You can actually get the 7701 for about 299us at J&R, I believe but check out the reviews at AA first....maybe early quality problems with some of the units....this will probably be corrected....but yes, the launch has begun....Even the SonyDVP-ns500v is a dvd/cd/sacd player at 299.99US....no dvd-a..surprise, surprise.....but the cost of sacd software is holding me back and hey,,,I'm broke....
They're Here
The latest SGHT has a DVD player from Apex in the New Products section that purports to have multi-channel SACD and DVD-A capability, along with CD, CDR, CDRW and MP3 playback capability. It also has progressive scan output and lists for $350.
I've also just happened across a couple of SACD and DVD-A releases while browsing the local music emporium that looked tempting. Is it possible we're turning the corner? I don't think I'm going to buy this particular model, but I'm guessing a new player isn't that far off in my future. -Kirk