In 2025, the lack of a remote control, the weak and poor display, and doubts about the mechanical condition prompted me to keep looking. In reality, I only need a player, any modern Blu-ray with digital output would do. But I don’t like them. Thinking back to my old CDs, the robustness of the Pioneer PD8500 is still a fond memory. It is rarely found second-hand and at exaggerated prices. But I found the PD S series, also from the 1990s, interesting: Pioneer’s Stable Platter Mechanism idea was to invert the reading system and rotate the CD with the data side facing upwards, making it more stable and, in a sense, more similar to a record. I found a refurbished PD S603 in excellent condition (with remote control!) on eBay Germany. Unfortunately, it does not have an SPDIF digital output, only an optical one – never mind, it will be hooked to the Dac…

No way! What surprised me most was how the sound from the Pioneer’s analogue outputs was significantly better than that from the more modern DAC. I couldn’t believe my ears! A player from the 90s was outperforming a DAC from the 2000s! OK, the ProJect is a cheap DAC… definitely the weak link in my system.

So after a few years, I finally found the right opportunity and bought a used Schiit Modius. The DAC, which received excellent reviews on my reference TNT-Audio, is definitely better!

Now the PD S603 sounds great connected via Toslink to my new and excellent Schiit Modius.

My system deserved a CD player of a much higher calibre, or perhaps just a better DAC, so at the end I bought a used Modius. A Unison player would be ideal, but a Rega Apollo or Meridian, my dream, would not be bad either. Enough for now…

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The Cambridge Audio D500SE on tnt-audio.com.
The Cambridge Audio CXC on tnt-audio.com.

The DV-980H on the Oppo Digital website
Oppo DV-980H review on steo.it

Geoff Husband compares the Oppo 980H and the 983H on tnt-audio.com

Oppo 980H review on prillaman.net

The Metrum Acoustics Octave D/A converter on tnt-audio.com