Thanks guys - my wife got me the 588 [Linked Image from softronix.com] for my birthday. Already had a DVD player so didn't want the 596 and the 598 was out of budget. The 588 in balanced mode sounds nice and refined (wife says like a fine wine compared to a cheaper one - you can really appreciate the difference!). It's so smooth and well rounded that I forget about the hi fi and get engaged more with the music. Perhaps should have waited for the new series, but I gather the equivalent will will be more expensive still - and the 588 is well tried and tested, matches my 502/557 and I suppose holds its value well in the second hand market if I do want to move to DVD-A / SACD or whatever comes along in the future.