does buying a high end CD player make a difference or is it like high end speaker wire?

since a CD player is just really sending digital data through lets say optical output, does a decent player lets say a $500 player do the same job as one for $3k? is it kind of the same concept like speaker wire where some swear by it and some just don't get it?

If your going to do the decoding in your pre-pro, a high end player is only going to give you a better transport and you'll probably never notice the difference. You'd get much greater effect dy doing the conversions in the player and feeding an analog signal to your pre-pro.
If your into SACDs, the sound that you get with a 2 channel SACD should give you some notion of what you could expect with a high end CD player.

gomez,
Some gunslingers will take an oppo or low end denon and send it to a special electronic shop to replace internal parts like master clock/DAC to a higher grade. The result is a better sounding unit.

I thought it was hype. But if you do a little research - you will find information on different types of jitter and its affects on the digital signal. This is more than audio sound - but digital communication.

Essentially - when you buy more expensive transports/players - (in theory) you are buying better components designed: to minimize jitter, to control power distribution (digital) and other internal interferences associated w/ jitter.

thanks for the info. gooomz

Has anyone had any experience with AV123's Onix CD Player? I do not know a lot about CD players, but I did not that as a Single disc player is wieghs 20lbs. Seems quite sturdy.

Without a doubt, using the player's onboard decoder and trying different players in that configuration will produce different sounding music. Whether that sound is better to you - figuring that out - is part of the fun

Neither a high end CD player nor high end cables will make a difference which will be audible to the vast majority of listeners. A high end CD player has a better chance of making a difference, but only if you are using the converters in that CD player. Still, the differences are going to be very subtle, and beyond the ability of most people to hear.

If in doubt, do a blind test, even over an extended period of time. I bet almost nobody here would be able to tell under blind conditions one player from another if the gains of both were matched carefully.

In all honesty and with all due respect for Altec, I couldn't disagree more.
When a CD player is used only as a transport, thus feeding an external DAC via its digital output, things like transport jitter and digital cable quality will have a significant say. If the external DAC re-clocks the digital signal, then every transport and digital cable will yield identical results, provided they are "bit accurate". In such a case the DAC "carries the burden" of sound quality alone.
If the CD player is used via its analog outputs, then better players will produce significantly better sound. The analog stage in the players, their internal clock accuracy, DAC(s) and power supplies quality and the interconnects used will all contribute significantly to the overall sound.
The sound of high quality CD players is smooth yet detailed, with a beautiful tonal balance and full bodied sound, with a tight bass foundation. The lesser ones sound harsh, thin and aggressive.
The better the overall system, the more prominent the differences.
I was one of those thinking of interconnects and speaker cable as "just wire" and, boy, was I wrong. It took only a listen to AudioQuest products and all that wrong belief changed in a hurry.
The only thing that didn't and never will change is my desire to respect everybody's opinion, no matter how different from mine.

Two words - blind test

one word - anytime