I have a Placette and have heard the VK-50SE extensively. The Placette is almost completely neutral and the VK-50SE (runs hot and sucks a lot of electricity) while also neutral, adds its character: lean, detailed and dynamic to the music and is a bit hard and processed sounding. And it seems to work sound best using balanced outputs with the VK-75SE or VK-60.
Another better option is to buy a cd player that has an analog output. You will be surprised at how much more purity/transparency you can get by using one less interconnect. Check the threads for comments on the Audio Aero Capitole and Resolution Audio.