Which Sony dvd playr is a good CD playr

Proacman, audio is important for DVD-V too--be it listening to movies or concert videos. I can tell the difference in between my Sony DVP-300 (which cost me $500 2 years ago) and my S9000ES. Most noticable is the bass, but the 9000 is more dynamic and clean. Listening to Hell Freezes Over, James Taylor, and Fleetwood Macs' The Dance was a new experience. I won't recommend a cheap DVD player to anyone who cares about audio.

Although not a Sony (which I have previously owned), I can recommend the Pioneer Elite DV-37 as a very good DVD and CD player. I am very impressed with both the video and audio quality. My DV-37 was a replacement for both my older Sony DVD player and my Rega Planet CD player. The DV-37 can be purchased new for around $700, and it's an excellent choice at that price.

The Pioneer DV-05, while not progressive scan, is still a great DVD player with very good CD play back as long as you use an active preamp. It will output the full 24/96 signal when properly set up thru the menu. Best of all you can score one on the net for around $400. Good luck

I have the 7700 and have listened to the 9000. Neither is a "good" CD player, although the 9000 is far and away better than the 7700. Where the 9000 shines is playing SACDs.

If you goal is good CD playback but you also want DVD, I would get a cheap DVD player, such as the Sony 360, and look at some of the standalone CD players in the $1500 to $2000 range.

http://www.planethifi.com/planethifi/sum97dvps7000rev.htm

I concur with the S9000ES. The 7000 and 7700 have a decent CD sound, but they're a step below the 9000. From there, the step falls rapidly.

The S9000 (the SACD one) will output a 24/96 signal from its digital out, I believe--check the many posts on this unit, it has gotten a lot of good feedback. And you get SACD too. Your last question is a little confusing--for a signal to be "upsampled" to 24/96, all you need is a regular 16/44 digital output. I assumed that what you were asking was if the player could output a 24/96 signal on a disc that would permit that information to be passed (and most if not all DVD-A discs, as opposed to the Chesky and Classic DADs, will not permit that signal to be passed through the digital out) to a 24/96 DAC. Anyway, check the other threads on this unit to see what others think of the 9000 as a CD player and a transport. My recollection is that a decent DAC like the MSB would be an improvement over the standard Sony analog stage in the unit, but that's what you'd expect given the Sony's price point.