cd player that forgives bad cd recordings

+1 For Meridian, had the 808.2, and now the 808.3, either will do what you seek.

I can tell you one brand NOT to go with for playing CD-Rs and the like is NAD. I love NAD products and have some in my system now and in past years but it has been my experience that NAD players don't do well with these types of discs. Rotel on the other hand perform more reliably.

It seems to me that these are contradictory goals. A system or components that reveals great recordings in all their glory isn't going to undergo a sonic transformation and suddenly roll off the sharp transients and sweeten edgy sound that mars sub-standard recordings. The Luxman d-05 I've been listening to has some of the quality I think you allude to, but when you play a "hot" recording through it, it still bites. The Marantz SA-11 series are sweet sounding, very pleasant players that can tame edginess, but they lack ultimate transparency IMO. Many people find the reference Marantz players to be a very livable compromise between revealing the best and taming the worst.

The Meridian 808s are mentioned as examples of what I would hope to find. They have a filter process and I've read the pros and cons. I would prefer a player without volume control.

Let's hope you find one that wasn't altered or modified by the previous owner. You would at least hope he would have the honesty & integrity to divulge this information prior to the sale.