Fellas, c'mon man. Is it just me, but why is it that so many Oppo owners feel the need to mod it? And Statman, you don't care "how good it sounds" as long as it does a good job of playing scratched disc? With all due respect, that doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement. Actually I am looking to part with my beloved Bryston, in fact, it's listed on this very site at the time of this writing. I was hoping that maybe just this once, there was something to all the hype surrounding the Oppo. That it actually was a true giant killer and that just maybe, after twenty plus years of cd player technology, we had progressed to the point of allowing for a low cost, audiophile grade component to actually exist. For a minute there, my faith had me a bit excited about all the buzz, which in fact prompted the thread. Unfortunately however, my hopes have been dashed, because that's not what I'm hearing from Oppo owners. what I'm hearing instead, is that the Oppo is a great video piece with a whole slew of cool digital features and flexibility that happens to also play cds, almost as an afterthought, with the suggestion that while they really enjoy their Oppo, it does not compare to the best dedicated audiophile digital sources out there, e,g, Ayre, Esoteric. Cary, Copland, etc. Which for my needs and point of view, pretty much excludes the Oppo from consideration as a serious cd player. Thanks again, Jayh31 jayh31