I think one of the most forgiving, musical and reliable CDP is the Ah Tjoeb 4000. True tube output. Great sound. I have had mine in a second system for years now and still like it. Another is the Jolida 100. Great reliable deck with a smooth and musical sound. Many people are happy with their Arcams but check out the model since parts may be hard to find for some models, according to some posts on the internet.
older dedicated midfi cd player....2nd system
Looking for for an older, reliable, dedicated player with smooth top end, full bass, and great soundstaging...have had good luck with denon and Sony in the past...but would like to try something else...however the denon dcd 835 comes to mind...not into changers or jukeboxes...anything from 95-05 era that can be found easily on the used market?...basically a forgiving player that doesnt punish sub par recordings...I demoed the orig Rega planet years ago...but wasn't blown away...same with NAD...but they might work for this application...under 1k new models