CD player NOT made in China under $1,000?

It's not about where it's made, it's about the QA processes, company policies and customer service.

You will get horribly unreliable products if the company is not paying attention, regardless of where it is made.

To me it matters. QC, ethics and a sprinkle of romance all come into play when I buy 'stuff'.

>>It's not about where it's made<<

Disagree.

I don't think there's any doubt that some countries use children and/or unskilled labor to assemble products. QA process or not, you're bound to have poorer quality when using assemblers who are either underage, unskilled, or uneducated.

Or all.

This may or may not be an example. PS Audio made the Digital Link III in California under the watchful eye of Cullen. When the finished product was fully released it was stellar. Then the production was moved to China. Cullen had no more responsibility for the product. Mine was made in China and PS Audio will stand behind it. However, the split between Cullen and Paul is an example of the issue of quality control. Once a product is made in China, the company loses some control over the product. Even if company managers are on site, changing supplies and QC are issues. You will not find those issues in Japan, the US or England. Cullen will take DL III units and "bring them up to spec" before he does his mods. That should tell us something. Another example is the fact that my Onkyo 805 is made in Japan. It has worked flawlessly since I bought it. The less expensive 505 I bought for a simple living room system was made in China and lasted one hour before self-destructing. The service rep who took my call and gave me a RMA was "ho-hum". It had happened many times before. Make no mistake, there are quality products from China, but the quality is highly variable and the issue of returns and repairs is problematic. In my experience, it is indeed safer to buy from a company that designs and manufactures their product in the US or Canada or England. Its your money, do what you will. Caveat emptor.

To answer the original question, I just bought a brand new Rega Apollo, which is 1100, and it blows away any other player I have ever heard, including ones that cost 5 times that. I haven't heard any above that level, I should add. What I like the best about it is the sound of it - they mitigate some of the harshness of most digital players, trying to make it sound as close to analog as they can. Anything else I have ever heard in the price range you are talking about does not come close - much brighter and harsher sound, and certainly not nearly as well built.