Price Paid:  $600.00 from latvia

Summary:
I bought this model mainly to have a reasonably good dvd player, however the ability to play sacd was also one of the deciding factors. As far (a little longer than 1 year) I have been quite happy with dvd playback and, I guess, there is no that much room for improvement with my current 29" monitor. It does not have a zoom function (was it that really that hard to implement?) and pauses for couple of seconds when changing dvd layers, but it is possible to live with it. My greatest complaint is about the controls - too many things can be done only through quite confusing on-screen menus. In particular, if you are using composite outputs and accidently switch them off (via on-screen menus), it is practically impossible to revive the player without re-connecting it via S-video or composite output. However, after the initial setup one probably does not need to use too much of these control functions. Related thing is inmpossibility to chose cd layer layer on hybrid sacd's (well, its true that such possibility is useful only for comparisons, sacd layer certainly will sound better). I am less enthusiastic about the audio capabilities of this player. I had to use it as a cd player for short time (my old $300 yamaha cdc775 unexpectedly died), and for me it was almost un-listenable (even in comparison with this old $300 thing). Thus I certainly do not recommend it for cd playback. Sacd's however sounded much better than cd's on the above mentioned cdc775. But, this ceased to be the case after I replaced it with somewhat more serious cd player (arcam fmj33, $1600). Still it is not bad and quite close to what I can get from arcam, however it does not show any inheritent superiority of sacd's. If there have been more of sacd titles around, this could be considered as a somewaht cheaper alternative to get a decent cd quality sound, but for me it's sacd capability have turned out to be of very limited use.

Strengths:
Reasonably good video playback, probably not so bad value for dvd player, even if you are not interested in its audio capabilities. Can be soft-converted to multi-region player (but I don't now how you do this, or whether this applies to players sold in us). After that does not have problems with playing RCE protected disks. A modification kit that disables macrovision protection and menu blocking seems to be available in some countries for around $120 (but I am still considering whether I really need it).

Weaknesses:
Not particularly convenient controls/menus. No zoom function. Puases when changing dvd layers. CD playback probably not adequate for anything up from mid-fi systems. SACD playback below what can be obtained from cd's (with reasonably good players).

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've had this player for over a year now and it has performed flawlessly. Its picture quality will rival most DVD players in its price range and up. The only thing that wished it would have is an aspect ratio control. But overall a very solid player.

Strengths:
excellent picture....very reliable

Weaknesses:
no aspect ratio control

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Tweeter Etc.

Summary:
I bought this player more for the audio and SACD capabilities than for use as a DVD player. At first I was skeptical that it would handle straight CDs well, but I was wrong. CDs are played back with remarkable clarity and lack of grundge. SACD proved to be an even greater surprise! This is true audiophile territory with affordable sound quality that approaches high priced CD players at mere pennies on the dollar. SACDs are now starting to become widely available and there is no going back once you've heard one played on a decent system. While I wouldn't replace my current CDs with a SACD, new music purchases favor Super Audio whenever possible. DVD picture was excellent for the dozen or so times I've used it. I use this player in a system with McIntosh electronics biamping Linn speakers. High end interconnects throughout.

Strengths:
SACD is true audiophile at a reasonable cost. Redbook CD playback is very good.

Weaknesses:
Remote control has lots of features and buttons which aren't easy to see.

Price Paid:  $480.00 from Good Guys

Summary:
I got a good deal on an open box item. This player clearly shows SACD has more smoothness than CD. Of course a very good CD player costing thousands of dollars can sound smooth, too, but a player like this and a SACD (only $3 more expensive than a CD) is the most cost-effective solution to high-end digital playback. Additionally, multi-channel SACD can create a very pleasant atmosphere that has to be heard to be appreciated. If a piece of music you want is available on both SACD and CD, why buy the latter? With an inexpensive quality player like this, it is a good time to start collecting SACD. It is also a fine DVD player that produces sharp pictures on my Toshiba 20” flat tube TV via component video output. Unfortunately, I can’t test its progressive scan capability. Build quality is excellent, and the remote control is kind of fancy. How does this player sound with CDs? An A/B comparison with a basic Technics carousel CD player shows this Sony has better resolution. I am not sure how it stands against budget hi-end players from NAD or Rotel. In Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity there is a review on NAD C541i and its CD performance is reported to be inferior to Sony DVP-NS500V (~$200). I suppose NS900V (~$600) does sound better than its smaller brother, and the additional DVD and SACD functions make this machine very competitive. In order to coax people to SACD market, Sony does indeed care about the audio performance of this machine. Video circuitry and LED display can both be disabled to bring improvement to sound quality (noticeable but not too significant). This kind of attention to details is a sign of hi-end engineering. Some say Sony sacrifices its profits on entry-level SACD players to get ahead in the format battle, and it’s not a bad idea to take advantage of that. Equipment: Jolida JD301 Tube/MOSFET Integrated Amp Athena S2/P2 Spearkers

Strengths:
Superb SACD playback Solid DVD playback Good build quality Lots of functions and fancy remote control Easy to use

Weaknesses:
CD playback is descent but not as spectacular as its own SACD playback. Sounds much better than cheaper mass-market CD players but I am not sure how other entry-level hi-end CD players in this price range sound.

Price Paid:  $375.00 from Richer Sounds (enlis

Summary:
wow this is incredible value not as much the overall model, but from were i bought it from but even still to be honest you'd still laughing if you paid anything up to 1000 bucks for this black beauty! this machine is sleak, good looking and jam packed with features exclusive to sony. I've seen and heard dvd players by arcam and tagmclaren and personally this is as good if not better than they are. Definetely an A class piece of kit.

Strengths:
Special Features, look, remote and overall clarity and sharpness of picture.

Weaknesses:
Possibly the SACD capability not due to performance but becuase completely outclassed by DVDA, other then that Nothing!

Similar Products Used:
sony dvdpns700 Toshiba sd520 Marantz dv4100, 7010