I'm so confused....

Your dilema is very very sililar to mine (check my past threads) I was about to purchase a NAD 541i, then I read about the virtues of the Philips 963sa and was about to buy one, then I read about the Jolida JD100. At one point I was very confused. On top of these, I read about countless other players that were receiving rave reviews. My advice is to listen to as many of these as you can. I realize that it is difficult to find local dealers for each of these at some point you have to dive in. The benefit of local dealers is that many of them have trial units for in home demos. On the other hand the beauty of buying used is that it can be re-sold if you are unhappy. I ultimately chose the Jolida player and am very satisfied. Everything I have read is acurate about it. At the end of the day, each of us has to be happy/satisfied with our decisions and the performance of our systems. With the library of cds that you have I would try to find a player that performs redbook very well. All the players you are contemplating are decent choices, make a decision on what's best for you and jump in!

Hi,
You might want to mention a price range that you're considering, so that people can recommend a good player in that range. Also, new or used?

Decisions were made for me when my favorite music are only available on redbook format. I just went with the best transport and DAC which pleases my ear that I can afford.

I recently was doing my first upgrade, getting new amp and speakers... In regards to the source I made quite comprehensive searches in forums and reviews, and got that CD players are generally divided into two groups with a border in around $2000. Meaning that even if Music Hall sounds some better then NAD, it still on about the same level. Significant change is achievable when you jump above $2K. Thus, I needed a source, but I didn't want to invest too much in something I'm going to upgrade just when financial situation allows, I ended up with NAD C541i. I find it extremely good for its price and it allows me to wait peacefully the required time to get some serious CDP.
In regards to HDCD, once I've got it, I don't think I'll be able to stay without it - if you're not into SACD yet, IMHO it may be considered as an essential feature.

Hi DC
You ask if HDCD is anything to care about? Emphaticaly yes!
I am a huge fan of HDCD.
HDCD is seriously far better than 16-bit redbook; the 20-bit Pacific Microsonics DAC's (Pac.Mic. is now bought out by microsoft) are considerably sonically superior. Even ordinary 16-bit discs sound better when played on an HDCD machine. However when you hear the 20 bit HDCD discs - it's just amazingly better, and at no additional cost above redbook discs.
Larger music selection than SACD, less costly hardware, backward compatible, and you're not paying $25 per disc either. Be aware that not all HDCD's are identified on the back cover; sometimes you end up with a pleasant surpise when you play a new disc & that HDCD indicator light turns on. An example: Stevie Nicks' Enchanted boxed set which is not labeled as HDCD anywhere on the packaging. The same songs on the Enchanted set, compared to her original releases are breathtaking. HDCD is a killer format.