Well! It has been almost one year since I take the leap into hirez music with the Pioneer 588A. I've now owned more than 50 hirez titles, and has really enjoyed the sonic improvement over standard CD.

I recently upgraded my speakers, and the new speakers appear to be quite revealing about flaws in the recordings, and possibly the source equipments as well. CD, especially, can sound quite edgy at time. I'm considering upgrading my player.

Would players such as Denon 3910, Pioner 79avi or Marantz DV7600 offer significant sonic improvements over the 588A, in terms standard CD and SACD/DVD-A playback? What about the Oppo970H and HK DV47? If these players won't offer much better sound, I may start experiment with different amps first to find one that match better with the speakers.

Noted that bass mgmt and video are not important for me.

Thanks ahead!

I have the DV588A and several other inexpensive players and can't really distinguish any difference between them. Maybe somebody here has upgraded from the DV588A to something better and based on what I have read, I would say the Denon, Marantz and Pioneer players you mention would all be a significant upgrade. The Oppo would be a significant upgrade in video quality at a great price, but if that isn't an issue for you and your budget allows, I would say continue to look at the higher priced players for audio improvement.

Chris

I've got the same player and have the same question.