True, the Denon adds stereo XLR connections along with its more expensive analog section. It also adds Denon LINK. What the review doesn't mention is that SACD output is limited via HDMI (I think it's 44.1kHz PCM), so the only way to get the original signal out of the A1 is to have a Denon receiver with Denon LINK. This makes it a good match for someone with a $100,000 system anchored by a flagship Denon receiver or Denon's processor, but it actually reduces its value for "lesser" systems. The BDP-83 has no such limitation, as it can pass a raw DSD bitstream or a decoded PCM bitstream (with no downsampling) via HDMI to any HDMI-equipped receiver or processor. For those $100,000 systems in which the Blu-ray player is being connected digitally, the A1's monster analog section isn't a factor and the two players become very much comparable on performance. And as jonesyg27 pointed out, the BDP-83 offers a zoom mode that supports CIH projection systems, on-the-fly resolution changes (and on-the-fly changes in audio output mode), a source direct mode, RGB output, and deep color output.
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