I am considering the NAD c542, Onix X88cd, and Pioneer 578 (decreasing order of pricing), running 340s off of some vintage NAD separates.

Was also looking at the Harman Kardon FL8385 which goes for around $100 refurb from Harman Audio on eBay.

Oh and the other one I'm sort of curious about is the Denon 2900.

Am wondering if anybody has had any experience with any of those 5 players and how much of a difference they hear when moving up on the price scale.

My current CDP is a Sony ES carousel, it made a noticeable improvement over my cheapie Panasonic DVD player which was a bit harsh sounding.

I am reading a lot of great feedback on the Pioneer, some are claiming it to be something of a giant-killer (common enough cliche in audio these days, lol).

I definitely want to keep my budget under $500, the lower it is the more I'll have left to put into a decent sub, my current JBL e150 is atrocious.