Price Paid:  $249.00 from internet-pricescan.com

Summary:
Very satisfied overall with the DV-S525.
I got it mainly to replace aging Onkyo CD
player, and it doubles as a DVD player.
Two for the price of one, I figured.

It never skips when playing CD's and sounds
beautiful through my Yamaha receiver and Snell
E-5 speakers. The video (DVD) always gives
a sharp picture and I have only occasionally
found a picture fault, usually it was the
DVD itself that was dirty or scratched.

I highly reccomend this unit and ONKYO
products in general. They usually give the
best performance available, at the right
price. It gives a wide variety of output
connections for any type of audio/video
equipment.

Strengths:
CD player/DVD player combo
great sound

Weaknesses:
slightly audible cd "spinning"
at close range

Similar Products Used:
onkyo cd player (1990's)
hitachi cd player- 1st generation (1980's)

Price Paid:  $275.00 from Tweeter Etc.

Summary:
I've owned a few DVD players and can honestly say this is the nicest unit I've used. It does what it's supposed to do and does it extremely well. The picture on my Sony Wega 36" is outstanding. The sound in DD, DTS or 2 Channel stereo is excellent. If they were still available, I'd buy a second unit for music only use in my den. For the money spent, it can't be beat. When Onkyo comes out with a progressive scan player, I'll be first in line to grab one.

Strengths:
Great picture and sound. Nice scan. A/B repeat very quick. Nice looking solid feeling machine.

Weaknesses:
Remote control. I've gotten used to it and can hit the right buttons in the dark, but it would be nice to have a backlight. Noticeable pause on layer changes.

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer

Price Paid:  $300.00 from SoundPros

Summary:
The quality of the audio & video out of this player is fantastic. The best I have seen for the price. Highly recommend.

Strengths:
Picture & Sound Quality

Weaknesses:
Not many, worst is the remote

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Huppins

Summary:
The onkyo was a much more reliable and smooth operating machine than the marantz I had been using, which was in the same price range. The marantz chunked up the picture and occasionaly paused, never had that problem with onkyo. Disappointed it didn't play my burned copies of movies on cd, a feature many cheap dvd players offer. Go figure. Overall very satisfied with the quality of craftsmanship, design and performance. MSRP seems a little high, but since I didn't pay that much who cares. Other than that nothing more to add that hasn't already been said.

Strengths:
Superb sound, smooth tracking, crisp and bright picture

Weaknesses:
Doesn't play CD-R's, V-CD's (burned movies), and yes, the hideously ugly remote

Similar Products Used:
marantz

Price Paid:  $290.00 from Onecall

Summary:
A lot of people try to qualify their reviews with their expertise. Well, I'm a moron when it comes to this stuff. Here is what I have found:

Wow. This is a great unit, I'll keep it until I get evicted by my neighbors in my apt building. I looked for about 3-4 months before buying and this was the most capable unit for the money that I have seen. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that a lot of other units have, but if you are like me, most of these are features that can be adjusted through a quality receiver (or amp and preamp) or through the TV. The picture is extraordinarily crisp. This unit features fantastic sound and has performed flawlessly while running anything I've tried, including all of the classic and newer test discs (eg Matrix etc as well as diagnostic discs). A nice contrast to the Pioneer is the ability to search at slow speeds smoothly, instead of the jerky view you get if you try that with the Pioneer 525. I have not had the need to contact customer support, but if you do, I have heard that they are actually pretty good.

The remote is lacking somewhat, but I never use individual remotes after they are programmed into the universal remote anyway, but if you use it, you may be irritated by the small buttons and lack of easy use in a dark room. The box contains the unit, the remote, and and s-video cable, but no optical digital cable. (I ended up ordering an extra S-video cable b/c I didn't know the unit came with one. Oh well, never can have too many cables around!)

Highly recommended.

Strengths:
Quiet running, smooth loading, fantastic sound, quality feel at under $500.

Weaknesses:
Remote, but not that big of a deal if you have a universal (I use a Pronto). It won't read CD-RWs and some CD-R's, but I don't need that capability, and neither do you if your CD player can do this as mine can.

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer DVD-525