Cd Source for my system

I am one of those guys that think a pre amp makes a difference even though it shouldn’t.  I use a Cary tubed from about 20 years ago that really opens up the sound stage..

  You could do a lot worse than Esoteric.  Maybe add a streamer in there that offers Bluetooth, AirPlay, and perhaps Chromecast.  Great way to audition music that you don’t have on hard disc

without getting into the seperate- preamp-is-better discussion, i note that the marantz 50N and 30N have an onboard digital preamp and streaming capability and are well within your budget

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2716162

Why would you say a pre-amplifier should not make a difference?  Generally, sources have weak line-level output.  This is not always an issue, but I've always preferred the ability to crank the power amplifier up less in favor of a stro ger input signal.  This works REALLY well with things like multimedia speakers who were never given a fair shot.  If you poke around you'll see the high-dollar units are always paired with high end sources, while low-slung speaker sets get reviewed on on-board sound, which is so unfair.  I've put a DAC and pre-amplifier behind otherwise inexpensive multimedia sets, and the results were very good.

Yes, I considered the marantz cd 30N player and the Esoteric K 03 player. However, I don't know how comparable the sound quality of the two is. I would currently have the option of an Esoteric K 05X amplifier, but it cannot be used as a preamplifier.