RE Robm321:
No, I'm not going to be buying blind. I have already taken a few trips to test out some of these players (I've heard the Reimyo, EMM Labs combo, and dCS combo so far). I mainly started this thread to get suggestions on what players to look out for and what to listen for. Even when using my own ears for the final decision I always find good reviews and comparisons helpful.
And a sincere thanks to everyone who's given suggestions and reviews. I've yet to find another place that has such a large amount of well informed audiophiles (with apparantly huge wallets! :D ).