Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm...."

used transports are dirt cheap. ebay sold listings cd player \transport used than compare each to it's original price and evaluate the time factor .maybe you can make a little chart. it's a statistics question no answer will do. i have three examples:one transport lost 50% in 7 years the other 70% in 3 years another one only 20% in five years.....
knock yourself out

     Speaking of cars, McIntosh is the Buick 4-door sedan of audio.


Tim

Sony's 300 disc changer. If it's good enough for Nelson Pass must have some kind of value

I have an EVS modified Oppo BDP-105D, an Ayre C5xe-MP and even an ancient Oppo DV-983H. I targeted and searched for all 3 of these models and had to wait quite a while until I found used ones on the market that weren't almost the same cost as new. I saw the ones that I thought were priced too high sell time and again.

I think each of these are great examples of disc players that are worth the investment. Even the DV-983H is surprisingly good and both the Oppos play my digital downloads on USB drives. The BDP-105 can also stream and play hi-res digital files like FLAC and DSD, so even if the 'CD is dead' it will still be relevant. I've not had an opportunity to compare a modified Oppo to a stock model, so I can't say how much of an improvement Rick Schultz's efforts added; but I can say that it stands up very well with the much more costly Ayre, which has no USB ports. But the Ayre does do magic with redbooks. 

interesting thought. I have an Aesthetix Romulus eclipse. With tubes, I get a sound that’s pleasing to my ears, lush like vinyl with digital detail. In hindsight I might have gone with a good transport  e. g a vintage Esoteric and a separate DAC in order to upgrade as digital technology improves (assuming it does). So at least I’m not replacing a solid transport in addition to the DAC section. To me, the thing CDs bring is convenience over vinyl. If I’m listening to digital, its 50/50 CDs vs streaming tidal.