Oppo 103 has the qualities you mentioned as well as being reliable in the long run ($500). Nice thing is that if you ever find yourself looking for an improvement with it down the road you can call Ric Schultz over at EVS and investigate his transport mod for the 103. I did so and then liked that so much I sent mine back for him to mod the output stage for use as CDP as well and have been very happy with it. The transport mod was not too expensive as I recall and helped the overall sound nicely.
That said, I, too, believe I would take a look at that CEC as Mofimadness suggested. Many CEC models are known for their good transport performance.
That said, I, too, believe I would take a look at that CEC as Mofimadness suggested. Many CEC models are known for their good transport performance.