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bjornb17
05-21-2005, 07:15 AM
Hi everybody,

I have a sony 5 disc dvd/cd changer that is starting to making annoying grinding noises, so im considering replacing it.

i have a harman kardon receiver that i think looks beautiful, and would like a matching cd or dvd player. I was looking at the FL8385 5-disc changer but apparanetly it has a ton of problems, so i'm considering one of their dvd units instead.

have any of you had experiences with their DVD or CD players, and can you share your experiences with me?

hershon
05-21-2005, 09:38 AM
Get HK DVD 31 which you can get for $250 new online and retails for $350. See the following thread underneath Harman Kardon DVD31 vs. Marantz DV4500 ( Multi-page thread 1 2 3 4 ) There is an excellent review of this courtesy of anamorphic96 at
http://www.soundstageav.com/onhifi.html



Hi everybody,

I have a sony 5 disc dvd/cd changer that is starting to making annoying grinding noises, so im considering replacing it.

i have a harman kardon receiver that i think looks beautiful, and would like a matching cd or dvd player. I was looking at the FL8385 5-disc changer but apparanetly it has a ton of problems, so i'm considering one of their dvd units instead.

have any of you had experiences with their DVD or CD players, and can you share your experiences with me?Harman Kardon DVD31 vs. Marantz DV4500Harman Kardon DVD31 vs. Marantz DV4500

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 09:43 AM
thanks for the reply. also, have you had any experiences with HK cd changers?

hershon
05-21-2005, 10:21 AM
thanks for the reply. also, have you had any experiences with HK cd changers?

No, sorry. I'd also use reviews on Amazon.com, circuitcity.com and Cnet to help you make a decision. From what I've read, and I may be wrong on this, it appears that if a DVD or CD player lets you play 5-6 discs instead of 1, and is the same price as a single disc unit, the sound quality and features on the single unit will be better, so possibly keep that in mind, if you're working with a budget. If not, then of course get the best sounding 5 -6 changer unit.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 10:36 AM
thanks again. i used to own one of their FL8380 cd players and it was broken about 15 minutes out of the box, as the reviews on amazon confirmed. im a bit hesitant to try their revised model. but i know their dvd players are great.

LEAFS264
05-21-2005, 10:52 AM
I have and still own the HK FL-8450 and it is still to this day one of the best changers I have ever used at any price point. And having a single disc or a changer has nothing to do with the sound in ANY way!!

Jay

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 11:07 AM
i generally use coaxial connections anyway. do the onboard decoders really make that much of a difference compared to whats in the receiver?

hershon
05-21-2005, 11:19 AM
[QUOTE=LEAFS264]I have and still own the HK FL-8450 and it is still to this day one of the best changers I have ever used at any price point. And having a single disc or a changer has nothing to do with the sound in ANY way!!

Don't you think that say if hypothetically, Harmon Kardon had two CD or DVD players at the same price that came out at the same time and one could play 5 discs and the other could play 1, that just by common sense and process of elimination that single disc would have better features and/or sound. If there are no quality differences between single disc and 5 disc players, then why don't these companies just sell 5 disc players? Usually, the higher end players seem to be single disc only. There has to be a reason for this.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 11:23 AM
[QUOTE=LEAFS264]I have and still own the HK FL-8450 and it is still to this day one of the best changers I have ever used at any price point. And having a single disc or a changer has nothing to do with the sound in ANY way!!

Don't you think that say if hypothetically, Harmon Kardon had two CD or DVD players at the same price that came out at the same time and one could play 5 discs and the other could play 1, that just by common sense and process of elimination that single disc would have better features and/or sound. If there are no quality differences between single disc and 5 disc players, then why don't these companies just sell 5 disc players? Usually, the higher end players seem to be single disc only. There has to be a reason for this.

i can actaully get the FL8385 for $109 direct from HK (remanufactured). Based on the reviews on amazon, im afraid its going to be a piece of garbage though.

