I also have a Muse 9S DVD/CD player and notice also that the newer cds do sound much better than they used to. I'm sure part of that is the upsampler in our Muse players and the fact that the cds are mastered better. I did hear the Sony SACD player ($5000) playing a SACD and will have to admit the sound was much more open, smooth and natural sounding than the same music played on a standard cd player, but when a regular cd is played on the $5000 Sony player the sound is not as good as when it is played on a Muse 9S DVD/CD player.
SACD vs. DVD-A and Audio DVDs
My experience so far using Muse DVD equipment is that the best redbook CDs sound as good as the best Audio DVDs from Chesky or Classic Records. It would seem that the recording and mastering process has more impact on the final sound than the medium. It reminds me of the notice on early CDs which stated that the CD's resolution "could show the limitations in the source recording" or something like that. Does anyone else think that well executed redbook can be almost indistinguishable from 24/96 Audio or even SACD ? By the way, my experience with SACD has been that the sound is very dry and clinical, and I am wondering whether SACD will fare the same way as CDs, namely that it will take years before the recording and manufacturing process are up to par with the technology. This was evident in redbook CDs. The sound of the best conventional CDs has improved dramatically since four or five years ago.