Tough question, and difficult to define without establishing a price point. For some, "for the money" is $10k. For others, it's $900. Figure out what you want to spend and what kind of sound you like, then get the player that makes you happiest at a given price point. Simple as that.
Research the heck out of it, go to dealers and listen to familiar recordings, using a system you're familiar with (whether yours or a friend's) to establish a sonic baseline, so that you know what the system you're hearing the CD player through is doing. Then you can properly evaluate the player.
I went with a Primare CD21, because both reviews that I saw described the sound that I wanted from CD. And I got that sound. Voila. Done, for about $700. Just remember, the most important things are your budget, and the sound you want.
And don't be afraid if you like a player that isn't part of the general scheme of things. Remember that somebody had to be the first one, right? At some point, Oppo, Cambridge, Jolida, Jadis, any of the vaunted firms were a joint nobody had ever heard of. So don't worry about that. Just get the sound that you want.