LEAFS264
05-21-2005, 11:30 AM
Most changers are geared towards the younger generation that like to throw in a few disc's and let the good times roll or for people that like to set a program from 5 disc's while they work around the house. Look at the Integra DPC-8.5 a 6 disc changer that..IMO was the best sounding dvd/cd player I've heard, for under 1000.00. The only reason I bought the Pioneer Elite DV-59AVI was because of the picture it produced and the HDMI output. The sound is good....but not near as good as the Integra. I really don't see the logic in saying "it doesn't produce the same sound because it plays 5 discs" I think your wrong.

Jay

hershon
05-21-2005, 11:51 AM
As a general rule, if a bunch of reviews are consistantly bad on Amazon, I'd be hesitant to buy the product. My problem with Amazon though is there always seems to be at least one or two bad reviews by total crackpots that make you hestitate buying the product unless there are a huge amount (more than 10) that are positive.

I'd see if its also sold, may not be, on circuitcity.com as alot of people usually review their product and there seems to be more consistancy on that site. If Circuit city doesn't carry it, it won't be reviewed though.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 12:07 PM
i know they used to carry it and i almost bought one for $250, good think i waited because i might get a good price on it. they dont carry it anymore, but im sure i can find the reveiws online somewhere

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 12:16 PM
well it got a best buy award from consumer guide:

http://products.consumerguide.com/reviews/product.epub?productId=26771#FullReview

but i dont know how reliable consumer guide is, since they rate everything from bose as abest buy as well, and we all know thats nonsense

anamorphic96
05-21-2005, 02:13 PM
Heres an interesting article. It might make you think about the reviews your reading.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/hometheaterreviews.php

Dont get me wrong I still read reviews and they can be helpful. SOMETIMES. But most of the time the reviewer is kissing someone elses behind for a pay off of some sort.

Let your ears decide what you like.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 02:27 PM
well i've heard them and the sound is fantastic, it's just the reliablility which im worried about.

anamorphic96
05-21-2005, 02:40 PM
If you dont need DVD - A then go with the 22 model instead. Same exact player. Just no DVD - A. Its only 199.00 at CC.

hershon
05-21-2005, 02:54 PM
If you dont need DVD - A then go with the 22 model instead. Same exact player. Just no DVD - A. Its only 199.00 at CC.

You might've answered this earlier and if so, I don't remember the answer & appologize, but outside of DVD-A, are you saying there are no other significant differences? If so, that means they're charging another $150 just to get DVD-A, for the DVD-31 which I have ($350 retail) which seems excessive.

anamorphic96
05-21-2005, 03:09 PM
Well at HK the MSRP for the 22 is 299.00 and yours is 349.00. Only 50.00 difference.

Most products sell below the MSRP. It's a SUGGESTED retail price. Many different things can effect price. Some has to do with the number of units a retailer buys at once.

If you paid 249.00 for the 31 and CC has the 22 for 199.00 its still only 50.00 difference.

Do you have a link to where you purchased your 31 ?

hershon
05-21-2005, 03:34 PM
[QUOTE=anamorphic96]Well at HK the MSRP for the 22 is 299.00 and yours is 349.00. Only 50.00 difference.

Oh, my mistake. I thought I read on a post that the DVD-22 cost $200 and I assumed that was the list price. The 31 lists as $350. Right now (I just checked) 2 merchants are selling the 31 new on Amazon between $226-$229 plus shipping & for $230 new including shipping, repeat includes shipping, as a Buy It Now on Ebay, item 5776255982 of which they have 10 to sell.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 04:23 PM
actually newegg.com has the dvd-22 for $179 + $4 shipping. that seems like a pretty solid price. also i couldn't careless about dvd audio. i just watch movies and listen to regular CDs :) should i jump on it?

hershon
05-21-2005, 05:35 PM
actually newegg.com has the dvd-22 for $179 + $4 shipping. that seems like a pretty solid price. also i couldn't careless about dvd audio. i just watch movies and listen to regular CDs :) should i jump on it?

If everything is the same except DVD-A, and you're on some kind of budget & never plan to use DVD-A, I'd get the DVD-22. My only warning is, and this has happened to me on various matters outside of this, if you ever change your mind about DVD-A in the future you won't be able to play it on your system. If another $60 or whatever it is, isn't going to put a dent on your finances, I'd buy the DVD-31. Just remember the Dallas Mavericks could have resigned Steve Nash for an extra 10 million which they had, but didn't because they thought it was a bad investment, and now they're out of the playoffs.

