The Krell SACD Standard is one-hell-of CD player. Killer looks (in Black), outstanding sonics, Stereophile A+ rating and built like a tank with 5-year warranty. It's the best CD Player I've heard priced south of the $12,000 Classe top-loader SACD/CD player. It's worth taking a listen to and hey it's made-in-the-USA!
Best CDP in the $4k to $8k range
I just sold my Simaudio Moon Nova and am in search of a replacement. At the moment, listening to CDs on an Arcam. I have listened to a bunch lately - notably the Simaudio Eclipse SE (which I thought was great, but might suffer from a slightly bright uppermid), the Esoteric DV50 (which lacked the openness and extension of the eclipse), Mark Levinson 390S (which seemed a tad dry and reportedly suffers from reliability issues). The Wadia 861b was suggested to me and I will find time to listen to it. The Audio Aero Capitole also might be a contender. The rest of my system consists of a Placette active preamp, CJ Premier 11a, Revel Gems and B15 sub, Shunyata PCs and Hydra, and Sistrum rack. Those familiar with these CDPs, please help! Thanks.