Excellent sounding cd/sacd players on the used market.

thanks DeKay, good to hear from you.

Hi Jim:

Maybe a new production dedicated transport + a DAC of your choice?

The Audiolab 6000CDT seems to be the going bargain @ $550.

The last "musical" CD deck I listened to (2012-2013) was the Teac PD-600 which retailed for around $1K @ the time.

I regret not picking one up when they were discoed later @ a lower price.

The Teac reminded of the old Meridien 508.24, but better for my taste.

DeKay

Tvad
A very good point on the laser pickup, one that should always be considered with any used disc spinner purchase.
And the availability of said pickups just in case!

This is on Audio Circle AYRE C-5XeMP Universal Player.

Used Resolution Audio.

Actually there ARE Esoteric players available at sub 1k budget.

Just before Christmas I treated my self to a Esoteric DV-50S which ok is technically a dvd player but.....

It is the sweetest sounding CD and DVD-A replay I have ever heard and all for $750 shipped.....

Is the best out there, of course not but for a sub 1k player I would say it is a good option to consider.

Replacement laser assemblies are still available for the Marantz players.

I have recently installed a Marantz CD67. Made in March '97. Cost $200. Working fine and sounding quite excellent! These older Marantz CD players are certainly worth acquiring! 

I am not able to spend much over 1k. 

Thanks for the input.  Jim

Arcam DV 139

Here’s what I’ve owned over the years. Cary Audio 306 CD / SACD or the Pro model. Loved it. Good drive, excellent dimensionality and speed, good mid bass / bass performance and a wonderful, well balanced top end. However, many reports of reliability issues. Unit is discontinued.

So I auditioned the Esoteric K01, the Dcs Puccini with clock and the OPPO 105D. Returned all of them. Esoteric was just to "dry" and the Puccini was simply boring. I think "system matching" is critical to make these two units sound good. The OPPO was a decent performer with good dimensionality but lacked body and tonal saturation for my tastes.

About a year ago, I purchased a Luxman D06u and I really like the unit. I will never say anything is the best because that doesn’t exist but it is very musical and has a "bottom up" versus "top down" sound with a wonderful midrange. This unit has been recently discontinued but you might find one for sale but unlikely. Those who have are generally not willing to sell. You can contact Luxman USA to see if they can find one for you. List was $8,500 but can likely buy from existing dealer stock (if available) for $6K +/-. If you do buy this model, be advised that it’s going to take several hundred hours of run in before it fully breaks in.

Two other options to consider. The Marantz Ruby ($4K +/-) and you can buy from Music Direct with money back guarantee. Or if you can’t afford, I’d buy a used OPPO 105 for around $1K. Basically a good sounding, reliable CDP and there are several companies that provide mods that address the issues I stated above.

Good luck.