Changer

Get the newest used Harman Kardon changer you can find. Their website www.youcanfindityourself.com sells factory reconditioned units. She'll love it.

The way to go is a refurb sony 595, often available on SonyStyle for $60. What have you got to lose? Just money as the sound equals $1K rigs. It does SACD too.

It sounds like you are searching for variable outputs, if I read your post right. The only recent changers I know of that have this are some of the Sony ES units, the 333, 555, maybe even the 222.
I had a college roommate who had a Sony ES changer with variable output, we're still friends and he still has it in his main system! That should speak to build quality, we graduated in '96...