Best sounding CD player

X vs U minimal difference 

@dvdgreco I'm looking for that Cary 306S now working or non-working if you know of someone selling one. Thanks 

I’d recommend separate DAC and a transport. If you ever feel the need to upgrade either, easy enough. You didn’t mention budget, but the Audiolab 6000CDT is a great transport, and a helluva deal at $600.

I prefer R2R ladder DACs, as Soix suggested there are great units for all prices from Denafrips, Musician, Holo Audio, Gustard……I prefer the Denafrips and Holo Audio DACs

Audio research c8 cdp, what do people think of this player 

You mean Audio Research Reference CD8 ? 
 

If yes… I have read reviews of many earlier versions of Audio Research Reference CD / DACs and own a Reference CD9SE… I would definitely buy one. They have shown a wonderful natural, musical sound increasing the detail with each generation. I have owned a number of CD / DACs… Sonic Frontiers, Sim Moon 650D + 820 power supply ($18K) and the ARC CD9SE bested them by a large margin… simply as a DAC it bested a Berkeley Alpha Reference 3 ($22K). So, while my data points strike all around your question… I think they still point to a yes… ARC Ref CD8 being a great choice.