I may find myself in the market for a new CD player soon. My current Adcom GCD-600/GDA-600 combo still works, but periodically gives me some trouble: the coax digital output on the back of the player seems to have a loose connection, and the digital coax cable connected to it sometimes seems to "short out," resulting in no signal to the DAC.

I'd say the combo still works 98% of the time, but both components are quite old (over 10 years), and, while very, very good, are hardly state of the art. The initial retail price tag for both was around $1,300, but each usually can be had for a song today on eBay. I may finally have to break down and purchase a new player, and I'm at an almost total loss as to how to proceed.

My speakers (Dahlquist DQ-10's) and amp (Adcom GFA-5800) are quite revealing, so a good player is a definite must-have. I'd say that my budget would be around, but not higher than, $1,000. From what I've been reading on this site, it would seem that my best bet would be the Cambridge Audio 740. That being said, here are a couple of questions for my friends on this site:

1.) Is the 740 my best option?
2.) Is it reliable?
3.) Just how much better will it sound compared to what I currently own, and in what areas?

Please feel free to chime in with any comments any of you may have on this subject. I'm "all ears!"