azur 540c new or a different used cdp for 350?

Hi all,

I'm a pretty big newb when it comes to high-end audio, but music has played a huge part in every day of my life. I'm finally starting to build a system I'd like to really sit and enjoy, and that would last me quite some time. I'm also a grad student, so disposable income isn't something I've got a lot of. Any of you that can provide some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Right now I'm starting from the source, as my current stopgap (a sony discman -- gasp!) from when my last cd player died is starting to die as well.

I had been looking at a cambridge D500SE, but am a little shy about it due to concerns about build quality -- a fair number of people seem to have had issues with that series. Trelja pointed me in the direction of the Music Hall MMF25 as a solid contender that could probably be had for somewhere around $300.

On a recent visit to a local store, I was pointed to the new cambridge audio line of cdplayers. The Azur 640c is probably out of my price range, but the azur 540C sounded pretty good to me during a short audition and can be had for around $350.

My concerns with buying used are that I'd be buying sight unseen and would have no recourse if something were to go wrong, or if it were to be finicky when playing the few cd-r's that I have. My concern with buying new is that I could likely find a much better sounding player for about the same price if I bought used.

My concerns with spending $300+ on a cdplayer (chump change to all of you, but try and remember if you've been poor...) is that running it in my current system will negate any of the improvement I should get from a good sounding player. It's running through a Sony str-av770 receiver that I bought with lawn-mowing money about 15 years ago, which is powering a pair of Rohrer hand-made speakers (ribbon tweeters!) that I got from an audiophile at a garage sale a few years back.

So my question to all of you experts, is if there are other used cd players that I should look at in this price range, or if the CA azur 540c is worth it at $350. Or, alternatively, if you would tend to spend less on the cdp and instead sink money into a good used integrated amp or speakers.

Any advice? I'd just like to feel like I spent my money wisely and bought the beginnings of a system that I'll love listening to and will grow with me.

Thanks so much.