XA7ES, Miles, Cary 301, ARC CD-1?? Direct to amp..

My only comment is on the Sony XA7ES since I own one. It drives my amp directly and sounds its best this way - bypassing the preamp all together. For the price, you can't go wrong. Its a very good sounding player on its own and you can improve it some with an outboard DAC (but then you'll likely need a preamp with the DAC). I should also mention that the Sony controls and layout make a lot of sense, both the front panel and the remote. It's a very well thought out player. I have a much higher-end player (Cary 306/200) that is a total mess ergonomically compared to the Sony.

I have not used any of the players you listed, but I am using a Wadia directly to my power amp. I was very skeptical when a friend suggested I at least try taking my ARC pre-amp out of the loop. I argued back that the sound stage would collaps, imaging would go away and it would sound to analytical. After some proding we tried it, none of the above happened and the overall presentation dramticaly improved. I have since sold the pre-amp and have been using it this way for well over a year. I guess the point of all this is, I think you are on the right track, and you might want to consider one of the Wadia players. Good luck in your search.......Bob

I also use a Wadia direct into the amp, and very strongly recommend the brand, but most of them are out of your price range. (If you can find a used 830 for under $2k, it's definitely worth stretching your budget. While not as good as Wadia's big guns, it's still worlds better than what you have listed. If this is out of the question, 23's can be found for around your price.) There is no question that direct is much better than through a preamp if you have no other sources. The Theta is excellent but on the punchy side of neutral, the ARC is also excellent but on the soft side of neutral, and the Sony is in between but I will never buy a Sony because I've had absolutely miserable quality issues with every piece of Sony gear I've ever owned (quite a few, but I learn eventually...)

I own a Sony XA7ES. I think it is an excellent piece for the going rate ($900.00 to $1100.00 used currently). It does have an excellent variable out, but ONLY in single ended mode. The balanced outputs are fixed, you must use them with a pre-amp. I finally bought an Adcom GFP-750 pre amp so I could use my Rowland Model 2 amp with the Sony to its full potential-balanced.
I have a friend who had a "Balanced" Theta Miles. They do come single ended or balanced-you'll pay more for balanced... I tried the Theta, it didn't sound any better than my Sony & it comes with a real cheap (Pioneer) remote. Theta has kind of forgotten the Miles, I don't think they have ever offered an upgrade for it.
If I were you I'd buy a used Sony. If you don't like it or find something better, you probably won't lose a dime when you sell it.
What amp do you have? If it isn't a truly balanced amp you don't need a balanced output on your CD player..

Daniel