A Little Help

[massjake]

Here's the deal. I'm trying to get back into the wonderful world of audio gear. Been away a while raising my family. I never stopped listening but the gear got a little tired. My CDp (Onkyo Integra, circa 1986) finally died. The question is; should I buy a universal player since I do not yet own a DVDp. I occasionally watch movies ( the kids more so) but I constantly have music playing. My emphasis at this time is on quality audio. Where do I start?

[magictooth]

Here's the deal. I'm trying to get back into the wonderful world of audio gear. Been away a while raising my family. I never stopped listening but the gear got a little tired. My CDp (Onkyo Integra, circa 1986) finally died. The question is; should I buy a universal player since I do not yet own a DVDp. I occasionally watch movies ( the kids more so) but I constantly have music playing. My emphasis at this time is on quality audio. Where do I start?
I'd give the Panasonic 3960 a try - I hear it's about $120 Cdn at Walmart. It's a DVDp that has 24/192 DACs and the latest Crytal decoding chip. Supposed to sound very good. I figure that would be a good start. If that doesn't tickle your fancy you can go higher end. My unit right now is a used Classe DVD-1. This unit sounds and looks (image wise not esthetically) fantastic, but at a price tag more than 10X that of the Panny, YMMV. I'd recommend this unit from personal experience if price isn't a large object.

[N. Abstentia]

Toshiba has a 5 disc player that plays DVD's, CD's, DVD-Audio, SACD, MP3, and WMA for under $200. That's hard to beat. If you were satisfied with the sound quality of your old Onkyo, you'll be enthralled with a new player.

[poneal]

I like that word enthralled and I agree that you will be enthralled with a universal player. Those new DVD-A concert movies are just awsome. I have had really good luck with the DTS 5.1 versions (i.e. The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over). It is wonderfully mixed and the video is superb.

[massjake]

Seems like the concensus is for the universal player. Makes sense because no one knows who's going to win the format sweepstakes at this time. As long as the audio aspect of these players is on par with dedicated CD players I'll go along. I guess I just don't want to make consessions with the sound of a unit in order to gain flexability. If I have to I'll just buy a cheapo DVD for the video end. Still go universal?

[NickWH]

Let me ask you this: How many Redbook CD's do you have?

Another question: Have you looked the selection of SACD's and DVD-A's that are available? How many titles out now would you purchase? How many of the artists that you listen to release titles in these hi-res formats?

This should be the first step in figuring out which direction you want to take with your new source(s).

[Mike That Likes Music]

Have you looked the selection of SACD's and DVD-A's that are available? How many titles out now would you purchase? How many of the artists that you listen to release titles in these hi-res formats?

This should be the first step in figuring out which direction you want to take with your new source(s).

Couldn't agree more. Take a close look at the hi-res catalogues. If you have slightly (or very) off-center tastes then you may want to give universals a pass. 95% of my digital collection is still CDs, and I doubt many of my CD titles will be transferred to hi-res. Look for a player that does best with whatever format you'll be using most.
On the other hand, I own one of the slightly higher-end universals than those discussed here so far and I love the damn thing. It's a Marantz DV-6400, goes for around $500-600. Looks the canine's testicles and performs lovely as well. One thing to look for in a universal is upsampling of RBCD. It's quite an improvement over my old dedicated CD player. I don't know what the general consensus on upsampling is, but I like the end result. And oooohhhhh the sound of those old Rolling Stones albums redone in SACD. :)

Mike

[massjake]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I took so long to get back. So far I've checked out the Denon 2200. Next I'll look into the Marantz DV-6400 that Mike recommends. I have a large collection of Redbooks that I will continue to play and a universal player will hopefully allow me to seemlessly slide right into the next format flavor (whatever that will be).

[mtrycraft]

Seems like the concensus is for the universal player. Makes sense because no one knows who's going to win the format sweepstakes at this time. As long as the audio aspect of these players is on par with dedicated CD players I'll go along. I guess I just don't want to make consessions with the sound of a unit in order to gain flexability. If I have to I'll just buy a cheapo DVD for the video end. Still go universal?


Even with the question Nick raised, why limit your options when you can buy the universal player for about the same as other players. Even if today you may not buy a DVD-A, you had your old player for a long time, perhaps you would buy a DVD-A in the future. As to singole or multi disc player, you might want to consider th emulti disc for convenience alone.