Problem with Pioneer DV686A player

[Zero One]

Hi to all the regulars, this is my first post on this forum, so excuse my lack of knowledge.

I have a Poineer DV686A universal disc player, it was cheap and I don't expect miracles but it has an issue that is now very annoying.

I have built several gainclones and a few speakers and I have noticed that regardless of which amp or speakers I am using there is a considerable difference in the sound between the left and right channels. The left channel is great but the right is far more pronounced in the midrange/upper mid and has a low level disortion at somewhere around the 2khz level, that it is hard to pin down though. The distortion is mild but when everything else in the system is very revealing and clear it is utterly frustrating.

I have noticed the problem is not as obvious with DVD-A or SACD but still there to a degree. It almost sounds like some sort of intermodulation distortion, I guess I'd describe as a harshness.

The highs are very clear and the bass is fine, though not as strong as on the left channel. The player is out of warranty I think, and I doubt they would replace it anyway as most people probably wouldn't hear it unless they heard it on a good speakers/amp setups and the store is not an audio/video specialist so they are probably not enthusiasts, I could see me having to argue long and loud for any help from the dealerespecially as everthing else about the player is fine anyway.

I wonder would an external DAC help and if so what kit would be worth trying, and if it did work would it also work for the DVD-A and SACD ouput. Has anyone had a similar experience with one of these units? What is likely to be the problem, I have a good friend who is a retired electronics repairer, I could probably get him to fix it if I had some idea of what might be the problem.

Ultimately I could relegate the player to home theatre usage, its failings probably wouldn't annoy me too much there, our current player in that system is pretty much cactus, but, If I were to look for another universal disc player that is cheap or reasonably priced what would be a good one to go for, bearing in mind audio reproduction is what really matters to me.

[awpagan]

i have a dvd686 too.
good little player

i think the dvd-686 is a aussie version of the dvd-575

check this out
Hirez SACD and DVD-A digital output for Pioneer DV-575A and DV-578A (dsd to pcm)

allan