New DAC or New Player??

i was in the same boat as you a couple of months ago. i have a good working sony 9000es and use it mainly for cd and sacd playback. i did not like the sound that it was providing from cd playback. sacd playback is very good though. i looked into getting it modified (to tubes). i also look at purchasing a cd only player. in the end, i didn't want to give up sacd playback, and i do like the option of using it as a dvd player. I ended up buying a used $3500 Audio Research DAC for less than a $1000 for cd playback and couldn't be happier.
good luck.

Thank you all for responding. After reading lots of threads I have decided that SACD is over for me. I only have about 10 discs and some of them are hybrid anyway. I am going to get a DAC to maximize the Redbook sound and still have a DVD and SACD player (non hybrid) when I need it. The Sony is a great DVD and I'm not going to buy a universal player when all I really need is a good DAC. So which DAC do I get. I'm leaning towards the Benchmark DAC-1 but what about the BelCanto or a Musical Fidelity used in the classifieds? Any opinions are welcome.

Sony DVPS-7000 for transport (150) and California Audio Labs Alpha DAC..about 350 to 600 depending on the model and if it has original box, upgraded tubes, et al.

Audio Note DAC 1.x II Signature is a great unit, too. You would want the full sized chassis which is the current model range (II). These DACs only get better as you go up the product range.