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 05:37 PM
If everything is the same except DVD-A, and you're on some kind of budget & never plan to use DVD-A, I'd get the DVD-22. My only warning is, and this has happened to me on various matters outside of this, if you ever change your mind about DVD-A in the future you won't be able to play it on your system. If another $60 or whatever it is, isn't going to put a dent on your finances, I'd buy the DVD-31. Just remember the Dallas Mavericks could have resigned Steve Nash for an extra 10 million which they had, but didn't because they thought it was a bad investment, and now they're out of the playoffs.

strange example but whatever floats your boat :) Well im still in college at the moment, so I'm trying to keep my expenses down. I would have a hard time justifying more than about $120 for a dvd player at the moment, but considering what a nice unit it seems to be, $180 doesnt seem too bad. However, paying mroe than that would be stretching it for me.

hershon
05-21-2005, 06:59 PM
strange example but whatever floats your boat :) Well im still in college at the moment, so I'm trying to keep my expenses down. I would have a hard time justifying more than about $120 for a dvd player at the moment, but considering what a nice unit it seems to be, $180 doesnt seem too bad. However, paying mroe than that would be stretching it for me.

I'd buy the DVD-22 then You'll love the optical cable sound if its anything like the 31

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 07:25 PM
I'd buy the DVD-22 then You'll love the optical cable sound if its anything like the 31

i thought the digital connection will always sound the same since the reciever does the decoding?

hershon
05-21-2005, 07:28 PM
i thought the digital connection will always sound the same since the reciever does the decoding?


Interesting Repsonse From Your Question At Sound StageAV
May 16, 2005

Question:

I have the Harman Kardon DVD 31 DVD/CD player that you reviewed, and I love it. I bought this unit mainly for its CD sound. I play the HK, which I got for $250 online, by connecting it with a fiber-optic cable to my Denon 3801 receiver, which is connected to my six Orb Audio speakers and subwoofer, which are the best speakers and subwoofer I've heard.

The reason I'm writing you is that I read your excellent and very well-written review of the Harman Kardon DVD 31. I have one question that hopefully will resolve a major argument I am having with people on an online forum. Q: Did you listen to CDs via a fiber-optic connection or the analog outputs?

The reason I'm asking is that my sound is so much better with the fiber-optic cable than an analog outs, but people on the board keep maintaining that the sound of a $35 DVD player will sound the same as a $10,000 DVD player, ad infinitum, when connected by fiber-optic cable because it's just reading ones and zeroes. I maintain this is nonsense, and I am using the sound of my HK DVD 31 as proof.

SoundStage AV Response: By using a fiber-optic digital cable and connecting the DVD 31 directly to your Denon receiver, you are actually bypassing the DVD 31's analog stage and using the player as a transport. When using any player as a transport, you are relying on the digital-to-analog conversion to be done somewhere else. In your case, it's happening in the Denon receiver, with the digital stream being passed along by the fiber-optic cable. As for this sounding better than the DVD 31's own analog stage, that's quite possible. Denon is well-known for making some accomplished digital gear.

As for your next question, about whether a $35 DVD player will sound as good as a $10,000 one in the configuration that you're talking about, this topic has actually been batted around audiophile circles for years. On the one hand are the people who say that bits are bits and any transport will perform as well as another as long as it's operating properly. Others, however, find profound differences.

As for the bit-and-bits crowd, the argument falls apart when you compare transports and find that not all sound the same. There's more to it than just saying all the ones and zeroes transfer the same. That logic may work for computer hard drives, which aren't as time sensitive as CD playback, but there's more to it when you're trying to reproduce topnotch sound. I've done the experiment many times; hence, I don't use a $35 DVD player as a transport. On the other hand, you don't have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to get fine performance from a transport.

What you have going appears to satisfy you, and that's what's important. What's also important is that you don't just believe what others say. Some people get blinded by the world of digital and think everything sounds the same when, in fact, the discrepancies between pieces of digital gear are just as great as those between analog products.

