SACD/DVD-A Anyone tried Yamaha or Integra?

My advice is -- don't buy a Universal Player. You will
never be satisfied with the sound. Instead, buy a
DVD player with DVD-A, like a Denon DVD 1600 or
a panasonic XP-50. These are highly rated DVD players -- they scored really high on Secrets and TAS
shoot-outs. The DVD-A playback will be just as good
as a $1,000 Universal Player. But, you can pair that with a CD/SACD player that wil get you much better CD playback than any Universal Player short of the Linn
Unidisk, which sells for $11,000.

You can get a Denon DVD 1600 for around $300 used.
Or, you can get a Panasonic XP-50 for a similar amount. Then, you can pair that with one of these
CD/SACD players....

Philips 963, which you can get for around $400 used.

or...

Sony SCD 555ES, which you can get for around $700.

or....

Sony SCD XA777ES, which you can get for around $1,600.

Each of the SACD players, the Philips or the two
Sony will give you better sound than a 1,000 Universal Player. And, when you are ready to upgrade, each of
those units can be modified for even better sound.

Think in terms of two boxes and from $700 -- $2000
you can choose how much better sound you prefer
over a 1,000 Universal Player -- and it is relatively
future proof in the sense that when you get the itch
to spend some more $$ and upgrade, you can simply
add a Super Clock II or any other combination of mods
and improve your sound.

I just did this for my younger brother. I bought him
the Denon DVD 1600 and the Sony XA777ES. That
combo is like a two box Universal Player and it kicks
the holy crap out of my Yamaha s2300. He'll be happy
with that for a long, long time.

Don't stick yourself with a U-Player.

You pay a premium for having them cram everything
into one box and you pay a price in sound degradation.

Two boxes.

Just my opinion.

Denon DVD players, as well as Panasonic DVD players ARE highly
regarded, scoring high on both Secrets and TAS DVD shoot-outs.

But, there's no reason to pay $900 for a highly rated DVD player when both Denon and Panasonic make highly regarded
DVD players for far less.

Next, when you become dissatisfied with the sound of your
Universal Player, which you will, you will end up buying a
better CD player and you'll be stuck with a $900 DVD player
which you will no longer use for music playback and it will
hit you that you could have saved a lot of money and gotten
the same quality DVD player by purchasing a Denon DVD 1600 or Panasonic XP-50. Money you could use now for your CD
player, or CD/SACD player -- since you're looking for a
playback system that will be "Universal."

A Sony SCD XA777ES will kick the holy bejeezus out of a
Yamaha or Denon Universal Player. It is in an entirely
different league -- many jumps up the ladder.

Pay $300 for a top of the line DVD player [Used] that also
includes DVD-A playback and spend the wad on your music
playback. You will be so much happier and you won't get
stuck in a dead end with regard to upgrading.

Think "outside the one box."

With two boxes, you'll get much better music playback
and still get top notch DVD playback.

If you want to stick with the same budget, go with the
Philips 963 and the Denon DVD 1600, or the Philips 963
and the Panasonic XP-50.

But, if you can afford to spend a little more, I highly
recommend the Sony SCD XA777ES, which was rated A+ by
Stereophile and received a golden ear award from TAS --
if those things mean anything to you. Certainly doesn't
hurt.

I would sink my money into a higher-end front end long
before I would spend 3.5 times its cost on cables.

Just my opinion.