The Cambridge is the newest of the three, and appears to be pretty good for the price. I'm curious myself about that, since most people around here have never dreamed of getting a dedicated CD transport--and to be fair most people in general don't consider that possibility.
I've been looking into the C.E.C. transports recently and drooling. They have a new one that can be had for under a grand in Japan, but seems to be two-three times that everywhere else. (http://www.cec-web.co.jp/service/download/document/catalog/TL5_ENG_Catalog_w.pdf)
Right now I've been comparing the USB vs. Optical CD player output on my audio-gd Dac-19 with Amanero 384 usb input (which blocks USB power from computer). The difference is stark, with the old Denon CD player as transport offering a much more relaxed and rounder sound: pleasing, and relaxing. However, with jplay, fidelizer pro, and a Chord USB SilverPlus cable, the sound is much sharper. The instruments are better positioned and separated, and the tones are richer, more 3D, and bolder. Overall, it's still a little bit harder sounding than the CD player, but probably more exciting/engaging in some ways.
I think there are a lot of mitigating factors with computer audio (most of which can be overcome with enough determination, effort, and mullah), and am very attracted to the simplicity of a good dedicated CD transport to a good DAC with strong optical implementation. Still, most hard-core audiophiles seem to think the high-end stuff is the only stuff that's worth it, and it costs a lot, too.
Most people think the DAC is the source, but they're wrong, the source is where your files are held and then, secondly, how the data is extracted and transferred to your DAC. A lot can go wrong in those two processes. While some would argue that computer files from a well-ripped album in WAV are usually better quality than CDs, others would add that the computer processes involved in locating and transferring that data are not as fail-proof as a good ol' laser beam and drive mechanism. C.E.C. uses belts like in high end turn tables, but it's debatable whether that's the best way to do it, or if it's just a kitch thing they do to make money from gullible rich audiophiles.
One of my problems is that I actually need to use my computer, and so I don't really like the idea of using it as a dedicated source. Secondly, I feel that storing CDs is actually better than digital files, even if I may be naive about that. My wife tends to disagree as well.
In short, I'm really glad that there are finally CD transports within the realm of possibility, but I'm not sure whether they're really as good as the high-end stuff or not.
The other option is to get a high-end CD player second hand and use as a transport. Depending on where you live, that might be even better than the Cambridge, but I have no idea how it would gel with the Gungnir.
