I've heard nothing but good about Ayon gear (wish I could afford it), and CD5s is well-reviewed on it's own. I'll wager you will wind up keeping it. I have an old Denon 5 disc carousel player that has a variable output, and when I plugged it into my amp, I was surprised at the sound quality, it was considerably better than through a preamp. That's what got me thinking that a passive line stage might be beneficial, and I've found the Sonic Euphoria works very well for me. I know you're having fun, getting to audition new gear is always a good time.
Enjoy,
Dan