Best DVD/CD Player to buy

Forget the mass market stuff. I have a Sony 7700 DVD player. It has great video quality but its audio quality is terrible. I haven't heard CD's sound so bad since the early days of CD. Pioneer, etc. isn't going to be much better. Go for a Meridian 586.

My vote is for a modified Pioneer, but via John Hillig at Musical Concepts, who modded my DV-4l4 a year ago and it's been running like a champ ever since. However, I can't attest to its DVD performance since it's used ONLY as a CD player (plays 24-96 discs too) in a system where it's by far the least expensive component. That's how good it is.

I also use a Sony 7700, but only as a transport. In that role I've found that it bests a CAL Theta. Married with an EVO Millenium DAC II I'm really enjoying the music.

Grandpad, maybe you left something out, but CAL & Theta are two different companies. Kind of confusing.

As to modifying DVD players, one of my buddies just sent a Pioneer off to Stan Warren. Stan flat out told him that h should not expect the bass capabilities that his more expensive CD player offers. I guess that my previous findings that DVD players have always sounded leaner than a good cd player has been verified. Sean
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Sony 9000ES has gotten some good reviews for cd sound as well as progressive scan on the dvd side. Retail $1500, but selling used for $900 or so.