Which lower price range CD player should I pick ?

I currently have both the Cambridge Audio D-500 and the Sony DVP s9000 es. For just redbook cd's the Cambridge is hard to beat for the price. I bought the sony thinking I could use it for Sacd/DVD/CD and sell the Cambridge. Well, I couldn't, the Cambridge was just too sweet. I've since learned that the burn-in time for the Sony is 200 hrs + so maybe it was an unfair test. What I have since done is got Dan Wright at ModWright to upgrade my Sony and Now it is to die for. So if I haven't completely confused you, I recommend the Cambridge if you have no need for dvd or sacd. I recommend the the sony if you may want to taste sacd or later invest in Modwright's upgrade that would get you a world class player.

Go listen and choose for yourself. You could also talk to the guys at Spearit Sound (aka Northampton Audio). They sell the NAD, Cambridge, and Music Hall; so they could give you an idea how the sonic signatures compare. Which they think are best for which type of music, etc. They are a very honest bunch, and will discount a new model. Been doing business with them for 25 years, even though I no longer live in their area.

I'll give you a vote for the Planet 2000 and add that you should be able to find an excellent 8-9/10 example (slightly) used for around $650-750 right here on Audiogon. It will be easier if you will 'settle' for the black face version, as they tend to go a bit cheaper. I bought mine from an Audiogoner who was previewing it against a higher end Sony (much more expensive) and decided after a month to spend the extra money on the Sony and sell the Planet 2000 to me. In your case too, I'd guess the extra money would be well spent on the Planet 2000. It's an excellent player in all respects. I listen to a wide variety of music myself and have not found a weak point yet. I cannot say I've listened to any of your other options, but I also have a Marantz CD63SE in my other system. The Marantz is an outstanding player for the money and was raved about in it's day as a bargain player (early 90's), but lacks the astonishing clarity, detail and spatial qualities that you'd get in the Planet 2000 (IMO). Also, the build quality on the Marrantz is sadly lacking (though the Planet 2000 doesn't exactly bowl you over with high-end attention to detail either). Still, I've been enjoying it (the Marrantz) without so much as a hiccup for over ten years, and it you can get those used for the cost of a good set of high-end interconnects! It really is a damn good player, and astonishingly so for that kind of money. I recently added a Monarchy DIP Mk. II and a CAL Sigma DAC to the Marantz (using the Marantz simply as a transport). I can switch back and forth from the Marantz output to the CAL/Monarchy output. The Marantz output is, again, pretty damn good in comparison, but is definitely outclassed in any kind of critical listening. Soundstage opens up, instruments sound more distinctly placed in space, midrange is quite fluid and crisp.

Listen to the players your interested in using your music. Read reviews (audioreview.com is a good place to start, you might also try audioasylum.com - the latter tends to be a more esoteric group of audiophiles, while the former is a real mixed bag), and see what folks write here (also a pretty serious lot for the most part). Take all of this with a 5 lb. bag of salt, which is how one should approach most information obtained through 'public' Internet sites, and see what your ears, your heart, and those little hairs on the back of your neck tell you! Let the force be with you! Also, look at what you want the player to do for you and how you will listen to most of the time. If you aren't sitting down in front of a well setup system, and instead do most of your listening walking around, or from other rooms, or as ambient music, it may be not worth the extra bucks to look into the (marginally) more expensive players. But if you do sit down and listen to the music, and are seeking an introduction to audio nirvana, well then carry on, by all means! I'd say you're on the right track!