Philips 963SA normal characteristics?

Give it time to break in and do the $30 blackgate mod.

Good luck,

I have well over 1800 hours on mine, and paid less than $350 for it with a 5 year warranty. My Sony DVP-S7700 stopped playing dvd's so I took it to work to use with my hd600's. I got a new amp and speakers at the same time (bad idea since I lost my reference point) and played away. Sound was detailed, yet I did not really seem to have any bass and I thought it was my new speakers. Just for laughs, I connected the sony again. Night and day, bass returned and music was much fuller. Now the phillips is used only for dvd and sacd. Cabling used was all cardas hexlink and quadlink. Picture on the phillips is outstanding.

I'd give it at least 200 hours before deciding. Mine sounded flat for the 1st 100. Then it opened up a bit but the bass got boomy. Around 200 hours the bass settled down.

The best thing this player has going for it stock is: detail, imaging, midrange clarity, powerful (though not tight) bass.

Weaknesses: high-end is AWOL, sound is dead-center neutral (ok if you like neutral, though I prefer warm). Also seems to be an annoying frequency peak in the lower treble (though this could be aggravated by my system, cabling).

Had mine modded by EVS. Made soundstage deep, wide, and tall. Sound is much smoother, quieter. Treble is very smooth, detailed. Cymbals sound more real than any digital source I've heard. Bass is cleaner.

But, it still retains some characteristics of stock player: still neutral, bass still isn't tight. But man is classical music nice on it; I can hear every musical line clearly.

Still, not sure if I'm 'there' yet.

Philips is Dutch, the 963 I have is made in Hungary. The sound is generally as you describe -- it gets better with time, as all others have noted.
OTOH, this player has a good DVD image and some very good components inside. It's a prime candidate for a good mod to the dac & the PS. Overall, for $~500-600 mod + ~400 for purchase, it's a very good deal.

thanks a lot for the responses, confirms my personal observation and enlightments me on a few other things.

1. Can someone help me out with the details on the $30 mod, the where and how. I think this is a mod I can do myself?

2. I bought this player used, so I think what I'm hearing right now is how thing are supposed to be. Radknee and gregm, I'm tempted to say that "neutral" is a euphemism for this thing. As an analogy, this is like a color TV that's been turned down halfway to black and white; just really low in saturation of tonal colors. Although you're right, it does have detail, midrange, openness...I'm not sure how well I can adjust to listening to near black and white music. My brother has fairly high end equipments (American: Audio Research, Adcom) and those sounds characteristically shallow and low in tonal saturation too. I'd sort of promise myself to stay away from that "neutral" kind of sound.

You know it goes back to the basic philosophy of high-fidelity: the attempt to reproduce real life instrument. Well, there's a guy who lives in my neighborhood who occasionally plays his saxophone in a nearby garden, and when I walked past him, I had to tell myself, man, this (real life) is really nice and warm, full bodied... that this is the reason why I like music.

3 So, for the sub $400 range, what would be a nice, warm player? I heard a used Rega Planet is a good buy at this range. With it being British made, I think it should be warm, yes?