Tube for a Noob ???

Thx noromance... yes, I enjoy what I have now but wanted to experiment with tubes. I'm 60% movies and 40% music. So tube amp is somewhat out of the question. Basically I want to know why tube lovers are tube lovers. And hope going to an analog/tube front end would give me a small taste.

Like Noromance said, "tube" CDPs use tube in the audio section; as you might expect, decoding has to be done with chips in the digital domain. There are a few companies who make or made very excellent sounding CDPs with tube-based output stages.  If you Google on "tube CD player" you will be able to identify some of them. If you don't want to invest in a tube amplifier, which is understandable if you have a multi-channel video system that is also served by the same amplifier(s), then you might acquire a tube line stage.  You will have to do the homework on that, too, to find something that suits your needs, because you have not clearly stated what those are, and because I am too lazy to do it myself.  Finally, whatever you do, don't by a cheap turntable, cheap tube phono stage, and cheap cartridge, and then dismiss tubes because you do not think the ensemble measures up to your digital gear.  Vinyl Nirvana does not come cheap or without careful selection and a little love.

Agree that you are considering some questionable routes. Getting into vinyl means getting into record cleaning and other expenses that shouldn't be ignored. Cheaper tube phono stages are susceptible to RFI/EMI interference.
Given what's happening in computer audio, investing now in better CD playback rarely makes a wise investment, tube or not. You money would be better spent on a streaming/server type solution.
If you want tube sound, agree that a line stage makes most sense given your home theater needs in your amp. Cheers,
Spencer 

You could try a PrimaLuna cd player.  These are full blown tube players, even using a tube for clocking.  Call Upscale Audio and have an idea about what you want the player to sound like in your system and Kevin Deal can probably tell you if  one of these players is what you are looking for.

Modern tubes and modern solid state seem to be merging in timber.  ...there are more similarities than differences.