CD shootout:Linn,Pioneer,Marantz,Sony,etc...

I have always heard good things about the older, top-of-the-range Marantz players. Players like the Marantz CD 80 were highly rated. I seem to remember that the Pioneer PD 65 is pretty good too, if thats the one with the stable platter mechanism, where you lay the CD top down on a platter. But I still think that you will get the best (sound) results buying a new, integrated unit. Evolution hasn't stopped, even for CD-players, and, to me anyway, it was always hard to find a transport and external DAC that matched the sound of equally-priced integrated players. Then again, it's fun to play around with, so if you can pick up a good transport like the you've already mentioned yourself, and a good-priced DAC, go for it. It all depends on what you finf enjoyable.....