No frills CD player for tube amp

Your brightness issue will be solved more effectively with a speaker change than with a CD player change.

Sell the Paradigm speakers, and use your $1200 budget on a used pair of LSA Model 2 or Silverline Prelude.

Either will surpass the Paradigm speakers, and both have a sweet upper midrange and top end.

For a solution within your budget get a pair of used Vandersteen 1C speakers usually <$500. You'll be amazed at the improvement in smoothness. I did this years ago switching out a pair of Paradigm Studio 60V.2s. It was a NAD 541i cdp I was using at the time.
Since then I have only owned two speakers with metal dome tweeters that have been tolerable.
At $500 for the Vandys you'd still have enough for the Jolida cdp mentioned above.

Tpreaves, I've owned the Cary 308T and the Jolida. Although the 308t is a "better" player in my opinion, it is not what I would describe as a "warm" player. Rather, the 308t is a transparent and dynamic player that I would not recommend for a bright system. Between those two choices, i would go with the Jolida if I were in your shoes. However, I would still suggest considering Tvad's advice of new speakers first. Its likely that your NAD is simply more detailed that your old Phillips and its exposing the weaknesses of our Paradigms. That is the curse of this hobby :).

From my experience, NAD CD players are not bright. I agree with the above, look elsewhere for the problem.

If you want to pursue a new CD player, then the Rega Apollo already mentioned is a good choice. The Creek Destiny comes up from from time to time around your budget. This player IMO is vastly overlooked, and is a giant killer. It mates very well with tubes.

"From my experience, NAD CD players are not bright. I agree with the above, look elsewhere for the problem."

That is my opinion also . I have owned a NAD 541i CDP and did not find it bright at all .

As above , I think that it is your speakers causing the top end brightness more than your CDP .

I had the same problem while using some very respectable speakers with metal tweeters . Upon moving to some lessor speakers (1/3 the price) with silk tweeters I was able to enjoy most of my previously "unlistenable" CD's ! When auditioning some new speaker possibilities I listened to both metal and organic tweeter speakers . Each time the metal tweeter speakers sounded the worst in the highs , tizzy and brighter , using the same upstream equipment and CD's .

Good luck .