Jim,
I have owned the balanced version of the Theta Miles and the Sony DVP-S9000ES. I agree that the Theta was far superior to the Sony for redbook playback. I also used the Sony with a very good DAC and Digital cable (Birdland Odeon Lite, Nordost Silver Shadow) and I feel the Theta was still better.
The Sony is a nice unit, but it is not up to the level of the Theta or my current CD player (Cary CD-308). Even as a transport, I preferred my Theta vs the Sony.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards,
TIC