Sacd / Dvda universal players


I have been looking to get a universal player these are the following I know about that are out or are coming out. Does anyone know of any I am missing or have any opinions or information about them

Yamaha DVD-S2300 MSRP 1000.00
Onkyo DV-SP800 MSRP 800.00
Marantz DV8300 MSRP 1499.00
Pioneer 47Ai MSRP 1200.00
Denon DVD-2900 MSRP 999.00
Integra DPS 8.3 MSRP 1200.00

Audiophile Reference Class:

Denon DVD-9000 MSRP 3495.00
Lexicon RT-10 MSRP 3495.00
Teac esoteric 50 MSRP 5500.00
Muse model 10
McCormack audio udp-1 est 3495.00
Msb Technology MSRP 7995.00 this is also a preamp/processor
Bel Canto est 8-10K
Linn Unidisk est 8-11K
deven8
I based my audition of the DV-47Ai on an article in the British press. I have a daughter who just spend a semester there and I have had her send me their audio magazines. I find that their reviewing is much more like ours was 20 years ago. They don't rave about everything and they do point out flaws and limitations where they see them. They also don’t seem to follow the current bent I see in the US audio magazines that more expensive automatically is better.

I found the Pioneer quite good, and at a street price of $800, very reasonable. I already have a top flight SACD player in the XA777ES, so I wasn't as concerned with the lack of pure DSD. I also separate my stereo and home theater, because I don't feel any of these multi-channel systems measure up to the state of the art in 2 channel reproduction. The medium is too young. My goal is to have a player that does a good job (not necessarily the absolute best) but can take whatever my mood calls for, from CD to DVD A and make it listenable. I feel the Pioneer does that.

I also opted for the McCormack MAP-1, to get a multi-channel analog pre-amp. I haven't taken possession of it, as the dealer didn't want to give up his only unit. I'm not expecting the same level of fidelity as a true high end stereo, but from the auditions, I think that surround is much better then just a few years ago. I have the Proceed PMDT/PAV/PDSD combo, which was about the state of the art just a few years ago (and certainly priced like it). I was amazed that the DVD, analog pre-amp combo bettered its sound, at least to my ears.

I do agree in a year there will be better players and that’s why I love Audiogon. I’ll sell some gear, like the Proceed combo I will shortly put up for sale, and some lucky person will get a system which has been carefully maintained and experience a far better setup then they might otherwise afford. And we audio fans, always in search of the best sound, will be looking for something better then we have today.
I am inclined towards the two box solution. High def. video recorders/players are just around the corner. A good SACD/CD player now and a DVD-A/highrez DVD player tommorow is my gameplan.
Dtf...Nine to hear a good word about Pioneer players. My first player, a DV-45A, is almost identical to the DV-47A with regard to audio.

I gather from other threads that most players offer only one subwoofer crossover frequency. That's the story with my recently acquired 3X cost Denon 2900. The Pioneer offers 40, 60 80, 100 Hz crossover options. In many functional areas the Pioneer is superior (and the sound aint bad either).