A friend took delivery of a pair last week and I also heard them at a major NY dealer. Incredible (after a good break-in period)in all respects. While didn't compare them with similarly priced players, or higher priced, I can say that they were among the best I have ever heard. Also, I received an e-mail from someone in Canada who related that dealers in Canada were already considering the unit as good or better than the older cdp 1, which was I believe some $4000.