Anyone heard the Onkyo sp 1000 yet?

Demo the sp1000 before you purchase, and demo some others too for comparison. Judging from the rest of your system, you may want to test the field before deciding on the Onkyo. FYI - Since you already have a Cary, Cary will be coming out with two universals in January...maybe. They expected to have it by now, but had some "chip" procurement issues. Call them, they are small and would be happy to explain - especially to a current customer.

FWIW - I have had the Integra DPS 10.5 (very similar to the SP1000), the Meridian G98 and the DV-50 (as well as the DV-50S) all in my system at one time or another over a very short time period.

My observations were somewhat different. I firmly believe you must have a system capable of revealing the differences in order to realize them. I do not claim to understand what makes one system more revealing than another, but I could really tell differences between these three machines (this truly surprised me...especially with the Meridian), and the Integra ranked low for audio in my system. I tried it using all connections available too.

The Integra did have the best PQ though (albeit an A/V sync problem)...and that was quite clear...pun intended. And the build quality of the Integra was equal if not better than the Meridian and the Esoteric too.

Now - The Meridian is a transport only, so it is not really apples to apples. In my system, for CD playback, it was the best I had heard. A very close second was the DV-50 via its analog 2-channel output. Then third...and a distant third to me for audio...was the Integra. The Denon 3910 ranked below the Integra, but that difference was much smaller than the difference between the Integra and the Meridian and Esoteric.

I don't think you can beat the Integra/Onkyo for its price point. I really wanted to keep it, but it is just not in the same league as the Meridian or the Esoteric when it comes to audio.

This is just my observation/opinion in my system.

Earz...So are you telling me I don't feel the way I feel about this player and that what I wrote is not my opinion?

What part of my note did you not understand?

We have crossed paths on this elsewhere. If anyone would like to bring a sp1000 or a DPS 10.5 over to my place for a listen/comparison, I guarantee it wouldn't take much time to draw a conclusion on its audio.

Enough for me…this is simply a stupid waste of time to argue about.

Ears (Greg) I wish you would just give this up. The SP1000 is good for the money, but not the giant killer that you claim.

For everyone else jumping on Ears's case, I am afraid it is a lost one. My guess is that he will never give up. That is why I said earlier I wouldn't post again, but I couldn't resist peeking. My fears were confirmed...this really is a stupid waist of time. The only thing going on here is that Ears is making many folks who have tried this machine, because of all the hype, angry over his opinions and the way he delivers them as facts. Let Ears live in his bliss. I just wish he would keep it to himself.

Ears, your post concerning the audio quality and lip-sync is flat out irresponsible. You clearly know very well how to play the semantics game. Why do you have to play this game here (rhetorical question…please do not answer)? Why would you write such a thing when you know so intimately what the problems are (another rhetorical question…please do not answer)?

These problems are not new, and Ears knows this. I communicated with Ears in the AVSForum regarding the audio not being up to my Lexicon RT-10’s level back in October, as well as the lip-sync problem. In fact, I believe it was Ears who recommended RAM East for modifications (and someone else that I can’t remember) to bring the audio up to a more acceptable level. I never pursued the mods because the lip-sync was so bad, and Ears knew this too. The only reason this is more recognized now is because there are more machines on the market with the problem.

The audio is good for a $2K machine, but that is all. Ears has had a lot of gear and doesn’t feel this way, and that is just fine. I have too gone through a lot of demos in my system since returning my Integra DPS 10.5 (the Integra equivalent of the SP1000) and noticed quite large differences. My conclusion (and I really wanted the 10.5 to be the giant killer) was that the DPS 10.5 was only slightly better than the Denon 3910, but way off of Lexicon, Krell, Esoteric and Meridian. It is laughable to me that it could be compared to the Linn Unidisk 1.1. Ears and I even communicated in detail about the Wolfson DACs used in the Onkyo/Integra, and how they are no longer in production (Back in October, Wolfson considered it an obsolete part). Does planned obsolescence ring in your mind?

Ears, think about what you are saying...might I suggest you at least tone it down some. It is obvious that folks do not share your opinions. My local Integra dealer had something like 6 of 8 DPS 10.5s returned because of the lip-sync, and Integra stopped shipping units because of this. If you are successful at swaying someone's purchasing decision, they may very well be disappointed and be forced to return their machine, incurring a lot of aggravation and wasting both time and money...maybe because of you. Let others be the judge too...and respect that…that is all…for real this time.

Jeeze this hobby takes up a lot of time!