What's a great multi format player under a $1,000?

"I am thinking of swapping out my DAC & trying something different just to try it but the Onkyo will stay for the long haul."
-Fishwater

The Dodson 217 Mark II D with upgraded 218-like software is fabulous with the DPC 8.5, which (as you know) is the Onkyo unit a step BELOW yours. Just a thought if you decide to audition DAC's, nothing more. YMMV, etc.

Jim- Unfortunately, I believe that I am correct with respect to a transport/DAC that can do hi-rez you are looking at about $6-8K and it won't give you DVD-A. Certainly for those $, you can look at one of the Esoteric one box units, or for 1/2 that, a modded Denon. I did look into the costs of modding an older unit and except for the purchase price of the player, its the same (duhhh!). So that route doesn't help much. Modded players do not retain quite as much value, so you may save something for looking for one already modded here. Thats what I did. Or you might consider an Underwood Level 1 mod on a 2910. If you don't need digital video out, then that is a good way to go and I think you can get into it for just a little over a grand.

swampwalker

I don't doubt what you're saying... not at all. I feel OK with the two gizmos I mentioned above... the DVD carosel, and the ???/integra for DVDA, and at this point, maybe only the carosel.

I'm figuring if I were to drop over a grand into a multi format player, waiting a while till these new issues from Sony, and toshiba? settle in is best. to put that much into another disc player seems silly... to me. I'd prefer to just get another CDP, as a replacement, not in additon to, and stop there... and a tubed CDP of good standing is most attractive to me. ..for CD play only. SACD is nice. .. but I've found a number of them like CD's are not quite the level one might expect in terms of sonics. I suppose that's the case across the board. SACD, DVDA, CD, Vinyl, etc... but in gaining a replacement for my Sony xa 777, I'd wish to upgrade substantially, in the area of richer and warmer. I do like it a lot, though, and suspect improving upon it will be costly.

It is funny to me as you point out modded units are seen as less in value than the originals. In audiophillia nervousa terms where performance is key, people should see improved units as less than. It's hard for me to fathom. It's like, "Oh, it's better now? ..then I'll give you less for it." Funny. and were I to go into a 'pricey' multiformat player altogether, don't you think one sacrifices something somewhere? I'm hard pressed to figure any player in that genre, does all the formats quite so well as each of the others. Above all, I doubt an upgrade/replacement will be done simply for the sake of having something new. that method, makes absolutely no sense to me, though I have been guilty of it in the past... but no longer. I'd sooner have mine repaired first, were it to fail.

Never heard the XA 777 but it supposed to be a darn good player. Although I really like the Exemplar/Denon I have I have not been at all impressed with the software available in hi-rez. So if I were to do it again, I would concentrate on a great CDP and let anything else fall by the wayside. Don't get me wrong, the Exemplar is a damn good CDP and perhaps I would have ended up with in anyways, but the multi-player idea has not been a real issue for me, as of yet.

swampwalker

Yep. the software in every category at times leaves a lot to be desired. Being able to play a whatever' disc, initially, seems attractive... I lose track of the, 'they ain't all great just because they have an enormous smpling rate or word length." notion though.

the xa777 is the 'multi' SACD version of the 777. It uses three pairs of DAC's instead of one pair, as in the 777, for stereo, if you want to go that way. It does get involved if you want to go multi ch. then the three pairs of DAC's for stereo get split up and there is only one per ch being used then. Oh, and you need to use four more interconnects, and move the two already in use for stereo to the multi ch analog outs. It is flexible to enough to allow for 2ch & sub, 3ch & sub, as well. But IMO there is no comparison to the 3 for 2 v. 1 for each. Stereo wins, hands down. Multi ch playback aint' bad... not at all. Just in comparison, 2ch wins... easily and I'm a fairly harsh judge by the way.

The only CDP I've heard yet to surpass it in overall terms is the top Meridian. An ayre model wasnt' too bad and I could well live with it, but both are simply way out there price wise... over 6 or 7K I think for the Meridian, and close to that mark on the top Ayre unit, those figures are just rough rememberances... and likely higher now, and the margin by which they surpassed mine aren't terrific ones either.. just better. sure was too much in my mind to pay for perhaps half again, the current level of performance.

The multi format player is likely gonna be a persistent afterthought now. Given the expense for a very good to great unit being beyond my means at prices beyond my first thoughts, even used. Oh, well.

So I'l hang on and see what the future holds, as the new formats settle in and I complete the few remaining odds and ends left to me..

thanks - sometimes we all just need a reality check.