The best CD Player for the money

I'm going to ask the same question that started 10 years ago.
I'm looking for a CD player in the price range of 500-1500 used. i've been looking at Consonance/opera, Macintosh and Jolida. do the tube player sound better? do i need SACD's.
what about the mac 201 and 301....i need help on this one.
i'm am rock and roll guy. the rest of my stuff in mcintosh mc7300 with a c30 and ads speakers.

Xxhanhxx,
Read this entire thread and you will find your answer.

Meridian 508.24 ... still one of the very best out there.

Ayon CD-2S, close to the performance of the CD-5 for almost half the price.

Wow. 10 years of different answers which all in their own way are correct. I maintain that the best CD Player for the money is the best one you can personally afford. There is no one single answer because not all of us listen to the same music or have the same setup.

My current vote goes to getting excellent condition Demo items from a dealer. The dealer has been using the CD Player in a clean environment and has run it hopefully long enough to burn it in. This way you can instantly jump into the best the CD Player will be capable of rather than waiting for a hundred hours to burn it in. Demo gear is often a spectacular deal.