Philips SACD 1000 or 962.

I too am considering one of these units and would be interested in any and all comments as well...

I have read great reviews on the 1000 and some have indicated that the 962 will be every bit as good for less...

I am still waiting to hear confirmation of this...ie. reviews, opinions and owner comments with other players they listened to...

I have the SACD 1000 and am happy with it in terms of sonics, but be aware that some examples of this cdp/transport are apparently noisy and rough in operation. Mine is starting to sound pretty bad with certain redbook discs.

Bluesea could you compare it with the other players you own or listen to?

The SACD1000 is an excellent player but you have two issues to consider with it. The digital output is for AC3 and DTS, not PCM, and there are reports of noisy transport operation. I have not had that problem with mine.

The 962 is a less expensive but attractive package which lacks the SACD1000's much more sophisticated analog output stages. Philips says this is a significant advantage of the SACD1000 but, since I have not heard the 962 in a suitable environment, I cannot comment on that.

My other player is an AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000, and the SACD 1000 has a similarly prominent midrange but is much more refined with less grain. The Ah! is more forward in the upper mids.