As "they said" it needs a few hundred hours to break in completely but it's a great $1200 player...and certainly competes higher than that. Definitely fast and extended with nice PRAT and energy. Would be happy in a heavily tube based system but could be perceived as a bit lean in a typical all ss system. Open, detailed, and a bit close-staged but gives very good imaging, space, and solid definition. These are all descriptions of my brief use of it as a cd player (while my new dac was on its way); now that my dac is here [Lampizator "Big 6"] it is serving as I intended which is strictly as a transport and appears to be doing a very good job (via coax output). I'll be auditioning another transport soon, lent by a friend, just to compare to the Oppo, which may be interesting...If there's any noticeable differences worth mentioning, I will. BTW the Lampizator 6 is the most natural, realistic, "You are there" Dac I have ever heard anywhere, anytime, ever. It is truly astounding (as in 'walls disappear'), but that'll be another thread. Happy Lissn'n
