I've read the same - but hadn't heard that Dynaco unit you mention. The Dynaco PAS-4, made by the same post-original Dynaco group that made the CDV-Pro, was a heckuva' preamp in many ways for very small $$.
I had the Rotel 965BX player for many years. I really think the current crop of even sanely priced DVD players smokes the CD players from 10 years ago, tho.
Feed whatever digital player you have with an isolation transformer before it (it need not be big or expensive) and it'll act as a wastegate for digi garbage leaking back into the rest of your system to improve
everything after it.
Tho a nice tube output probably smooths out some of the remaining discontinuous sound that spewing back 0 and 1's have endemically.
I like damping discs, too...the Herbie's stuff seems to work well consistently

Then, when you've managed to bring your digital front end up to
surprising good for remarkably little money...go invest in a vinyl front end for the times you want to hear scintillating, soul-moving music again
