CD Player

Bmp, I've not compared the Panasonic and the Pioneer DVD players directly. Perhaps you'll consider one of the affordable upsampling DACS from Perpetual Technologies, MSB, or especially the Bel Canto DAC-1?? They work well with DVD players as the transport, and you could play 24/96 video spec audio DVD's too..............Megasam, they're supposed to get a new transport this summer, when production starts again, or so I'm told. I'm not sure if mine uses the surface mount technology or not, but it's so good (and has beaten everything else so badly) that I'm not concerned about it at all. It's just very fulfilling to listen to CD's on it...my life is full and rich with musical satisfaction.....

Hey guys, is the Pioneer DV-05 a decent entry-level model? What else compares under $800?

Maxibob, The DV-05 is far from an entry level model. Its picture quality is virtually identical to the Pioneer DV-09 whose picture quality has still not been surpassed. I have owned the Panasonic A-310, Denon DVD-3000, Sony DVP-7700 and now the Pioneer DV-05. The DV-05 wins by a hair in picture quality over the Sony, but ergonomically the Sony beats the DV-05. The only way to get a better picture from the DVD format is with the new progressive scan models, and then you need the rest of the gear to use it. At the $650 or less price range it is one of the best choices at the moment. I suspect Pioneer will be coming out with a progressive scan model soon, but I bet it will sell for over $1500. Get the DV-05 or the Sony 7700 and you will probably be very happy. The DV-05 won the Platinum award in the Sterophile guide to Home Theater (or was it Home Theater?, I forget)

Maxibob, The DV-05 is far from an entry level model. Its picture quality is virtually identical to the Pioneer DV-09 whose picture quality has still not been surpassed. I have owned the Panasonic A-310, Denon DVD-3000, Sony DVP-7700 and now the Pioneer DV-05. The DV-05 wins by a hair in picture quality over the Sony, but ergonomically the Sony beats the DV-05. The only way to get a better picture from the DVD format is with the new progressive scan models, and then you need the rest of the gear to use it. At the $650 or less price range it is one of the best choices at the moment. I suspect Pioneer will be coming out with a progressive scan model soon, but I bet it will sell for over $1500. Get the DV-05 or the Sony 7700 and you will probably be very happy. The DV-05 won the Platinum award in the Sterophile guide to Home Theater (or was it Home Theater?, I forget)