CD Players are funny. I bought a Cambridge Audio D500SE and hated it. Sold it to someone who liked it. I had a JVC XM504 5 disc changer which has a garage sale value of about $10. I love it, sounds much better than the D500SE I had sounded. (BTW, the difference in sound was NOT subtle - bass control, airiness, and general fidelity) I have an Ah! 4000 (tube output CDP) and it sounds great, a Toshiba SD9200 - Philips SACD1000, all sound excellent (prefer the Philips for redbook, but both are excellent).
See if you can do an in home audition and compare some CDPs in situ.
