To the OP question, Yes it would be crazy to buy a 17 year old cdp.
chances are the laser or transport won't last and be difficult to replace as many have noted. More importantly the DAC probably won't be as good as many that are obtainable on your budget and you won't have flexibility going forward if you wish to branch into other digital sources.
The Oppo 205 makes a lot of sense. It is 60% of your budget.
it has a really good DAC. It will play DVDs and Blu Rays. it will add a bunch of options that you may never wish to use, but if you do, you're covered, namely: multichannel, computer audio, and streaming. It has good customer service, which you probably won't get on a 17 year old CDP
chances are the laser or transport won't last and be difficult to replace as many have noted. More importantly the DAC probably won't be as good as many that are obtainable on your budget and you won't have flexibility going forward if you wish to branch into other digital sources.
The Oppo 205 makes a lot of sense. It is 60% of your budget.
it has a really good DAC. It will play DVDs and Blu Rays. it will add a bunch of options that you may never wish to use, but if you do, you're covered, namely: multichannel, computer audio, and streaming. It has good customer service, which you probably won't get on a 17 year old CDP