What Sonically is the Difference between a $1,500 CD Player and a $10K-$25K One?

Thanks Liz.

Going from a Oppo to a  to a Esoteric the difference was huge!

You'd be lucky and save a lot of money if you "auditioned" and couldn't hear any difference.

There are places where large sums are wisely spent, and others where it is a fools errand.

Part of this hobby is discerning one from the other.  Not all of us have unlimited funds, yet we aspire to great sound to give us continuing joy.

CDs have the issue of player as well as recording.  And lasers have their own category.  Then you get into streaming where the source material may be suspect.

It gets more difficult to balance these factors juxtaposed against  our own individual preferences as we each continue our sonic journey.

For myself, a CD/SACD player over $2,500 is money not well spent.  Marginal cost versus marginal gain.

Kind of like the "Emperors New Cloths".  If you spend $10,000 you will talk yourself into hearing the difference.  Buy a new car or pay down your mortgage instead.  It is like anything else with audio.  It minimal returns for money spent in my opinion.  However, the wealthy folks in the group don't have to be practical.  I think it is being able to invite your friends over to tell them now look what I have.  Kind of like $9,000 speaker wire.  Wonder if you priced Nordost at $240 and Tara Labs Appolo speaker wire at $9,000 if people would convince themselves the Tara Labs to be superior.

I have an OPPO player and wonder if there is anything I could do inexpensively to reduce vibration.  Seems like reducing vibration on both CD players, pre-amps and amps make a difference.