Thinking about a new, lower end CD Player

OP, if you can find a TASCAM CD-200b used for $89 or $99, get it. I'm using its bigger brother, the 500b and it sounds great. MSRP is $499 and I got it on eBay in "like new" condition, which fortunately ended up being accurate, for $189. 

I am stepping up to a very good transport since I'm feeding a nice DAC with the TASCAM, but I'm keeping the TASCAM as a backup or possibly for use upstairs down the road. TASCAM is owned by TEAC, who also owns Esoteric. Not saying they're comparable, but there's a good lineage there. The 200b is a tray load, my 500b is a slot load. It does sound better as a transport but even its internal DAC sounds fine. It decodes pre-emphasis too, if that's any concern.

And as someone who fits the stereotype of a near-millenial who should only listen through his phone, Tidal, or a streamer? Physical media all day, especially in a setting designed around listening.

Thanks Todd, I'll look out for those.

Every CD player I've owned have been used and still is working after 20 + years! I only bought a different one because it could decode HDCD's and in my opinion they sound incredible. I have a DTI and DAC to process the signal sent to the pre-amp and into the High Current Amplifier. I prefer older equipment to the new ones which are light and feel cheap compared to the ones I'm used to using. 
Plus the new equipment is more expensive than I can afford and I haven't heard anything at my price point that will touch my system and I have less that a thousand dollars into everything! It's  amazed how much difference the DTI and DAC makes in the music details and sound stage on any CD player or transport. This equipment new would have cost nearly five or six thousand and I can't spend that kind of money! My Audio Alchemy's are still pumping a fantastic sound into my Kef Reference speakers which are easily twenty years old as well. 

There are some great deals on EBay if you take your time and keep watching for someone that's upgrading there system. I'm very happy and friends are amazed when they come to my house and hear the amazing music details they've never heard before. 
Concerts are so expensive now tickets that used to cost $5 -$7.50 are now hundreds of dollars to hear the drunks around you singing! I guess I've seen almost every musician I have ever wanted to see and some are no longer with us except on recordings!  BB King, Hendrix, Stevie Ray, The Beatles, The Dead, The Allman Brothers ,Jefferson Airplane and many others are getting old like me! L

I've had three CD players in my lifetime. All three have had a failure of some sort but all have approached the 20 year old range. I'm not sure how old this most recent Sony was. It came new in the box from my uncle's estate but had been sitting around for years. Then it lived in my cabin for close to 15 years in which the temperature inside was the same as the temp outside unless we were there. Low teens to over 100. So not an easy life.

I also don't know how old the Arcam is. It sat in a musty basement for a number of years and got moved around a lot. Of course it is still functioning as a transport.

So I can't really complain.

My system is also older. Maybe 15 years, maybe more. Right now I could not afford to replace it at the current SQ. I think it was probably $15k when new.

Sometimes I wonder how much it would cost to replace it if I did a lot of research and hunted for bargains.