...Doug Schneider

bjornb17
05-21-2005, 08:22 PM
Interesting Repsonse From Your Question At Sound StageAV
May 16, 2005

Question:

I have the Harman Kardon DVD 31 DVD/CD player that you reviewed, and I love it. I bought this unit mainly for its CD sound. I play the HK, which I got for $250 online, by connecting it with a fiber-optic cable to my Denon 3801 receiver, which is connected to my six Orb Audio speakers and subwoofer, which are the best speakers and subwoofer I've heard.

The reason I'm writing you is that I read your excellent and very well-written review of the Harman Kardon DVD 31. I have one question that hopefully will resolve a major argument I am having with people on an online forum. Q: Did you listen to CDs via a fiber-optic connection or the analog outputs?

The reason I'm asking is that my sound is so much better with the fiber-optic cable than an analog outs, but people on the board keep maintaining that the sound of a $35 DVD player will sound the same as a $10,000 DVD player, ad infinitum, when connected by fiber-optic cable because it's just reading ones and zeroes. I maintain this is nonsense, and I am using the sound of my HK DVD 31 as proof.

SoundStage AV Response: By using a fiber-optic digital cable and connecting the DVD 31 directly to your Denon receiver, you are actually bypassing the DVD 31's analog stage and using the player as a transport. When using any player as a transport, you are relying on the digital-to-analog conversion to be done somewhere else. In your case, it's happening in the Denon receiver, with the digital stream being passed along by the fiber-optic cable. As for this sounding better than the DVD 31's own analog stage, that's quite possible. Denon is well-known for making some accomplished digital gear.

As for your next question, about whether a $35 DVD player will sound as good as a $10,000 one in the configuration that you're talking about, this topic has actually been batted around audiophile circles for years. On the one hand are the people who say that bits are bits and any transport will perform as well as another as long as it's operating properly. Others, however, find profound differences.

As for the bit-and-bits crowd, the argument falls apart when you compare transports and find that not all sound the same. There's more to it than just saying all the ones and zeroes transfer the same. That logic may work for computer hard drives, which aren't as time sensitive as CD playback, but there's more to it when you're trying to reproduce topnotch sound. I've done the experiment many times; hence, I don't use a $35 DVD player as a transport. On the other hand, you don't have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to get fine performance from a transport.

What you have going appears to satisfy you, and that's what's important. What's also important is that you don't just believe what others say. Some people get blinded by the world of digital and think everything sounds the same when, in fact, the discrepancies between pieces of digital gear are just as great as those between analog products.

...Doug Schneider

that didnt really answer my question :( but still an interesting read

shokhead
05-22-2005, 06:08 AM
i thought the digital connection will always sound the same since the reciever does the decoding?

Thats right. The digital connection is relaying on your receiver to sound good or bad,not the player,its just playing and the receiver is changing everything.

anamorphic96
05-22-2005, 10:05 AM
The general rule is that players using a digital connection make no difference. Maybe if you spend 2 to 5000 on a transport there might be an ever so slight difference. In Hershons situation he compared a DVD receiver which has amps and and all the other suff contained in a normal receiver in one unit. Not a very fair apple to apple comparison. But the HK sounded better to Hershons's ears. But keep in mind his Denon receiver is doing all the decoding.

Hershon also compared a Cambridge Audio CD player to his Denon with a digtial connection and noticed no difference so he sold the player.

The JVC vs HK to my eyes is not a very fair comparison. When the competition became fair with the HK and Cambridge player he noticed no difference.

The other thing is all of the listening done in these comparisons was sighted. Listening comparisons done with a blindfold and level matching the componets is the only honest way to compare since your ears do all the work and your eyes are removed from the situation.

The rule is when using a digital connection the DAC's in the receiver/amplifier will do the decoding. There is no way to refute this.

As to the differences in digital outputs between players. The general rule is there is no difference especially at similar price points. The only time I might give this some weight is with ultra high end gear. I to some extent give Hershon the benefit of the doubt since he had a witness present to hear the difference. But remember it was (all in one DVD/Receiver unit vs a stand alone DVD player.) Also we have no way of understanding the differences. One mans huge difference could be marginal to nothing to someone else.

hershon
05-22-2005, 11:15 AM
Minor clarification. There was a slight difference in sound between the HK and Cambridge audio players but it was so minor, it wasn't worth spending an extra $500 or so dollars on keeping both of them. I preferred the HK sound but I admit I might have been subconsciously influenced because it was cheaper and the difference in sound between of them was very small.

anamorphic96
05-22-2005, 11:23 AM
Hershon,

Have you ever tried using a blind fold when comparing componets. I have and it has helped with my decisions. It the only honest way in my opinion. The eyes and mind have a huge effect on what you hear or what you think you hear.

