If they're willing to buy used you could probably find an ARC CA-50 for around 12-1300 and plenty of excellent used CD players in the 7-800 range.
Building a system for a friend...Please Help
A friend of mine has decided to invest in a hi-end system. He and his wife enjoy music and feel that it is worth their investment. He recently purchased a pair of ProAc 1SC monitors and has asked me to recommend and integrated amp and cd player. The catch is that he doesn't want to spend more than 2k for both pieces and doesn't want tubes...otherwise I would have recommended a ARC CA-50. Therefore, I have been considering Musical Fidelity or Classe. Obviously he plans on purchasing used. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.