I bought my Faroudja DV1000 new, and it has performed without malfunction all this time. The thick face plate, solid feeling control buttons, and clean styling really position this as a high end product, despite the fact that the transport started as an inexpensive Japanese unit (Toshiba?). I particularly liked the control function that lets the user select sharpness/edge enhancement. My only complaint is that it has old error correction software and can stall out on some DVDs. My new DVD player, a Meridian 598, seems to have more sophisticated (modern) error algorithms and is able to jump through surface imperfections that would stall the Faroudja. The Faroudja does double duty as a fine CD player -- as you have identified, its audio is a strong suit. I haven't listened to the Denon or the Arcam. Good luck.