This is not meant as a dig or anything. Just something to consider. :D :D

hershon
05-22-2005, 11:57 AM
Your suggestion is a valid one. I should clarify that I usually ask someone else for their own opinion on this as well so I have a second opinion. In the case of the HK versus the Cambridge Audio player, Paul from this board came over and heard the 2 as well and agreed with me that there was a slight difference in sound between the 2 & it wasn't worth spending $500 for. I don't remember which one he preferred. When he did borrow the Cambridge Audio before I sold it on Ebay and listened to it on his Yamaha & B&W (?) system via I believe a digital connection, I think he slightly preferred the Cambridge Audio to his Sony DVD player.
In regaards to my JVC built in DVD receiver and the HK 31 connected to my Denon 3801 receiver, the difference in sound was significant for the HK 31.

When I do comparisons I always play CDR's and/or DVD+R's of the same recording right after each other.

It does help to have a second opinion from a disinterested party though.

anamorphic96
05-22-2005, 12:34 PM
Actually Paul used the analogue connection.

Your idea about a second opinion has a fatal flaw. He has different hearing. Where his hearing is at could be different than yours. Hearing loss is different for everyone. We all have lost some of are hearing. We also perceive sound in a different way from one another.

Removing sight from the equation is the key. Using your ears is the only honest way to tell if there is a difference. Sighted tests will always be biased in some way. Not knowing which player is playing and using only your ears is the key. This way your basing everything on what you hear. With no bias from knowing which unit is playing.

bjornb17
05-22-2005, 12:39 PM
thanks fora ll the help so far

man i really want to buy it. come on someone convince me so i dont have buyers remorse :)

anamorphic96
05-22-2005, 12:44 PM
I dont quite understand your point of needing to be convinced. But here goes.


If it where me I would get the 22 because you get the DVD player apsect. You said you dont need DVD-A and the HK cd player has QC issues. So everything points to the 22. ;)

bjornb17
05-22-2005, 01:42 PM
haha :)

im about ready to pull the trigger

shokhead
05-22-2005, 02:13 PM
Better to buy higher and not need it then to buy lower and want it.

bjornb17
05-22-2005, 06:10 PM
well i can get the dvd31 for $220 but from here:
http://plasmacreations.com/customer/product.php?productid=32886

but i dont know if they are authorized.

hershon
05-22-2005, 07:09 PM
I have no idea what you mean by authorized but as long as you have a warranty your covered by Harmon Kardon. as I previously stated you can get this from J&R which is world known for $229 and it turns out free shipping. Of course you'll get a full warranty. Its listed on Amazon.com under merchants for J&R.

Anyway, if you get it there, next person who dogs me out here you need to tell off on my behalf!

bjornb17
05-22-2005, 07:30 PM
I have no idea what you mean by authorized but as long as you have a warranty your covered by Harmon Kardon. as I previously stated you can get this from J&R which is world known for $229 and it turns out free shipping. Of course you'll get a full warranty. Its listed on Amazon.com under merchants for J&R.

Anyway, if you get it there, next person who dogs me out here you need to tell off on my behalf!

haha i saw some of those firey arguments on some other posts. I'll just stay out of it but thank you for helping me find a good deal.

bjornb17
05-22-2005, 07:51 PM
i elected to go with the DVD 22, simply because i cant justify $50 for dvd audio. :)

shokhead
05-23-2005, 04:53 AM
i elected to go with the DVD 22, simply because i cant justify $50 for dvd audio. :)

Cant remember where i was but it might have been HK website that had BStock,pretty good prices.

bjornb17
05-23-2005, 05:36 AM
Cant remember where i was but it might have been HK website that had BStock,pretty good prices.

I usually check to see if they have b-stock first, but they dont have them on their dvd players, or atleast not at the moment. if i ever decide to give their cd-changers a second chance, i'll go with b-stock though :)

shokhead
05-23-2005, 08:13 AM
well i can get the dvd31 for $220 but from here:
http://plasmacreations.com/customer/product.php?productid=32886

but i dont know if they are authorized.

