Help to pick redbook player

Thank you guys, all your messages are very usefull to me. This is great board.

Yea, I've heard lotsa good thinks of Ah! and Jolida. I have not heard NAD, Shanling CD-S100 as most of these players. Though Shanling tube player with upsampling looks fun.

Fs_audio: Xindak looks also impressive, but too expensive for me.
Budrew: I guess I like detailed but rich sound if I could say so.

I thought Philps 963 DVD/SACD/CD player looks promising. It cobines versatility of multiformat player and features of hi-fi CD player:
- 192kHz Upsampling
- Multi-Layer DAC Board
- Ultra Low Jitter Master Audio Clock
- Fully Separate Analog and Digital Processors
- Separate Audio and Video Circuitry
- Twelve discrete Class-A buffer/amplifier modules
- Dual Laser Pickup
but it appears it's not regarded as better redbook player. I have no way of testing it but buying it.

Of all these players I only have heard multiple times Arcam Alpha 8 (not exactly CD72 model but I guess close) - my friend has it. And I thought I like it, and that's what I probably gonna get, though of course it's not just player - it's a combination of player + amp + speakers. So he's got Arcam Alpha 8 player + Arcam 50w amp + Kistrel speakers.

I've got Paradigm Studio 60 + HarnmanKardon AVR525 + 9-y old Sony (use as transport w/optical out) CD hi-fi system. My friend's system definetly sounds better. I don't know what I need to upgrade? I thought first I have to get CD player and hopefully SACD/DVDA palyer. I might would need to get separate amp - I am thinking of Rotel 1075 and using HK as prepro. May be Paradigms to be replaced by B&W CDM7NT...

I was going to mention the Philips 963, I have heard very good things about this unit from a reliable source.

my advice; cd player will not solve your problem. get rid of the avr525. buy a decent integrated amp. i am using unison research unico. less expensive are rotel and arcam integrateds. you can match them with same line cd player (or the arcam dvd player), voila!

Karabiyikoglu,
I bought Arcam Appha 9 player. Now I am thinking avr525 could serve as good prepro and then I would get 2-channel power amp for the main speakers. Do you think this is a good route?

if you want a HT system you may keep the avr525, i choose not to comment on HT. if you want a (good) budget 2 channel system, again, get rid of the avr525. i donot believe in budget pre-power combos, because you will end up having;
1- problems of matching
2- longer signal path
3- need for an extra pair of interconnects
my advice, again;
1- good cd player
2- one pair of good interconnects
3- good integrated amplifier (2 channel of course)
you may go for an arcam integrated now. to get the best out of your system you will need good cables too. check used pure silver sound and homegrown audio interconnects and dh labs speaker cables for budget cabling. by the way, i ordered a refurbished philips dvd963sa ($300). will post my experience on that soon.