Need recommendation for a CD player

I tried a Parasound Halo D3 SACD/CD player. Nice piece but I was not impressed with the sound. Returned it.

A good used Sony SCD-XA5400ES is hard to beat and right at your price target. Honest, fast, clean, and dynamic sound, especially outstanding at the frequency extremes. Replacement optical drives are $50 just in case. Improves significantly with $20 worth of Dynamat under the lid and adhesive weights on the transport a la ModWright.

"the Oppo has so many features I wouldn't be using in an audio only system that I ought to get a CD player more focused on just playing CDs. "

this makes sense, except that Oppo is known for having better sound than much more expensive players

new ESS chips are about to be released, and Oppo will have new players out, as will many others; even if you don't buy a new player the release will push prices down on existing payers, so I'd hold off for a few months and use the time to develop a short list to about $2k retail, then see if any used ones will fit your budget

+1 my buddy is waiting on the new 203 /205 or something. He said this mnth 

I've had some high end players & now use a Cambridge CXC transport with a Wyred 4 Sound DAC 1 w/FemtoClock linked with Lifatec cable & it's a giant killer combo.
You could get both used for less than $1k.

No one's mentioned it yet, but if you've ever heard any of the models Modwright has modded, they will basically sound at whole different level to anything remotely close to its price.  You can get a used one for under $1000 sometimes although a freshly modded one lists at over $4000.  Dan stands behind his products just as if you bought new too.  Not many companies will do that.  His CD/SACD (most do both) players rival players in the $7000+ category.  The player just floored me after owning a good rated lower cost player, and then a Marantz 8005.  The MW Sony 5400 and MW Oppo 105 are the latest and greatest current mods, but all the others are special sounding also--Sony 999, Sony 9000, Sony 9100 Oppo 83, and Oppo 95.  I've owned both the 9000 and 9100 MW's and currently own the MW 5400 and will own it 'til one of us keels over.