Anyone use a DVD player as a front end?

Transport quality doesn't make any difference with upsampling DACs like Benchmark DAC1. I use Benchmark DAC1 with $70 Sony DVD player with great results.

DVD players alone have history of being bad CD players since their main purpose is different (less attention paid to sound). Some are better some are worse. Oppo is one of the better ones while my Sony is not and Toshiba, I had once, was horrible. Pioneer might be decent but I suspect that other components in his system are much better than average making up for CD player.

Definition of "superior" is not clear. Many people like a little of distortion because it makes sound "lively" and not "analytical". One person liked "all together" and was bothered by hearing individual instruments in very good system. It's all very subjective (read no right or wrong). My first impression with Benchmark DAC1 driving directly power amp Rowland 102 was that some instruments on recordings, I know well, are missing. Now I realize I was missing lack of clarity. For many warm sound, no matter how bad, is heaven.

You have a very nice system, congrats. I hope you're not saying the dvd was superior to what you have !

It maybe the source material. Were you familiar with the recordings?

for some reason dvd players, and multi channel amps get the brush off by many audiophiles. in reality though, there are many dvd players(theta, meridian,mac just to name a few) that compete. same with amps that have more than 2 channels. its just the culture of stereo-types.

I've used two DVD players since 2000 in my system, replacing and selling an Arcam Alpha 8SE at that time because, in my system the DVD players either equalled or outperformed it. And, of course, at a substantially lower price.

The first player was an RCA 5223P and the player I use currently is a Panasonic S47. The prime weaknesses in mass market DVD players are a) cheap power supplies and b) flimsy build quality. My experience is that if you find the right DVD player and address these issues inexpensive DVD players are capable of decent performance.

I may not have gone the DVD player route if my system did not already have good power/line conditioning; I use an Inouye line conditioner. I found that the DVD players, with their lower quality power supplies, benefited greatly from line conditioning and, for example, a good power cord. I use cryoed DH Labs DIY cords terminated with Marinco ends. The Arcam, for example, while it benefited from line conditioning and power cord upgrades, did not benefit nearly as much as the DVD players.

With respect to build quality/flimsiness, there are a number of very cost effective ways to tweak lower priced players to enhanace their performance: 3M damping sheets or dynamat, rope caulk used internally on the transport, decent quality support feet, etc. all of which I've done.

The problem with mass market players is that they (and quite possibly their parts) are constantly changing every 6 months or so, so what might be great today (or even tomorrow on the line depending on parts availablity) may not be particularly great in 6 months with the replacement model. But find the right inexpensive DVD player (I'm certainly not saying they all sound alike or are capable of good or great sound), take care of resonance issues and power issues and mass market players are capable of decent performance. Nowhere is the law of diminishing returns higher than in digital playback.