Dedicated Red Book CD player vs. "Universal" type players....

I agree with Jenn ,the new PS Audio direct stream player & dac are “fantastic” sounding , anyone that owns a large collection of discs and prefer physical ownership of their music collection need to listen to PS Audios new player. Nothing that I owed in the past of $10,000 to $18,000 dollar price category can compare which includes Esoteric and EMM Labs ,.Also comparing expensive so labled hi-Res down too PS Audios digital lens memory is truly a revolution in digital playback something that has been promoted and never delivered in the audio press for decades,..Check PS Audio out ,. 

I I like chayro suggestion about getting an Oppo and then adding a DAC later if the redbook playback is found wanting.  It sounds like the OP plays mainly CDs but is thinking about playing from a hard drive in the future.  An alternative would be to spend the money on a DAC and keep his present CDP as a transport.  Or, if he needs to sell the current player to fund the purchase, or wants some video source in the system, put the money in a DAC and put a Sony Blu Ray in the system, which can also play SACD if he needs that.
  The Oppo is also a great way to play music from  USB drives or other hard drives and you wouldn’t need a separate streamer if you start adding other digital sources

The newest Bryston CD player may be a viable choice. This is a true, one box, Redbook Cd player that does nothing else. No DVD, SACD. The Dac cannot be accessed for computer audio or streaming. A true one trick pony.

Thanks all for the input. I am interested in whether there is (real or perceived) difference in cd playback quality with a "universal" type player. Does all of the added circuitry for video etc. degrade the sound in some way? Or, have they gotten so good that it's immaterial....

My Esoteric UX-3 Universal Player CD, SACD, DVD A, DVD sounds great and IMHO sounds much better than many other players on the market.  I can shut all the video circuitry off from the remote, but I hear no difference in sound.