Well, the Sony got the nod. I had the Denon demoed at a local Tweeter store Sunday, and in the end I liked the Sony better. True it doesn't play DVD Audio, but I don't believe that will be a problem long term. The audio performance of the Denon was fine in all formats (CD, SACD, DVD Audio, Etc.), but the video looked strange to me. To my eye it was not as clear or, precise as the Sony in either interlaced, or progresive modes. Some of the video output looked like the pictures had been processed, but were left with a strange cast or, hue. I found this on a number of disks. This might be correctable, but I was not completely sure of this. I was assured that the display had been calibrated recently, so I factored that out of the equation. The Sony has a five year parts and labor warranty compared to the one year warranty for the Denon. The audio performance of the Sony was equal to the Denon in the formats that it supports with a slight edge in SACD output. The video performace was clearly a step up from the Denon. All things considered, for me, the Sony was the winner.

[This message has been edited by Oil Can (edited September 30, 2003).]