Best used Red Book Player for Rock-N-Roll


Hello people.
I am starting my journey into hi-fi beginning with the CD Player.I am looking for a used player in the under 3,000 range.
My amp and speakers are Mid-Fi to be sure but are good enough to hear the differance in sound of the two CD Players I have tried so far,wich are both Naim units.The CD5 W/Flat Cap2 and the CDX W/XPS.
I found the CD5 good but after a while the cymbols being rolled off and not much openness was starting to bug me.
So next I went to the CDX.The cymbols are very good with good sound staging,air,space,and detail.I don't think it is going to cut it either though.It lacks mid bass detail and bass slam for rock and roll.
I have orderd a Meridian 508.24 from someone here on Audiogon and am looking forward to evaluating it.

My music is Rock-N-Roll.Bands I like are:
Steveie Ray Vaughn
Yes
Tho Who
Michael Schenker
Rush
Scorpions
Black Sabbath
Led Zepplin
Hoobastank
Uncubus
Red Hot Chillie Pepers
Iron Maiden
Metallica
Judas Priest
DIO
From mild to wild.As you can see I need a player with good P.R.A.T
Some of these recordings have tons of midbass action and articulation,with bass slam and plenty of cymbol work.Yes some even have been recorded with openness.The CD5 didn't show that but the CDX did.

Some of the players that I am considering are:
Linn Ikemi
Cary 303/200
Wadia 830

I have heard that the Sony SCD777ES is good but light in the bass department.Any thoughts on that one.

Chris
tweakster
I own the 303 and have heard the 303/200 sounds similar in the areas I am going to concern you with. The tonal balance is midrange happy; no bass slam. What Linn calls prat is not Cary at all. The 303 is smooth, detailed = pretty (like Cardas sound), but I doubt if it is the rock player you are looking for. I listen to rock and love it to death. So if it was not for the description of your past experience, I would not have replied.
As you said, the rest of your system after the source (if it is really mid-fi) is going to dramatically limit your ability to distinguish between different source components. IMHO, a really good source does not a system make, if the rest of the system can't resovle what is being fed into it.
Beware of used CDP. That being said, a Wadia 850 ( or one of the others such as the 830, etc.) will fill the bill for your type of listening.
Lazarus28 & Pardales you could be right about the rest of the components.

The amp is a Plinius 8200 integrated(175w) and the speakers are Paradigm Studio Reference 100's.They are both on loan and this combination is what I have been using to compare the CDP's.My personal set up is a Yamaha DSP-A1 (110w) Cinema reciever and B&W DM303 bookshelves.Now you know why I am looking for more.I realize that a cinema reciever is not going to cut it for quality reproduction of music,especialy at the sound levels that I wish to attain.
I think that maby the Plinius doesn't have the ummph to push the Paradigms 8inch woofers.The power requirement if I remember correctly is 100w-300w.
Ohlala-
The Carry 303 with no bass slam? I have read a few reviews that stated it does have a good slam.Maby more hyp to sell CDP'S.I do like a smooth midrange though,guitars being my favorite instrument.
What are some bands you listen to?