I think Amazon has the 31 for $230,no tax and free shipping and they are authorized dealer.

bjornb17
05-23-2005, 08:40 AM
thanks but i already ordered the dvd22 for $179 at newegg.com, which happens to be my favorite electronics website anyway.

bjornb17
05-23-2005, 08:57 PM
i actually also won a new FL 8385 on ebay for $90, so i'll see how well that turns out, maybe i get lucky :) i did this because i like not having to change discs when listening to music, but i dont mind it when it comes to movies.

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 05:20 AM
looks like im getting the DVD-22 from fedex today :) i'll let you know how it all turns out.

shokhead
05-25-2005, 06:00 AM
Hook it up both ways and let us know.

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 06:17 AM
you mean optical and coax, or digital and analog?

shokhead
05-25-2005, 08:00 AM
you mean optical and coax, or digital and analog?

Dig and analog,just for fun.

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 08:24 AM
well this one doesnt have the 6 channel outputs so the only analog option would be stereo

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 01:50 PM
i got it all hooked up and everything. it seems to a fantastic unit! much more refined than my sony, and it looks so stylish. i also like the setup options where you can set an auto-dimmer after a few seconds so you're not contantly bothered by numbers and text.

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 03:27 PM
oh, and also for the record, it sounds exactly like the sony did with optical connections..... which is a good thing, but that helps prove that it will sound the same through digital.

One thing i really like is that i dont get the first 2 seconds of audio cut off when i change chapters in a movie. there is a pause, but its only like half a second now, which isnt bothersome.

bjornb17
05-25-2005, 03:47 PM
oh, and also for the record, it sounds exactly like the sony did with optical connections..... which is a good thing, but that helps prove that it will sound the same through digital.

One thing i really like is that i dont get the first 2 seconds of audio cut off when i change chapters in a movie. there is a pause, but its only like half a second now, which isnt bothersome.

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 01:03 AM
[QUOTE=bjornb17]oh, and also for the record, it sounds exactly like the sony did with optical connections..... which is a good thing, but that helps prove that it will sound the same through digital.

Are you sure you set your DVD setting so your DVD player calls the shots not the receiver?

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 07:19 AM
[QUOTE=bjornb17]oh, and also for the record, it sounds exactly like the sony did with optical connections..... which is a good thing, but that helps prove that it will sound the same through digital.

Are you sure you set your DVD setting so your DVD player calls the shots not the receiver?

how do you mean?

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 09:32 AM
how do you mean?

On your DVD menu/setup under setup and Audio Adjustments (first audio box)do you have that on, On & do you have dynamic range at minimum You should have PCM at No Limit Digital Output Original You should also then go to the second audio box and put in whether your speakers are big or small, the distance & the DB's yo want them each on

If you've done all this and then have no noticed a difference on your sound quality with your Sony using a digital connection I'll be very surprised.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 10:47 AM
i went into the menu, and changing any settings didnt have any effect whatsoever on the sound. is that normal?

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 10:52 AM
wait i would like to make a correction. when i set "digital mode" to PCM, it severly cuts back on bass output. when i leave it at "original", the bass sounds normal. Whats the reason for this? The rest of the settings dont seem to have any effect though.

EDIT: i looked at the user's manual here:
http://manuals.harman.com/hk/Owner%27s%20Manual/DVD%2022%20(120V)%20OM%20FINAL%20Rev%206-7-04.pdf

and i set it up according to the instructions, and everything sounds great. I can't honestly say that it sounds different from my sony player though. However, i still like the HK player more :)

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 11:09 AM
I'm going by my HK 31 DVD player Maybe your DVD 22instructions & set up, are slightly different. As long as you're happy with your purchase that is the main thing. I am totally surprised you are not noticing a difference in the sound even with an optical cable with your Sony. Also as an experiment put Audio Adjustments off. See if that is a difference. Maybe there could be a difference in sound between the HK 22 & 31 or maybe they are the same and you truly don't have a difference in sound between that and the Sony. The main thing is that you are aware of your DVD set up and have that set up (on the 31 there are 2 audio boxes and one a video box) done to your requirements.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 11:20 AM
hey edward, just after my last post, i decided to try out my elton john "ephesus" solo concert dvd, and played the 2 most bass-heavy tracks, "someone saved my life tonight" and "philedelphia freedom" and there IS a difference. First i ignored it because i was trying to not to be a victim of the placebo affect, but one thing is so obviously different, that I can't ignore it.

