best CD player new or used for $1200

Am listening to Mark Knopfler on my Marantz CD6005 as we speak, and it sounds damn good. Just got it 2 days ago ($500) and am super impressed smooth, engaging, and balanced thru my FirstWatt/Quicksilver set up. I'd check it out before putting down more dollars.

Consider the Pioneer Elite BDP-09. This unit has a really nice internal DAC and is hard to beat for less than $1000 used. I have listened to this unit vs many other units and also compared the digital output into an Audio Research DAC 8 vs the CD output directly and it was very close to the digital - DAC 8 sound. I kid you not. It has four internal DACs and really sounds great. many people I know didn't like the slow load time of the blue ray play function. But, I really didn't care that it loaded slightly slower. It beat all the other CD players/BRPs that I compared it to by far. It is seriously over built.

enjoy

Stick with the used Bryston CDP to match your gear
Next alternative: REGA Saturn (better upgrade to the Apollo)

Excluding the Bryston, please go with your ears from an actual personal audition because all you are going to get here is just a heavily biased personal value judgement pushing their own fave with nil assurance that it will actually work in your system.

System synergy matters big time ....

Don't forget about the Cambridge Audio 851C player/DAC. Great performance for the $$$.

Bill