Best cd player for under $800.00

I bought a Sony 900 for about $300 and sent it to TRL for mods, another $550. Blows away anything I have ever heard, at any price!

Do a search for TRL (Tube Research Labs) there's a lot of info on them.

Second on the music Hall all the rest especially rotel sound like mud compared to the Music Hall. I don't know about the modders but forget any warranty. The Music Hall is super clean but not thin has a lot of presence and is simply a giant killer. Look up Trelja's thread on it. He is one of the most knowledgable Audiogoners there is.

TRL 595
APL 563
Eastern Electric(tubed)redbook/HDCD

Njoe Tjoeb is an option.

I don`t reccomend Arcam CD73. Once I wanted to buy one but when I demoed it in my system it sounded realy closed and dull. It is made of cheap plastic which looks and sounds like real cheap player. The Cd23 sounds better but looks same ugly. Later I bought Marantz cd17mk2 which looks like real jewel and the sound is absolutely night and day in comparison with Arcam. When I changed the CD73 to CD17 the difference was so big like remowing some fat blanket from my speakers. In my experience I don´t even remember so big change caused by changing one unit in system. Marantz is much more opened up and clear but at same time musical and polite sounding.
You can find CD17 now real cheap on agon or ebay it must be about $400 used.
If You find some new unit beware that before burn in it sound realy shrill and sharp with little bass but before it transformes to absolutely another unit.
Good luck