$500-$1000 to spend on a used CD player

Hi Yates,
If you want to stretch your budget a bit, Sony SCD-XA5400ES is wonderful machine.
If you want a legacy Stereophile Class A, my Sony SCD-777ES top loading is up 4 sale soon (within your budget range) We can talk off line
Good luck
Thuan

My CDP died recently and I compared 3 units - Primare CD21, Rega Apollo, Music Hall CD25.2
The Primare was not a good match in my system. I actually owned it for a couple of years and it was fine, but when I changed my system and started looking at other players it fell a bit short (my system).
The MH 25.2 is a great machine and a super value. At the $350 brand new price it is absolutely a steal. But in my system it had a little glare in the upper mids (I have Klipschorns which will really show that). I hated to send it back.
I ended up with the Rega Apollo. Very smooth player. Not as much impact (slam, whatever) as the MH, but very nice and musical. I'm very happy with it. I got it new @ $850, I believe they came down in price.

You might want to try the TEAC PD-H600 for just under $1000, new. I've had mine for a few months now and it is really opening up for some of the most detailed and organic presentations I've heard in my system. Great transients and layering. For grins and giggles I took it down to my local audio salon and inserted it into his $150,000 all tube system, replacing a Lector CDP. It didn't have the body of the Lector and as a result, had a very slight edge to its presentation. After the second track, all was forgotten and we were very surprised on how well it acquitted itself. We ended up having a long listening session and truth be told, I didn't miss the Lector at all. I just wish I had his system to build around the TEAC. Those guys at Esoteric did something to this CDP and its all the better for it.