single disc sacd player for 300 used

David - my advice is to look for a 775 multi-disc player as for the life of me I can't think of a single disc SACD player at that price point in the US. The 775 is reported to be killer on both SACD and redbook given its very modest price and can be modded by someone like Matt Anker to bring it up to what is purported to be excellent for somewhere in the vicinity of $600 total. No connection to Matt as I own a "Kerned" 333ES cdp.

The only other unit that is single disc for cheap is the Sony XE670 unit that can still be found here in Canada in limited numbers for about $200 Cdn (about $130 US).

There are reports of new units around the corner so maybe if you have the patience tough it out until CES in January to see the new models.

Better sound than the Planet for $300? I would suggest stealing maybe a 9000es. It is probably a step up from the Rega. I hate to be one of those people who suggest what they have for sale, but RCD-971 is quite adept to metal music. Good bass, a little forward, pretty detailed and no warmth. Just don't buy it from me (wink, wink...email me) Good luck

I think the only thing that comes close to your criteria would be to buy a Sony DVD-NS500V for $150 and then get it modified by either tweakaudio.com or sacd-mods.com. Before sending the Sony out for mods, I would suggest trying it out to make sure it works ok. I bought 2 of them and one was defective-would shut itself off after about 1/2 hour or so of playing time.