The Doge 6 CD player that is being marketed by Pacific Valve sells for about $1,500, including an upgraded tube complement. This is truly a great CD player with excellent build quality that sits right in the middle of your price range. I would be surprised if anything can touch it at anywhere near your budget.
CD player recommendations
I own a CAyin SCD50T tube player which i love but it has an intermittent white noise issue (every few weeks or so) that is normal for these units. None seems to know of a resolution for the issue. For this reason alone, Im looking to replace with a new or used 1000-2000 player. I have a dussun integrated, magnepan speakers so id like to stay with tube output. Decware has a new modified ref player, Ive been reading about Lector and CEC. need to solid recommendations for great sounding players in this price range.