Depends what you are after and how much you want to spend.
Budget can mean £100 or £1000 depending on your point of view. At the real budget end perhaps look at Sony for overall good all rounder and Marantz/Philips if sound quality is most important.
Some older players have a great sound but could be troublesome reliability wise.
I don't think there is a definitive answer to this one tbh. Whatever you are looking at, you must audition it if sound quality is important to you.