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The UDP-LX800 will be available from October with a price tag of £2,200, and claims to provide 'a new state-of-the-art benchmark for 4K UHD Blu-ray and SACD playback.'

The deck shares some of the same features of its more affordable stablemate, including Dolby Vision HDR playback; the ability to display the MaxFALL and MaxCLL metadata values of HDR content; audio and video signal separation over twin HDMI outputs; preset image modes for use with different display types; and PQLS jitter-reduction transmission with compatible Pioneer AV receivers.

Additional features are predominantly based around its audio performance. The UDP-LX800, says Pioneer, riffs on the analogue audio section design of its flagship (also £2,200) PD-70AE SACD/CD player. 'Both Left and Right signal paths on the PCB are designed with an identical layout, not to mention placement of parts. Much attention has been paid to maintaining an accurate channel balance, an effort that has resulted in excellent separation.'

The UDP-LX800 also employs the same 32-bit, ESS Sabre DACs featured in the PD-70AE, the ES9026 PRO.

Another appeal to audiophiles is the player's stereo balanced XLR output, and a beefed up construction. While the UDP-LX500 weighs at 10.3kg, the UDP-LX800 tips the scales at 13.8kg, partly due to a 3mm steel plate (added to the to the 1.6mm steel-sheet chassis) to improve rigidity.

'The UDP-LX800 employs parts and materials that have been painstakingly selected after repeated testing, prototyping and viewing/listening trials in order to determine their defining characteristics,' enthuses Pioneer. 'Thanks to this exhaustive process, we are confident we have created a player offering remarkable levels of electrical and signal purity, all the way from the power supply to the circuit paths taken by video and audio signals. By paying careful attention to every detail, the UDP-LX800 delivers an unmatched level of playback quality.'

See Pioneer's website for more info.