Best SACD/CD Player up to 3000 street price?

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any cdp better than the SCD-1 in this price range.

I'm very confident that you will not find a better built unit than the SCD-1 in this price range. This unit is built like a tank and weighs almost the same.

Of course it is very good with SACD as well.

Did I mention it's curb appeal?

I have had both the Sony SCD-1 and the Meridian 508-24 in my system and for redbook playback I much preferred the Meridian, the bass was superior and I liked the tone of the midrange better too. In comparison the Sony had a brighter and thinner high end and less midrange weight and did not compete in the bass either.

That is just one opinion and a brief amount of time listening in one system, hence my 2cents worth.

BTW on a friends system we AB'd the 2 players and could not consistantly tell them apart, the difference was much greater in my Maggie based system and my friend has B&W speakers.

If you can find a Musical Fidelity 3d, it will give you close to the performance of an SACD player and will match perfectly with the amp. I have the same set up, it is amazing.