>>The difference I heard between the Denon 2200 and that Linn cd player was not slight.

Were you connected via analog or digital ? I think the general trend here is "if you're connected via analog there can be a real big difference between players; if you're connected via digital the difference is much smaller".

M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8