Hi,
Yamaha CD-N500 is on my short list (which is quite long!). Just in case you might wonder what other people may think:
My favourite Polish magazine AUDIO VIDEO published the only review I know about. The review itself is shocking. They employ a really strict and detailed scale. They assess neutrality, precision, musicality, stereo effects, dynamics and bass - each marked 1-10. They calculate the percetage and then the stars (1-5). Believe it or not, this one got all 10s and, obviously, 100 %! It's the first time since early 90s I've seen such generosity. What's more, they place products in in 4 quality categories A-D (high end to entry level). Our Yamaha is special here as well: as a CD player it's between B and C (they rarely use this categorisation) and as a network player (with 24/192 FLAC files) a definite B! It's a real burgain for the price then. They even wonder themselves how this can be because the inside of the player looks pretty basic.
So, what do you make of this? I have to wait for another review, Im afraid. On the other hand, my past choices were mostly based on reviews in AUDIO VIDEO and I was always satisfied...
Come on guys! Get yourselves one of these, write your reviews to help me decide! Only joking...
Other items on my list: Rotel RCD-12, Pioneer PD-50, Onkyo C-7070, Arcam FMJ17, Marantz SA7003. As you can see, I'm not sure what I really want as these are quite different sounding players.