Is this the END of DAYS for the high end CD player

Not necessarily.

I bought my first "high end" turntable back in the 80's when vinyl was on the way out and CDs in becasue I had a big investment in records that I needed to protect and preserve.

That Linn Axis has served me exceptionally well and is still doing its thing today, even though I do not play my records tehse days nearly as often as I used to. But when I do, that investment I made in teh Linn 25 years ago is still paying dividends.

Same true perhaps for CDs today. If you have a lot, you need to play them with something. A good CD player is the easy option, though those who are up to it may be better served going the computer audio/music server route.

My guess is the market for CDs and players of all types is saturated in the US and other leading edge economies but still growing in less industrialized and emerging economies.

Regarding high end players specifically my guess is that sales are fairly level or somewhat down in general overall.

"If the CD/DVD ROM can read bit perfect data, why should it matter if I use it as a transport?"

Because that's a much bigger if reading real time from an optical drive in general than with files stored on a computer hard drive.

BTW, now is probably a good time to buy a high end CD player if you need one to get the most out of your existing CD collection for the foreseeable future because the prices for the players labeled "high end" will continue to go up over time (much like good turntables have over the last 25 years or so) as it becomes more and more of a niche market.

The flip side is that the technology will continue to only become better and cheaper so the real value of a "high end" player may diminish as a result of inexpensive players offering better competition.

Also, always watch out for snake oil. Higher price generally means better build quality and aesthetics but does not always translate into better sound/performance.