Time For a CD Player Upgrade

About a month ago I replaced my Audiolab CDT 6000 with a Shanling ET3 (MSRP $729) it's unbelievable but adding a VeraFI Snubway ($295) was even more incredible/. the 6000 is for sale cheap  

Just my two cents.  I have owned three ModWright CD/SACD players. Sony 999es, Sony 5400 and the Marantz 8005.  The Marantz was my favorite.  As others have said, I think the Marantz Ruby would probably be a contender or a used Marantz SA-10.  That being said the Teac VRDS-701 peaked my interest and has received positive feedback.  I went a different route in my current player the Esoteric K-03XD.  Of course it beat out the Marantz offerings and should for the cost difference.  If you can, audition the Teac VRDS-701 before deciding.

@mellowshifi

I bought a 'factory reconditioned' new Hegel Mohician - right from the start, the CD tray would not load the CD, have to turn the unit off just as the drawer closes to get it to load. Then playback started skipping, have to hit forward and back several times, seems the lubricaton on the laser rails it lacking.

A similar issue with a fellow audiogoner with his Viking, he sent it to be serviced twice and nothing changed. And my factory re-conditioned would not play from the get go. My take away is Hegel has an lubrication issue with their players, (hoping it just a lubricate the rails issue), but the arrangement with service here in the states is poor. 

All that being said, the player sounds fantastic, just color me disappointed with their service.

After buying used Marantz, Bryston, Esoteric, and T+A spinners and always having problems, I bought a new Ayon player and took advantage of the zero percent financing. Best purchase ever. A fantastic unit that has a tubed preamp section. I sold my Primaluna Pre and never looked back. Highly recommended.

I doubt that a new CD player will sound less bright than your Rega. CD players have a flat frequency response and from that standpoint they sound very similar to one another.

I think what you are hearing is a rolled-off high frequency response from your new Ortofon cartridge. It is making your CD player sound bright by comparison. You don't say which presentation you prefer but if you like the less bright sound of your turntable then getting an equalizer to put between your CD player and your preamp may be a better answer.

FWIW, I'm running a HANA SL cartridge and it sounds strikingly similar to my digital rigs. The freqency response of the HANA is very flat. I have a couple DACs, a couple of transports, a CD player, and an SACD player and they have slight differences but none of them sounds brighter than the other.

It would be intersting to try the HANA and see if that sounds more like your CD player. Depending on the rest of your system the diminished high frequencies you are hearing from your ML/Ortofon combo may be preferable in which case you might want to reevaluate your speakers.