what to choose?

I was considering the Naim you mention above. Very overrated. The price very high for what they give you. I highly recommend the Ayre 7 for CD only, and the 5 if you need to play other formats. For just Redbook, I like the 7 better than the 5.

Possibly not the Naim (for dynamics maybe, but the Naim sound has always been more about PRAT and tonality than soundstaging in particular). Dunno about the Densen. I know some people like the Audiolab, but I've not heard it. The Oppo would be a good choice, but only if modified IMHO. Ric Schultz (EVS) would likely not only be the best available mod, but also the cheapest - a big bang for the buck. Probably one of the best players going these days - at any price.

It may be more than you want to spend, but there's a Wadia S7i that just listed for $8K.

Chuck