philips sacd 1000 as a redbook player

oh... also ... a lot of the others are suggesting mods... mod this and mod that, NOT EVERYONE like to get their unit mod. Also, it voids the warranty and lower resale value. Spending $500 on this unit, and another $800 to mod it? You gotta be kidding me! I might as well get a Sony 777 or a Marantz SA-14!

Just a quick note on redbook now that I have about 220 hours on the Phillips. It got ever so slightly better than at the 96 hour level. Opened up a bit more throughout and tightened up on the bottom and low mid end a little more too.

However, the Ah! is still a clear winner. Have to agree with RGD about percieved depth within the imaginary "hall."

As I had a/b'd my Ah! against a Rotel 991 before settling on the Ah! I can judge the Phillips against the Rotel to give an idea of product placement. The Phillips would definitely have beaten the Rotel had I kept that latter unit. So truthfully the Phillips is a great value in redbook at its $399 Tweeters price and probably worth buying as a redbook/SCAD "all in" box for some at the +/- $500 price you can buy through the 'gone.

As a SCAD player (which is, after all, why I bought this unit) it is a keeper and has its place along side my Ah! redbook CDP.

All you people saying the PHILIPS SACD1000 is a good RedBook CD Player should go perform a "Ear Check-Up", as I suggest personally. Maybe some ear-tube cleaning needs to be done. For $399.99 and all that format compatibilities, it's a keeper; for the sound, it's a sucker! For spending $500 & another $800.00 to mod it, and when it breaks down and you all couldnt repair ir because you void your warranty, it will definitely be a lesson!

Context. context, context people! For a $399 player it does redbook at good value for the money. No one is saying that this is a $399 redbook player that is as good as a $1000 redbook player.

HOWEVER, IMHO it would beat the Rotel 991 (which was a $1200 player list new) but does not beat the AH! (about $1000 with all upgrades new. But, you have to keep those observations in context to the price of the player, the purpose of the player (SCAD), etc.

Also keep in context the original post where TOK 2000 asked for opinions and observations.

Bottom line: for a $399 peice of equipment it more than holds its own at THAT price point even with a head full of earwax to boot. LOL :)

Philips SACD1000 MSRP is $1599.00 and it's SUPPOSED to be treated like a $1000 class player. Dont let the price drop lower your expectation. Let me ask you, if this unit is never on sale and is $1599.99 would you buy it? and would you still think it's worth it and use it for redbook reference?