From everything I've read the Transporter appears to be somewhat of a holy grail of convenience, quality, and flexibility wrapped up into one reasonably (by "high-end" standards) priced package. I should add the caveat that I have been thoroughly into the digital storage of music for a while now. I've ripped all of my CDs to lossless and frankly don't even listen to any CDs I buy anymore. They go straight into my computer to be ripped and then onto a rack for storage. At the risk of uttering blasphemy, I have never cared especially for vinyl.
I currently use a Squeezebox and am looking to buy another for my bedroom setup, which is going to be a headphone setup with AKG K701s. Thinking about getting a Channel Islands VHP-2 to power that.
I was either going to buy a Duet for the bedroom or upgrade my main listening area with a Transporter and move my current SB to the bedroom. I'm just wondering, with my current equipment, how discernible the difference would be. Is the Transporter's AKM DAC and balanced outputs worth the upgrade over the SB's Burr-Brown chip and RCA outputs?
I use PSB Synchrony One towers powered by an NAD M3 integrated right now. It does feel a little strange to have $4500 speakers and a $2800 amp (again, pretty modest by audiophile standards) connected to a $300 source, so I wonder if I've been selling them short. Of course, I'd take advantage of the balanced inputs of the M3.
Any similar upgrade experiences would be especially welcome. Thanks!
