universal DVD Player

[hmmmm]

I've read several reviews on the Pioneer Universal DVD Player and many of them say that it doesn't sound very good when playing a regular cd in stereo. An article I read also said it doesn't sound nearly as good as the Denon (that costs over $800.00 more) but you might not notice it on low to mid-range speakers. They tested it on really high end speakers in a lab. I can't remember what brand, but they were in the $6000.00 range. I have a Hsu Vtf-2 sub and CSW Newton MC300's in a 6.1 setup (NOT HIGH END:). Does anyone here have one and care to comment? Santa might bring me one...

[mattlevy]

I highly recommend the Denon DVD-2200 Universal player. It blows away my prior Toshiba SD-6200 (one of the first progressive scan players), which is still a quality player. The build quality and looks are very good. The picture quality is sick - progressive scanning is top notch with vivid colors and 3:2 pulldown. CD playback is a cut above normal and improves badly produced discs. However, the real reason to buy this, of course, is the DVD-Audio and SACD playback. In one word, you can describe the sound as amazing. Its unlike anything I ever heard. Enormous soundstage, incredible instrument separation, closeness like the band is in your living room, reverberations through your body, soaring highs and thunderous lows, analog warmth, 5.1 sound, details I never heard before on any other format - Get it. I paid $480. You can pay alot more for the Denon DVD-2900, but the 2200 is the better buy. Only weakness is the remote, which you can program into your universal remote. OK it does not have a digital out or DVI out, but so what, you wanna pay $3,500 for the Denon 5900? No thanks...not when High Def DVD is on the horizon. Some of my highly recommended SACDs are Dark Side of the Moon, David Bowie's Heathen, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters....and in DVD-Audio I recommend ELP's Brain Salad Surgery, Yes' Fragile, Steely Dan's Everything Must Go. They cost barely more than CDs and puts them to shame. My friends and relatives almost crapped their pants when they heard the high resolution formats it for the first time. I still am in awe. I just started to collect them as I have had my player about 1 month. I don't even know if my player is completely burned in yet. My system:

Marantz SR-18EX receiver
Marantz MA6100 monoblock amp (for rear surround 6.1 channel)
Sony KV40XBR-800 TV
Sony SAT HD-200 High Def Set-Top Decoder
Denon DVD-2200 Universal player
Toshiba DV-6200 DVD player
Definitive Tech BP 1.2X surrounds (3)
Definitive Tech ProSub 100TL subwoofer
Polk RT800 speakers (L & R)
Polk CS-250S center channel
Sony PCM-R300 DAT player
Onkyo Integra TA-RW909 dual tape deck

[hmmmm]

Thanks for the reply. I have The Flaming Lips "Yoshima Battles the Pink Robots" on DVD-A but have been only able to play it in DTS. I have to admit that it sounds awesome in DTS (really messes with your head). Have you compared a DTS Sound track and DVD-A on your player? Just curious. I'll be using this player on a 47 Inch HDTV and have read it has great picture quality.

[mattlevy]

DTS audio is nice, but still does not compare to DVD-Audio and SACD. Most DTS music is still compressed, versus uncompressed versions of DVD-Audio and SACD. You will miss some of the nuances of the high resolution formats. Some DTS music discs now come in a 24 bit/96 khz version, but you need a receiver that can accept and decode that (i.e. DTS 24/96 - which is relatively new and which my receiver does not have). If you don't have DTS 24/96, then you will only be playing your music in either 16 or 20 bit and at 48 or 44.1 khz. True you can play DTS via your digital output, but there is nothing wrong with 5.1 channel analog outputs for music if you use good cables and have a good DVD player and receiver. Hope this answers your question.

[Woochifer]

I highly recommend the Denon DVD-2200 Universal player. It blows away my prior Toshiba SD-6200 (one of the first progressive scan players), which is still a quality player. The build quality and looks are very good. The picture quality is sick - progressive scanning is top notch with vivid colors and 3:2 pulldown. CD playback is a cut above normal and improves badly produced discs. However, the real reason to buy this, of course, is the DVD-Audio and SACD playback.

Been looking at that unit as well. From my understanding, the main difference with the 2900 is that the 2900 uses the heavier chassis and loading mechanism used in the 3800 (which was a lot less problematic than their design for the 2800).

How's the build quality on the 2200? I have a DVD-1000 and I've been less than impressed with the build quality on that unit, even though the performance on that model is excellent.

Also, does the DVD-2200 allow you to use the same bass management settings for CD audio?

Thanks!

[mattlevy]

The build quality of the Denon DVD-2200 is very good. It is not built like a tank like the 2900, however, it is more sturdy than my prior DVD player which seems flimsy in comparison (although I never had any problems beyond minor with the Toshiba). I will say that I think it blows away Pioneer's and Onkyo's products. I can't comment on bass management for CDs. I play CD's digitally 2 channel full range with a subwoofer mixed in (or through the receiver's pure direct mode which eliminates the tone control and subwoofer), which gets routed through my receiver's bass management. I really don't know why one would need bass management for 2 channel stuff anyway other than to change the size of the L&R speakers. My receiver does not have bass management for 5.1 channel analog material, which is why having that option with the Denon is great. Remember, most of the early universal players did not have bass management - this one does for both DVD-Audio and SACD. Hope this answers your questions. If not, you can download the owners manual on Denon's site to look further.