Had the Marantz DV7600 for a few days now.Was pleasantly surprised to find that it will play DVD+R as it wasn't mentioned in the specs as a playable format.So basicaly it plays everything.
Comparring it to the CA 540D, the DV7600 has a much better picture.
On the audio side, CD's, the 540D is more than a match for the DV7600. This is not an issue as I use a CA 640C for CD,s I had considered selling the 640 C if the DV 7600 could duplicate it's performance. Thats not happening.It didn't happen with the 540D either.
For DVD -A the Marantz sounds cleaner but bass mngt is an issue right now. The CA 540D has better bass mngt (or I need alittle more time in setting up the bass features of the DV7600)
(I have no SACD's to test as of yet.)
The Marantz owners mmanual is very informative, and you need it. It's the most complicated menu setup I've exsperenced for A DVD player. On the upside, the CA 540D owners manual leaves you hanging.It's the worst I have ever seen but, after some time the the 540D menu is very friendly to the user.
The CA 540D build is top notch, the remote is made of brushed allumnium, no back light. The Marantz build is OK, remote looks cheap but is laid out very nice, no back light.
I must say if the CA 540D wasn't plagued with the "popping" issue, it would be a great unit for the price.
The CA 540D is presently on it's way to th Dist. for warranty work.If it comes back it will likely be relegated to a back-up roll in our workshop playing CD's only. What a shame! It can't be trusted by me no longer. Hopefully the Marantz 7600 will be a trusted companion for years to come.