i haven't heard that unit, but i do have the sp800. the sp1000 is a clear step above so it's not a great comparison. they upgraded the video DAC from 12bit/108mhz to 14bit/216 mhz and the audio DAC looks different as well. the sp1000 is also clearly built much better as well. All that being said, i am very happy with the sp800. I've had it for a year, I think it sounds very nice (especially the SACD side), but i don't have all that much to compare it to. the video playback was a clear improvement over my older basic dvd player, but i don't have component video input on my tv to really see how good it is. I have had no issues with compatibility with any computer-burned dvd-a's.