to a network drive(i.e. NAS) and you can do that WHILE you are listening to other music so it doesn't have to eat into your precious listening time. 

The post implying sound via a transport is superior in dynamics etc. to via playing a ripped file is FLAT OUT INCORRECT. The opposite is true and has been explained in detail in hundreds of posts here & more deeply on computeraudiophile. Spinning mechanical drives directly attached to your audio rig have numerous disadvantages vs. playing same files from a NAS in another room via ethernet (or even wifi) to the same dac. 
Invest in a good dac and a NAS. You can get a used Marantz etc. SACD player to spin CDs for the short term and rip them as time allows to the NAS. If you buy music, highrez downloads of SACD-equivalents they will often, but not always sound better than playing discs of the same. Ironically, red book CDs sometimes sound better...it's all about the provenance of the recording...read reviews by listeners when possible. 
I can tell you that there are certainly amazing quality Mahler high rez recordings that trounce the CDs. Also in a few years, CD will probably be entirely dead from new music availability perspective. Cheers,
Spencer
sbank

Also in a few years, CD will probably be entirely dead from new music availability perspective.
Some said that about the LP, too, but it didn’t happen.
Some said that about reel-to-reel, too, but it didn’t happen.
And I hear that some are making new prerecorded cassettes again.
CD is going to be around for a long time, I suspect.