Universal disc players as CD players.

I might catch some slack here but here goes. Any decent disc player will sound pretty good. The high end players are better but the disc player usually isn't the weak link in a system. If your system tune and cabling is adjusted to get the best out of a player it will sound damn good. 

Universals are most all I buy. Sony ES, Pioneer Elite, Denon, Marantz, and ARCAM. Some of us contributed to a thread a while ago listing modest tweaks that pay great dividends for exceptional sound and video.

Another +vote for AYRE DX-5 / DX-5 DSD universal players.
Superb.

Happy Listening!

I use an Oppo 105 as a transport into my Bryston DAC3.    The transport is important but the DAC is more so.  Lately I’ve been experimenting with using my Melco as a transport via USB into the same DAC and it may sound a tinge better but it’s definitely clunkier

In my experience, dedicated CD players have superior sound with CDs than multi-format players.  I've owned the Oppo 205, the Esoteric X05 and some others, but I have never liked the sound of CDs as much as I liked the sound of the Naim players or the EAR Acute or my CXC/Heed combo I'm using now.  Perhaps with very expensive players in the 10k+ range, the CD playback is on par with good dedicated players.  Of course, everything is about what you personally hear.