Sony DVD-S7700 against other transports

None taken No money, The audio may have been more compatible in your system.I have owned three different Sony CD players, and the DVD-S7700 and they all had a characteristic sound that I call digital "hardness". Like any company with a corporate identity and a signature style Sony has their "sound". Listening to their CD players for years, and being so used to it, perhaps I might have noticed qualities that were not obvious in a shorter listening span. If there is some small annoying sound in your living area, others may not notice it at first, but it might drive you crazy once you are focused on it. I too was disappointed by the build quality of the DV-05, and having a technical problem with two units forced me to return it. I am using a Panasonic A-310 temporarily while I wait for Pioneer to come out with the progressive scan upgrade of the DV-05 (DV-37) The flaw in my DV-05's was a minor one, and probably just my bad luck. I could have happily kept it, but I figured that it was better to put my cash towards a prog. scan model since I could return the DV-05 for credit.

Without a doubt, the 7700 as a combo CD transport / DVD player is great bang for the buck. I certainly wouldn't spend $800 on a transport and NOT get the DVD aspect thinking that it was going to be significantly better in performance than the Sony.

Shabbado, a man by the name of Ric Schultz of EVS has been modifying Pioneer DVD's for some time now. You might want to look at his website to see what it entails. I purchased one of his DAC's, it replaced my MBS link DAC 3. He is very knowledgeable and really enjoys talking with, and helping people. The website is tweakaudio.com