I was in a similar situation, looking to replace/upgrade my Cambridge Audio 840 CD player. I already have it digital out to a Bryston D/A, so the sound is very good. But I was concerned about the potential of CD players in general, as the specialized transports are being discontinued on a regular basis.
I decided to invest in a "memory" player (the PS Audio Perfect Wave Transport). Its a lot more money than your budget, but it uses a DVD ROM drive instead of the standard CD transport so its "future resistant" from an obsolescense perspective.
It still plays all my CDs and even high res files burned to disk.
BTW, CDs are not going anywhere no matter what the computer audio folks say. For me and the kind of music I like, they are still the main source. I have checked out hig res sources such as HDTracks and the selection of music just sucks. An exception might be SACDs, but you will need a dedicated player for those in any event.
I decided to invest in a "memory" player (the PS Audio Perfect Wave Transport). Its a lot more money than your budget, but it uses a DVD ROM drive instead of the standard CD transport so its "future resistant" from an obsolescense perspective.
It still plays all my CDs and even high res files burned to disk.
BTW, CDs are not going anywhere no matter what the computer audio folks say. For me and the kind of music I like, they are still the main source. I have checked out hig res sources such as HDTracks and the selection of music just sucks. An exception might be SACDs, but you will need a dedicated player for those in any event.