Which CD player provides the best audio for under $500?

[kgeakin]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum and recently had a renewed interest in quality audio. I have obtained a Marantz 1150 integrated amp and would like the opinions of the knowledgeable members here as to what CD player would provide the best listening experience for under $500. I listen to most styles of music, except country, and do not necessarily need ipod docking, wifi, or network connectivity. The ability to play multiple digital formats and a USB port would be a plus as I have numerous mp3's. I am investigating converting my digital files to a lossless format as well. So any advice in that area would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
kgeakin

 

[Grador]

I am investigating converting my digital files to a lossless format as well. So any advice in that area would also be appreciated.
kgeakin

I'll let others recommend hardware but I'd like to comment on this. There is no point in converting digital files to lossless, you cannot gain back the information that was lost. In the end it will play back the exact same as an mp3, only you'll have a file many times the size to deal with. Going with lossless strait from a CD is a different story, and will yield files that play back identically to the disk.

 

[kgeakin]

Thanks, you make a very good point. I guess I should have been more clear, but my original files are from CD's and I meant I was going to convert to something that was lossless instead of MP3's. Sorry about the condusion.