A headache of choice over CD player

Check out the MP upgrade of tha Ayre players. The Minimum Phase filters are a significant improvement, especially in the area of digital glare or listener fatigue.

All Ayre players are built as MP now, older players can be upgraded for $250 or so.

PS Audio Perfect Wave, Meridian .2 players and the Esoteric SA-50 have similar technology. Do a little research on Minimum Phase or apodising filters.

I that price range i would take a serious look at the Perfectwave.

Go for the McIntosh player. You have a Mac amp and preamp I don't need to tell you how great McIntosh is

I agree with Verneal. I doubt the Mac player would disappoint.

I just got back from Seattle after listening to CD players for 2 days. I listened to the Meridian 808.2, the McIntosh 301 and the MCD500, Audio Research CD8 and dac7, Ayre 5XE ad AyeQB9, Linn Klimax DS, new Naim dac, and Sim Audio 750D and Sim 300D digital to analog converter with various speakers. Surprising, I liked the Sim Audio 300D da converter best. Part of the appeal was that is is only $1600, a huge bargain when compared to the others, but I thought it also had one of the best sounds of all the players I listened to. It was hooked up to 2 different speaker systems, the Dynaudio DM 2/7 and then the Avalon Opus Ceramiques. The bass was deep without being overpowering, smooth, rich, full and detailed. I loved it in both systems. They had it connected to a Wadia 170i transport with an Ipod playing the music. I fully expected to like the McIntosh MCD500 or the Naim dac best, but this da converter completely held it's own. I didn't especially like the Naim dac, it was too thin, actually a tad bright, it just wasn't musical enough for me. This wasn't a controlled environment, I only had 2 days so I just used my ears. Sandra