Sell quality turntable to buy top CD player?

NAD M51 - Approx $2k
I have a modest vinyl rig and this DAC keeps up with it.

A few follow up comments on Lowrider's post. The ModWright Sony 5400 is a very good piece, and is certainly much better than the 840C, which I owned for a couple of years prior to the ModWright 5400.

That said, progress in digital gear, whether servers or cd players, marches on. Without a careful A/B in ones own system, it is really tough making comparative judgments. The MW Oppo 105 is reported, by Dan Wright and others, to substantially better his 5400 mod. My stock HAPZ1 server, in most respects, also bettered my Sony MW 5400 in most respects. I expect that after the modding, its going to blow the 5400 out of the water, but that remains to be demonstrated.

Increasingly, I am convinced that the only way to improve ones system is to bring in multiple pieces, do a careful comparison, keep the better piece and resell the "looser." That is a tough proposition in the digital realm, where one generally prefers newer pieces due to the rapid advance in sound quality.

Another way to approach this is to take a best guess and be satisfied if you find that what you buy is better than what you have. It is interesting that having sent my HAPZ1 to Modwright 2 weeks ago, I'm as happy as a pig in mud with my MW 5400. I think most people would be extremely satisfied with it unless they had heard something clearly better in their own system.

From what I know of the Rega sound, and the OP's move from vinyl to digital, I suspect he might want to stay away from Esoteric players (many of which I have heard) and Krell. I also suspect that the Ayon, Modwright sony or oppo, or Ayre might well provide a suitable transition away from vinyl. The cambridge 840C to my ears was decidedly digital sounding.

Think about an Oppo 105 with the Ric Schultz mods as this will get you the detail you need.

Then add a tubed preamp.

Just another route versus going Modwright.

sunnyjim, i found myself in complete accord with metralla above--you have a (comparatively) tiny cd collection, and i wonder if you wouldn't get more pleasure using some of your budget to get more tuneage, rather than spending it all on hardware. cds are awful cheap; you could consider keeping your rega and adding a $500 dac if you're looking for a different sound. entirely your choice, of course.

I have heard the Ayre cd player and compared it to the Linn that I wound up buying. It had a slightly more pleasing mid bass but the difference was subtle. As far as I know the circuitry hasn't changed so it probably still sounds very nice indeed. I Don
The know what they go for used but if you can find one that is in good condition it would be well worth your consideration.