Buy a hi-end CD player/transport now?

I kept waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting. I felt like Ralph Kramden putting of buying a television because he was waiting for 3D-TV.
I finally decided to get something as a stopgap. The Sony DVP-9000ES plays DVD, CD, and SACD and the redbook CD sound is absolutely amazing, especially considering it's a multi-player. Don't take my word for it . . . search the reviews on-line. List is down to $1200 from $1500, but you can buy it for less than $900 at some of the discount places on-line.
Now I'll wait for something really special that will play SACD, DVD-A, CDR, and all in multi-channel. (BTW, the Sony doesn't play CDR, if that's something important to you.)

Buy something that will offer you the most bang for the buck. This will hold you over while waiting and give you something enjoyable to listen to in the meantime.

As have many of the magazine reviewers, i would suggest something that upsamples. This really DOES make a difference if done properly. If you already have a transport / dac combo, you might want to check into the G & W upsampler. Martin DeWulf of Bound For Sound reviewed this a few months back and said that it was great. I think that Stereophile just had something on it ( maybe it was a quick "blurb" or just a mention ) and i think it was positive also. This add-on box sells for about $400. They are supposedly coming out with an upsampler DAC with tube outputs sometime shortly, so that might be VERY interesting.

Personally, i'm not putting too much faith in SACD regardless of who is backing it up. Sony "supported" Beta and it WAS better than VHS ( just like SACD is better than DVD-A ). Do you see how far that got them ? Besides, it seems as if larger "commercial" artists prefer DVD-A for the video potential. Besides that, i just read somewhere that some of the major record chains and on-line dealers are slowing down on how much SACD material they are carrying, if at all. Sean
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The "blurb" in Stereophile was a small review in Sam Tellig's February column if you want to check it out. Sean
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