The passive is a good route so long as you get a CD player with a very good, stable, low impedance, high voltage output stage. Somewhere along the line you need good preamplification for proper dynamics. If you can find such a player, then the volume controls on the placette will be superior to most active preamp volume controls, and that can make a difference in transparency.
But I'm sort of quibbling in details. A priori, the RLD should be a decent match for your system and would take care of the impedance matching problems, making the choice of CD player less crucial.
But I'm sort of quibbling in details. A priori, the RLD should be a decent match for your system and would take care of the impedance matching problems, making the choice of CD player less crucial.