CD and SACD player under $500

I bought one the cheap Sony as did Tpreaves. Mine is packed up in the closet as I found it a bit harsh. Maybe I'll try a dac with it. But be advised, for $65 it's a nice player, not a great player. As for the Oppo, I haven't heard the BDP-83 but my DV-980H is way over rated as a music player IMHO.

You may want to look at a used Marantz DV Series player. I went from a Sony 222ES to a Marantz DV7001. Major improvment all around. I have also heard the DV8400, which is also a very nice player.

Denon DVD 3910 - can be had $300 +/- all day long. Excellent player that is well-built and can serve as a decent transport if you'd like to add a DAC later.

Try the Denon 3930CI. In fact, I will be happy to sell you one for $389.00 including shipping anywhere in the USA. This was an excellent machine and would be perfect in your quest for finding an excellent cd/sacd machine. It originally cost me approximately $1500. I have the original machine which is in perfect condition, manual, remote, box and all cables and you would not be able to tell that it is anything but brand new.

Pioneer Elite DV-58av universal player. They are disappearing but around new for $299 - $399. These are universal players with careful attention to the analog output section, and great DACs. On 2ch audio, this deck is richer and more musical than an Oppo 83 and bests anything else I've heard under $500. Also, if you can pop for a bit more, NAD M55s are showing up between $650 - $800. Battleship build, also punches well above its weight. But the DV58av will give it a run.

Phil