Best older universal for CD playback??

You can get the Denon 3910 and mod it. Tap the spdif leg of the audio chip and solder a direct output wire to a newly drilled coax terminal for digital out. To further improve performance you can disconnect all the video boards.

By tapping the leg, you shorten the digital audio out path and no longer have to go via the long PCB traces that kill the delicate digital signal. To get really fancy, you could run the spdif through a tube buffer first, but there you would need to tap the transormer to get another power supply dedicated to the tube buffer.

The laser precision of this DVD player seems to be higgher than for typical CD lasers.

A Sony 9000ES may work for you. They tend to sell for about $400. Maybe start with that, and if you want to upgrade at some point, have it modded.

Might be able to shed light on experiences with two mentioned here. I have owned the Sony 9000ES, Proceed PMDT and Esoteric DV-50S. Actually, still have the DV-50S. The Sony is a nice player (older) , but; with ample capability. Sound was OK...perhaps a bit brittle/sharp in the high frequency. The PMDT provided good detail and much warmer/smooth sounding then the other two. The DV-50S was superior in every level. Good micro/macro dynamics, excellent with SACD's and true 5.1 channel playback/outs. Built very well inside and out. A clear winner here in my system. Obviously you will have to pay more for the DV-50S then the Sony and Proceed.....that said, the cost has come down quite a bit over the past couple of years for pre-owned.

I can't imagine that DV-50's would sell for anything near $400 used.

I second the Oppo BDP-95 recommendation if you can find one. To be honest, even the BDP-93 sounds really good. There's one on eBay right now for about $200. I have a 93 in my HT system, so I only use it as a transport, but when I first got it, I tested it out in my other system using the in-boad DACs, and I thought it sounded great. For $200, it's certainly worth a shot. I don't see any 95s for sale right now anywhere near that price. The Oppo's seem to have great build quality, too.