Thanks for all your help. I have checked around and found local dealers for Esoteric, Audio Research, Sim Audio Moon Products, Mark Levinson, and Ayre Audio. Audio Aero Capitole looked promising, but the closest dealer is in Canada, so that's out. Esoteric has potential, but they don't have redbook CD players. The UX-3 universal is a step up from DV-50 universal and may have the redbook playing quality that I'm looking for. At $9,000 the AR CD-7 is a bit over my budget. A used one will will fit my needs, but I'll have to wait since it just came out. I've heard that the CD-7 is the best sounding redbook player under $10,000, maybe at any price. Also on my short list are the Sim Audio Super Nova, and Eclipse, as well as the Ayre C-5XE. I've already heard the ML 390S. Now comes the fun part: listening and comparing. Let me know if any of you come up with some more ideas. Thanks again.
What is the best redbook CD player for 6K to 8K?
I am looking for the best redbook CD player for 6K to 8K that will project a 3 dimensional hologram-like sound image. I am considering the Mark Levinson 390S CD player. I am open for suggestions concerning comparisons between this and other CD players of equal or better sound quality. Universal players are out of the running since I own only redbook CDs. The fickle finger of fate has not made up it's mind about the next generation of media technology. So until then I will be patient and enjoy what I have.