I have a Stan Pioneer DV-333 DVD player. I use it in my secondary home office system. When I originally got it, it was in my main system.
I have compared it directly with a lot of CD players. It can hold its own against most under $2K CD players (and some better ones). Big dollar players over $2K that beat the Pioneer seemed to me to have more authority in the bass without losing clarity and focus.
This is where the Stan DV-333 gets some negative remarks. Many feel it is a little light in the bass. My long-term listening reveals that the bass is there. Since the bass is so much more focused and detailed in the DV-333, than in a budget CD player, it obviously sounds lighter. Many under $2K players I have listened to that have more bass than Stan's machine, have bass that is more diffused/scattered (boomy).
As I stated at the beginning, the big dollar machines give you more bass than Stan's DV-333 without losing that detail and focus. You do get what you pay for in those machines. But for the $425 I paid brand new for the player and Stan's mods (including shipping both ways), who am I to complain? I recommend that a plastic zipper bag with 5 lbs of lead shot be placed on top of the DV-333. Sand is also OK in a pinch, but lead shot seems to work better.
I have also done extensive listening to Stan's modded Aiwa Changer / MSB Link DAC setup; with an upgrade power supply like the MSB P1000 or Monolithic. This setup does give the big dollar machines a run for their money for a fraction of the cost of those big dollar machines.
I have compared it directly with a lot of CD players. It can hold its own against most under $2K CD players (and some better ones). Big dollar players over $2K that beat the Pioneer seemed to me to have more authority in the bass without losing clarity and focus.
This is where the Stan DV-333 gets some negative remarks. Many feel it is a little light in the bass. My long-term listening reveals that the bass is there. Since the bass is so much more focused and detailed in the DV-333, than in a budget CD player, it obviously sounds lighter. Many under $2K players I have listened to that have more bass than Stan's machine, have bass that is more diffused/scattered (boomy).
As I stated at the beginning, the big dollar machines give you more bass than Stan's DV-333 without losing that detail and focus. You do get what you pay for in those machines. But for the $425 I paid brand new for the player and Stan's mods (including shipping both ways), who am I to complain? I recommend that a plastic zipper bag with 5 lbs of lead shot be placed on top of the DV-333. Sand is also OK in a pinch, but lead shot seems to work better.
I have also done extensive listening to Stan's modded Aiwa Changer / MSB Link DAC setup; with an upgrade power supply like the MSB P1000 or Monolithic. This setup does give the big dollar machines a run for their money for a fraction of the cost of those big dollar machines.