I own an Audio Refinement Complete integrated amp and a Music Hall CD-25 player with upgraded opamps. The combination is very, very nice and could be had used for less than your budget.
Another alternative I can recommend from personal experience would be a Rotel integrated, like an RA-1050, RA-1060 or RA-02 with a Rotel CD player like the RCD-1070, RCD-1072 or RCD-02. In my experience both Rotel and NAD are a little better built than Cambridge Audio and my preference is for the Rotel equipment but any of those three will be a good start for your friend.
The Linn Classik would also be a very nice solution in that price range. I've helped two different friends buy one and both have been absolutely thrilled with theirs. It's a very high-quality piece of equipment that will last for years.
