It is a great paler..especially for the price ( I formerlly owned one) but there are better red book players (at higher price points I shoul add) The two didgital fron I ends I have owned since the DV-50 are the Wadia 861 w/ GNSC Statement mod and the DCC2 with Meitner modified philips. Both are significantly better....but...both are alot more expensive. I recomend you stay with the Esoteric if you are happy with it..again...I think it is a great player and doubt that you will find anything that blows it away in the same price range. Good luck on your search.
Dan
Dan