I take for granted you do realize nobody can answer this question for you, but rather provide some food for thought. How much do you value the availability of online music? Or the flexibility digital streaming enables? Or the ritual of selecting a CD (or an LP, for that matter) and playing it? Or toying with mechanical setup of a vinyl rig? Only you can answer that.
Having said that, here's my take: I pondered around this a while back too. Freeing up funds for me is not easy and I marvel at the improved sound a great system provides, rather than being fascinated by various media. Plus I live overseas where CDs/LPs/Hi-rez availability is limited. So I'm focusing on playing files only with the best components I can afford throughout the chain. Unlike vinyl, which is a mature technology, and CDs, which I consider mature too, playing files is nascent so I prefer not to spend big bucks there anyway. $1k today buys digital playback performance we couldn't dream about 5 years ago, and I bet this evolution pace will continue for a while. So I upgraded speakers, then amp, then preamp, cables, got myself a Squeezebox Touch (great!) and now will get a DAC. Plus significant work on room accoustics.
I would love to eventually get into vinyl, but that will have to wait. Do you own many LPs? Does the music you like come in vinyl?
If I wanted to upgrade my CD player and had your budget, I would probably buy a used Esoteric X03SE. Can't comment on vinyl. Maybe get a DAC and use your Cary as transport + experiment with files?
Having said that, here's my take: I pondered around this a while back too. Freeing up funds for me is not easy and I marvel at the improved sound a great system provides, rather than being fascinated by various media. Plus I live overseas where CDs/LPs/Hi-rez availability is limited. So I'm focusing on playing files only with the best components I can afford throughout the chain. Unlike vinyl, which is a mature technology, and CDs, which I consider mature too, playing files is nascent so I prefer not to spend big bucks there anyway. $1k today buys digital playback performance we couldn't dream about 5 years ago, and I bet this evolution pace will continue for a while. So I upgraded speakers, then amp, then preamp, cables, got myself a Squeezebox Touch (great!) and now will get a DAC. Plus significant work on room accoustics.
I would love to eventually get into vinyl, but that will have to wait. Do you own many LPs? Does the music you like come in vinyl?
If I wanted to upgrade my CD player and had your budget, I would probably buy a used Esoteric X03SE. Can't comment on vinyl. Maybe get a DAC and use your Cary as transport + experiment with files?