My feelings are to go with any of the Wadia players. I own a Wadia 860 and if you have any inclination towards Vinyl my feelings are that you will like the presentation of the Wadia. I personally find CD's very sterile and uninvolving as compared to quality and audiophile vinyl pressings. I had given up on CD's even after hearings the best Burmeister, Boulder, Spectral, Mark Levinson, YBA, and DCS had to offer. The notes keep getting clearer, sibliants kept getting clearer, recordings kept sounding even closer mic'ed but the timbre and richness of analog was gone. The music had no soul and though it was clear- it did not fool me into thinking that I was listening to an actual instrument. I was always amazed at the clarity, but not moved emotionally by the music through CD. Then I heard the Wadia 860. Liked it so much I scrapped all my other spending plans and bought one immediately. I have been content ever since, and do not even have the desire to upgrade to SACD. The Wadia plays music. The others play Audio.
The best CD player with volume control
I own an ARC LS5III and have for the last three years. I had always planned to include more than just a cd player into my system. It hasn't happened. I am considering on selling the ARC and running direct. I have made to many mistakes in the past. I can spare about $5,000. Can it be done?