Musclebt,
I'd suggest to mention to your friend that California Labs is no longer in business and that this is quite an old player. Just thinking about "repairs" and the age of the mechanical tray system and that a used one may have been abused/jammed on occasion. A DAC with a tube output could be coupled to a music server or larger changer and might be more along the lines of the realistic sound you are looking for. Opinions are just opinions though and the CL-10 will give good SS sound for sure.
I'd suggest to mention to your friend that California Labs is no longer in business and that this is quite an old player. Just thinking about "repairs" and the age of the mechanical tray system and that a used one may have been abused/jammed on occasion. A DAC with a tube output could be coupled to a music server or larger changer and might be more along the lines of the realistic sound you are looking for. Opinions are just opinions though and the CL-10 will give good SS sound for sure.