Best CD sound from a DVD player

BWhite--Just bear in mind that the DV-8300 uses Crystal's second-best DAC chipset, not their best one. I have to admit, though, that I haven't heard the unit myself, nor have I seen any available reviews for it (I check online twice a day while I'm bored at work and thinking about music). And yes...it's ugly. If I ran the world, every single component on earth would be available in silver/aluminum finish. (I suppose I would call that place, "Great Britain.")

Thedautch - ya.. I think the DV8300 uses the CS4392 DAC vs. the CS4397 (SA-1). However, I do not know what DAC Marantz uses in the SA14 - it might be the CS4392.

The 8300 is definately a tier two product in the Marantz linup but then again, people have had good results modifying Sony's lower end SACD players and DVP9000ES units.

In this regard, Sony SCD-1, 777ES, and XA777ES absolutely kill the 9000ES but we don't read about many 9000ES owners complaining.

So - maybe the DV8300 is a good candidate for mod. While its SACD / CD performance might not be up to the level of the top tier SACD units, it has capabilities that these players can only dream about.

BWhite--I agree with your comments about modding the unit, and I look forward to the ability to purchase a DV-8300 for myself. (The next question would be which receiver to buy, since separates will be out of my league, but I'll need a level of fidelity high enough to take advantage of the 8300's hi-rez formats in the first place). All this inspite of the fact that I've seen the 8300's little brother, the Pioneer DV-47Ai, on sale for just $730. Tempting, but I think I'd rather have the 8300.

McIntosh has a nice CD/DVD player if you have a dealer nearby.

I would have to concur - the MVP851 is a superb CD player and DVD player as well. It has dual discrete pickups, separate DACs for Redbook CD, and DVD, and it also plays DVD-Audio discs including multi-channel titles. For $3500 it's really hard to argue with.