Best Sounding CD / SACD player under 15K

With cd reproduction technology continuing to improve, why not buy an oppo bd-95 or sony 5400es both of which have reviewed well on audiogon and in the rags. They are multi format players so they do not fit your specification, but it is not clear why you have this requirement. You can add an external DAC to further improve the sound, but i have not bothered as i did not find them cost-perfpormance competitive over top notch players.

One trait i found in the better sounding players is upsampling vs a resistor ladder rack. I am not a technical expert on this; robert harley's guide to high end audio provides a good technical explanation.

If you would consider a Red Book only CDP, I would suggest you look into the Naim CD555 (used), which does HDCD, etc. They are available here at times under $15k. I purchased mine here for $11k. Rave reviews available on www.

Ditto on the Naim 555. Absolutely superb Redbook and Naim has an excellent rep for customer service. There is one up now for $10K. (No relation to the seller, of course). The only thing is - it is a top-loader and has a large separate power supply, which may be an issue in certain installations. But from a sonic standpoint, a no-brainer. Another choice might be a Linn CD-12. A very compelling redbook player that just unravels layer upon layer of music. I would check with Linn that they have the ability to service them. They generally go for about $8K used. Also, they are a compact front-loader, which works well if space is an issue.

Joe, you should add a pre-loved/ex demo Vitus SCD-010 to your list. The SCD-010 is from their Signature series & is one of the best rbcd players in the world. Vitus sounds very analogue & smooth. Resolution is as good as it gets for a rbcd deck, and build quality is extreme.

Esoteric K-03, since you said CD/SACD first.