DAC recommendations for CDs in 2-channel system

Buy the OPPO 105/205! Chris Martens review in TAS is RIGHT ON! A superb sounding player that can serve as your media hub for ALL digital formats!

Oppo or something similar may be a good way to go in your case since you say your CD player is crappy and Modi Uber is not particularly high-end. That said, if I were in your position, and had a moderately decent CD player, I would get a Denafrips Ares R2R DAC. Its's under $700 and should be a great upgrade from what you currently ave. On the lower end of the scale, I've had good experience using a Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus with my semi-crappy CD player. Its under $350. Or, you can just change course completely and get a streamer for under $500 and a Tidal subscription and hear most if not all your CDs at equal or better quality plus an additional huge catalog of music from all over the world.

+1 Oppo 205

@mattmiller - I wondered about this. What about all the comments on Audiogon from folks saying "no" to Sabre DACs?

Why not upgrade to one of Schiit's multibit DACs the fits your price range. One can always find a replacement for a CD player to be used as a transport when yours 'craps' out.