I have a very good stand-alone DAC. I've used various CDPs with Digital-Outs as a transport — they make a big difference. Two of them completely outclassed 3 other such "transports" — combined with my DAC, they produced the best digital music I've ever heard. Plus they both had remotes, a good thing.And to make it even more confusing, I've got a Yamaha that is all that plus it can record CDRs and record to an internal hard drive.
Then one of the good ones stopped working. The good one I have left is big and butt-ugly and I don't want to see it in my system.
So "any CDP with Dig-out" will not necessarily be a good transport. I'm still looking for one.
@KrisM — I also have that Yamaha, or similar; my internal hard drive is only 10Gig, so a lowly model. I've only used it as a CDP, and thought its sound mediocre. Are the CDRs it records any better? Would it be a good transport-only? (And I have the remote.) Thanks in advance for your guidance.