Drj -
The big driver of DSP design is new audio formats. I know this is an obvious thing to say but laser hasn't changed for a very long time. And an older DVD unit is probably only doing the basic Dolby ProLogic format.
(The one thing you didn't mention is whether you are running two channel or surround...)
Which gets to what you can realistically achieve with your current audio video set-up which is now 3-4 generations back. (Obviously straight two channel is a different thing....)
A cost effective suggestion that may or may not satisfy your buyers lust, would be to look for an older top of the line Denon, Marantz or Nakamichi. There is not much of a market for these anymore but they still do what they do very well - and IMHO no one builds that kind of gear like the Japanese. You'll find them on ebay, Craigs List and sometimes here and on Videogon. Save your pfennings for a new rig.
You will gain a noticeable incremental improvement by going through and cleaning all of your interconnects with Caig, and upgrading your S cables with new ones from Blue Jean.
I highly recommend using a Monster PowerBar or APC H type AV power conditioner to plug the system into. This will visibly improve your picture, will probably improve the sound and can be used as the cornerstone of a new rig as it evolves.
In short, go for the low hanging fruit until you can make a significant move.
The big driver of DSP design is new audio formats. I know this is an obvious thing to say but laser hasn't changed for a very long time. And an older DVD unit is probably only doing the basic Dolby ProLogic format.
(The one thing you didn't mention is whether you are running two channel or surround...)
Which gets to what you can realistically achieve with your current audio video set-up which is now 3-4 generations back. (Obviously straight two channel is a different thing....)
A cost effective suggestion that may or may not satisfy your buyers lust, would be to look for an older top of the line Denon, Marantz or Nakamichi. There is not much of a market for these anymore but they still do what they do very well - and IMHO no one builds that kind of gear like the Japanese. You'll find them on ebay, Craigs List and sometimes here and on Videogon. Save your pfennings for a new rig.
You will gain a noticeable incremental improvement by going through and cleaning all of your interconnects with Caig, and upgrading your S cables with new ones from Blue Jean.
I highly recommend using a Monster PowerBar or APC H type AV power conditioner to plug the system into. This will visibly improve your picture, will probably improve the sound and can be used as the cornerstone of a new rig as it evolves.
In short, go for the low hanging fruit until you can make a significant move.