Like Davetherave, I also have a DAP-777. I purchased a brand new CAL Audio DVD player after they went out of bsuiness for $800. Original cost was $2,500 It has balanced output to feed into the DAP-777. It also had a very expensive transport mechanism.
The review in Stereophile to Home Theatre stated the DVD portion was so-so but it had a state of the art transport section. Sound quality is outstanding. Also the video section can be turned off for less electrical interference. I can't see spending big bucks for a transport. (This replaced a Pioneer DVD model modified by Dan Wright that I used for 4 years with the Birdland DAC-Lite.)
I think John Marks addressed the issue of inexpensive transports in Sterophile stating that a used EAD player sounded fine.
The review in Stereophile to Home Theatre stated the DVD portion was so-so but it had a state of the art transport section. Sound quality is outstanding. Also the video section can be turned off for less electrical interference. I can't see spending big bucks for a transport. (This replaced a Pioneer DVD model modified by Dan Wright that I used for 4 years with the Birdland DAC-Lite.)
I think John Marks addressed the issue of inexpensive transports in Sterophile stating that a used EAD player sounded fine.