If I were to get a dedicated transport today, I would save up and go for the Simaudio MOON Neo 260D and not look back. I currently have the Cambridge CXC. It is a good unit for the price point, though by no means great. I have compared it A/B to TIDAL HiRes streaming in my system, and it clearly beats that. I agree with the characterization of it being a “transition” transport. It also has the major limitation of being a redbook only transport. Not a huge deal because most CDs are redbook in my collection. However I do have a few CD-Rs it cannot play, that I have not been able to enjoy with it. It is super affordable, but definitely not in the league of the others. Because of system configuration preferences, I will next upgrade to a CD player, and will hopefully offload my CXC in silver soon. It’s in good running shape. If you’re interested in it for a transition unit, just send me a PM. For me, it is an adequate “placeholder” for the price. From your initial requirements, it does not sound like the CXC would be your endgame player, with its limitations, though.
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(Dedicated 20A line (X2) / PSAudio outlets) > (Bryston BIT15) > WW Aurora 7 PCs >
((SilenZio 3.5 > Bryston BDA-3) / (VPI Prime Walnut > EAT E Glo Petit)) > (DH Labs & WW ICs) > Bryston BP17 cubed >
((Bryston 4B cubed > Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 & REL Acoustics T-zero) / (Schiit Mjolnir 2 > (Focal Elex / MrSpeakers Ether CX / Fostex TR-X00 Ebony / Sennheiser HD650 / AKG K712 Pro)))
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