Anyone tried it? is the lowest cost universal
player.I have heard mixed opinions about it,but at such price (around $175.00) there is not much to loose.

I've actually seen a review or two of it online that suggested it was an excellent value, that it might even be the equal of Pioneer's 45A and 47Ai in some regards. Haven't messed with it myself, though, and I'd be curious to hear what other folks think of it.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Ive read two very positive reviews and saw a demo of it at Best Buy.($179.00) I thought its picture was very good. Equal to the other player running which cost $290.00 He switched to SACD and it was very good but it was my first time hearing SACD. Regular CD's just sounded average to me though. It was hooked up to a nice system but, in the open store there is always noise. All in all Im still thinking of getting it for Xmas though. As you said it wont break the bank, and im anxious to hear it through my 1050.

So far I am very pleased with the 563A. I does everything well. I had a Panasonic CP-72A before which did it all except SACD, but it failed on me after only 14 months. I had an extended warranty for one year, and they are replacing it with a Panny F85, basically the same player (changer).
I will sell that one at discount, I jumped at the Pioneer for $179 for the additional capability. Performance-wise I don't see or hear a big difference. Both are excellent value, but the Pioneer has nicer ergonomics and even looks a bit more expensive than it is. The remote on Pioneer looks a bit cheap, the one on the Panasonic is very chintzy.

How do regular cd's sound?

2 channel audio, is just fine. In fact the analog performance is a bit above what I had expected. More depth than I anticipated.

I listen to 2 channel using the 5.1 analog inputs to my 950. I don't run separate L & R cables from the players 2 ch. output.

I've had my CP72 die on me as well. This is a very common problem, and Panasonic doesn't care. The F85 replacement they sent you is not a comparable machine. It does NOT have Faroudja DCDi processing in it, which is only available in much more expensive machines, but was included in all of Panny's higher end, but still cheap, 2002 models. Mine wasn't under any warranty so I'm SOL with a POS.

I haven't replaced it yet either, but I've been looking at the Pioneer. I'm on the fence between that one and the more expensive Denons. I also was interested in the Philips963, but I've read some real negative comments about it. Maybe it was just one person with a bad experience (like me with Panasonic).

I have had the Pioneer 563A for 3 months ($159 at Best Buy - open box). Hooked it up to the 950/7100 expecting to use it as a "throw away" until I could afford a Denon, etc. The video and the audio is good enough for me to forget about buying the Denon. SACD, Dark Side of the Moon, and DVD audio, Steely Dan, are fantastic. However, the original $159 is going to cost me a lot more as I am rebuying all of my favorite music in these formats. Chicago II is wonderful.
The video for movies is also very good. I was not expecting this to be that good since most universals were costing $500 and up. Wow, what a value.