on these two specific tracks on my sony dvd player, the bass would have sort of a 'vibrating' sound, i guess is the term i can use to describe it, but the bass notes didnt sound like solid tones, but instead, more like... well i cant figure out the words for it.

but with this player, the bass notes seem continuous and smoother, without the "vibrating" bass sound from the sony player. i dont know if this can be accredited to the limitless PCM, which seems to be the only difference from the sony player, but I'm liking what im hearing.

some of you might think im crazy (and maybe i am), but i'll keep testing out different discs to see if i continue to notice this. :)

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 12:03 PM
I think Hershon was mainly referring to CD's as opposed to DVD's but like the great man, I noticed a difference in both.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 12:09 PM
well i havent tried CDs, i have a separate player coming from UPS tonight for that :)

N. Abstentia
05-27-2005, 02:22 PM
I'm going by my HK 31 DVD player Maybe your DVD 22instructions & set up, are slightly different. As long as you're happy with your purchase that is the main thing. I am totally surprised you are not noticing a difference in the sound even with an optical cable with your Sony.

He's not noticing a difference in the sound with optical because there will BE no difference in sound with the optical.

Optical bypasses all the internal components of the player and leaves the decoding of the raw unprocessed digital signal up to the receiver.

N. Abstentia
05-27-2005, 02:23 PM
I think Hershon was mainly referring to CD's as opposed to DVD's but like the great man, I noticed a difference in both.

Tee hee..yeah right Hers...I mean Edward ;)

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 06:26 PM
well, to tell you the truth now, i think the optical jack on the dvd22 sounds the same as on the sony (turns out it just sounded different where i was listening from)

i knew the placebo affect would make me look stupid :(

however, with the FL8385, the sound through the analog jacks is great. It plays the CDs which i have that are in decent condition perfectly. I struggles on my scratched up CDs, but thats my fault. I should invest in new ones :)

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 06:53 PM
I take it from what I can understand that you are playing CD's through a CD player and not on your HK DVD player. If that is correct, try making 2 CDRs of an album you like and play them track by track on the CD player and the HK. I recommend you listen to the HK via Optical. Let us know if you notice a difference or not.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 07:03 PM
well the sound with the CDs through optical on the dvd22 is just the same as the sony. it also sounds the same as through coaxial on the cd player. however, the sound with the CDs is a slight bit better with the analog jacks on the cd player (better DACs it seems).

optcial and coaxial connections should sound the same, since they are both just digital transports. the only thing that would change the sound would be whether you use analog or digital. :)

N. Abstentia
05-27-2005, 07:49 PM
bjornb17 has pretty much got it down.

Edward 'Hershon' Gein is still clueless about digital transports.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 08:11 PM
is that hershon? why isnt he on his other s/n? i believe it could be hershon because he was the only person nice enough to respond to my HK posts on most occasions :)

N. Abstentia
05-27-2005, 08:58 PM
Yes, that has to be him. He's the only person that believes that 10 different players will sound 10 different ways using the same digital connection, even though it's been explained at least 32 times why that's impossible.

EdwardGein
05-27-2005, 09:19 PM
I read a post that is taken straight from an article from a magazine from a more knowledgeable person than most of the people on this board who apparently NAbstentia wishes to dismiss as well and his name is not Hershon either. I guess we should just rename this Board ask NAbstentia for he knows all.

bjornb17
05-27-2005, 10:32 PM
something is fishy here :eek:

shokhead
05-28-2005, 04:43 AM
What reciever are you running your 22 though?

bjornb17
05-28-2005, 07:03 AM
Hk Avr130 :)

N. Abstentia
05-28-2005, 09:54 AM
I read a post that is taken straight from an article from a magazine from a more knowledgeable person than most of the people on this board .

"I read it on the internet so it must be true!"

LOL!!