Need recommendation for a CD player

@ericruff 
I prefer the sound of NAD players to Marantz in the same price range; but that's just me. I think you meant Marantz SA8005; not 8500. NAD does not have anything at that price; but the C 568 at $700 puts all of your investment into a dedicated redbook only player. No SACD.

Exemplar, the first player that I liked more than LP's.

Which one? The 5910 or the T105?

Sony if you can live with the issues of the optical drive otherwise Marrantz for Reliability.

You could get your Player mod done at a later stage but if you go down this route sometimes selling modified drives are not so easy.

I have the Exemplar 3910, a heavily modified Denon DVD player that is the first player that allowed me to no longer regard discs as a necessary evil. I've heard both the 5910 and T105 and one of those will be next player. I've had the 3910 for 8 years with no issues.