New cd player

For $1500 you can go separate DAc and transport, New transport like audiolab or Cambridge for used DAC Gungnir . Gungnir has xlr.Good luck.

+1 @coralkong 

Musical Fidelity makes CD players at any price that make even older CD's sound special.  I am surprised this brand is never talked about.  No, I don't sell them. I just upgraded to one of their better models.

Do you guys even READ what the OP is looking for?

NAD C568 = No XLR

Hegel Viking CD player = $5k, not even out yet...

Technics SA-C600 = built in 30w amplifier, no XLR....

Marantz M60 = no XLR

JC, people! And I thought I was bad recommending a player that was also SACD.

This place is ridiculous, lol.

Research on the "Technics SA-C600"  It fts your budget well and has more features that u may love, Its a CD-and-streaming all-in-one player.

I had a NAD CD player some years ago that was quite nice. I just checked and you can get a NAD C 568 for $900 from Crutchfield. This is their mid-tier player.

Marantz m60  ... not too pricey, excellent reviews, solid build, classy looking... 

and @chayro +1   "don't assume a new player will sound better..."    

I have an old Sony that sounds excellent, as do my old JVC 3-disc players...  Denon makes and made good stuff.  

The new Viking CD player just announced by Hegel would be a great option for you.

Reference bit-perfect CD player
New design, matching our P30A and H30A amplifiers Dedicated top-of-the-line CD drive and laser with slot-in loading Auto standby (configurable)
XLR, RCA, and BNC output
SoundEngine, MasterClock, LineDriver, and SynchroDAC

John Darko has a review out there discussing it but officially coming next month. 

Yamaha cds2100. Yes, it’s sacd, but it pairs well with Classe gear and is a very solid unit. Check Accessories4Less.com for current (refurb) pricing. I use one in my Classe system (along with several other players....but the Yamaha is a constant in the system.) Feel free to send me a PM with any specific questions.

EDIT: You can get one for $1499/refurbed with a Yamaha warranty. That is a smoking deal on a MSRP $3k+ player.

YAMAHA CD-S2100 Natural Sound Super Audio CD Player Black | Accessories4less

Don’t assume a newer player will sound better. Those older Denons sounded very smooth and were well built. A lot of modifiers used them as a base for upgrades. That aside, Rotel makes some nice machines in your price range.  I would stay away from used due to potential flaky transports. Plus with new you can return it if the Denon sounds better.  Im sure some will tell you to keep the denon and buy a dac, but then you’ll have an extra box and you’ll need a digital cable to connect them. Not a bad idea, but some just want the simplicity of a cd player. 

Sparkler Audio makes a great sounding nos cd player. Unfortunately it is only single ended. 

http://www.sparkler-audio.com/portfolio/S515_en.html