As for you question about what makes a good CD player good, there used to be a really cool write-up on the Mark Levinson site about what they find important about CD player technology. I know my next comment might spark some heated debate, but I'll say it anyway: you get what you pay for. Audio is one of those limited industries where cost within a product class does for the most part translate to better sound. Now, how much quality for how much cost?--hard to say. That's where the listening comes in. Some prices are overblown. Some of the cost differences are extreme for not much sound improvement. Find your price point, and then listen and decide.