Sacd / Dvda universal players

I thought about the DV-50 as well, but after several calls to TEAC I can't get a straight answer about future service and support. One time they say Esoteric is being reintroduced to the US market, then whien I ask who the dealers will be they call back and left a message saying there were no plans to sell them in the US. I love some of TEACs gear and the DV-50 looks like the best thing currently made, but I'm not going to spend $5K and not have a repairable transport.

I've got a Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai home for audition this weekend and so far I really like what I hear. It's not the DV-50 in terms of quality of build, but as Eldartford said, it's a good unit (similar to the one he recommended, but newer) for the $800 the dealer said it will be if I keep it and I can wait to shell out several K until the format wars settle out.

I have a feeling that next year at this time there are going to be more universal players than you can shake a stick at. They will all be pretty darn good by then and prices will have dropped as well. The second generation of player will have also sorted out all of the weakness of the first ones. Can we wait thats the really big question? Hopefully by next year new releases will be sacd/cd or cd/dvda the day they come out. Will see.....

Deven just so you know, the Marantz 8400 is a second generation universal player.

--Lenard

I kinda of discredit the marantz and pioneer because they do not play SACD in true DSD they down mix to pcm. I think they are missing the boat there but I feel it is probably easier for them to make it universal that way. I stand corrected about them being second gen but until they have fully DSD capability I would not really consider them as universal players I am interested in.

"Deven8":

In your first list of affordable universal players, I have read reviews of four of those players, and so far, what I have read has not compelled me to go out and spend a grand on any of them. Of all of the ones that are on that list, the one that seems to be the most promising so far is the Yamaha S2300. The Integra DPS-8.3 has left me going ho-hum so far. I don't know anything as to how the Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai stacks up, but my initial impression of its predesessor (the DV-47A) hasn't been too impressive. And I am disappointed by every review that I have read on the Marantz DV8300, so I have pretty much crossed the Marantz DV8300 off my short list. The jury is still out on the Denon DVD-2900, and understandedly so. A month ago, I was really interested in this machine. But now, with the negative press that (affordable) universal machines have been getting so far, I had to scale my enthusiasm of this machine back a little bit, as I am supicious about this machine as well. With exception of maybe some circuitry (or might I say lack thereof) that is inside the DVD-2900, it appears to be the offspring of the flagship Denon DVD-9000. And the build quality seems to be top notch for what is essentially a $1,000.00 machine. I "REALLY" want to like this machine so much. But I have to see what the press says about it first before I even think about adding one to my system. And also, I will add that a used Sony DVP-S9000ES and the newer DVP-NS999ES have also topped my shortlist.

But right now, I applaud your move in going with a less expensive player such as the Philips. Because that what I think I am going to do also. I think the road I am going to take right now is to get me a Philips DVD963SA (which lists for about $500.00, but if I shop around on the net, I think I can get me one for about $400.00 plus shipping) as well. Try it out in my system for a month (in reference to redbook CD playback), and then if I feel the need and desire to, just add an anti-jitter system and an outboard DAC (either a used Camlot Arthur or MSB Link DAC II or III and P1000 Power Base Power Supply) to it, and wait until the dust settles.

Once the dust settles for once and for all, I'll go ahead and invest in either a reference CD player or a reference quality universal player then.

--Charles--