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  1. #1
    THC no THD!
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    Quote Originally Posted by hershon
    Well according to alot of people here, not me obviously, they claim that if you connected your previous DVD player by Optic Cable there would be no difference in sound to your current Optic connection. I love my HK 31. Out of curiosity what is the difference in price and features between the 31 and the 22? I basically bought the 31 because every single review I read on Amazon.com,. CNET (I think) and other online sites all praised the 31's sound.
    I think the 31 can resolve DVD-A and my 22 cannot, but I have to say, I did have my old DVD player (hate to say it but it was an RCA) connected fiber optically too, but the HK STILL blows it away, I don't want to say anyone's a liar, but the HK sure does sound alot better. BTW, I paid $199 at CC mainly because I was completely satisfied with my HK receiver (which BTW would have the same DACs as their DVD players), and because ALL the reviews on their site were also very positive.

  2. #2
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    It looks like the only difference betweehn the HK 22 & 31 is DVD-A. If you're not planning to use DVD-A you made a better choice (add on another $100 plus for 6 internect cables for DVD-A). I hardly have any DVD-A & rarely play it but I just wanted to have the option to play them. As I said, the sound on my HK DVD player connected by optic cable blows away any CD or DVD player I've heard & I'm very, very, happy with it.

  3. #3
    Forum Regular anamorphic96's Avatar
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    Here you go hershon. Thought you might enjoy.

    http://www.soundstageav.com/onhifi.html

  4. #4
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    Thanks Anamorphic for the Link to HK 31 DVD review

    Thanks for the link to the review This looks like an excellent audio website and I'm glad you let me know of this. What's interesting about the review is that while it said the CD sound was much better than alot of other CD/Universal/DVD players, it didn't say if this was an analogue comparison or a fiber optics comparison, I'm going to try to email them to find out.

    http://www.soundstageav.com/onhifi.html[/QUOTE]

  5. #5
    Forum Regular anamorphic96's Avatar
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    Judging from the review he used analoque outputs. I know we have been over this, and we differ in opinion on this matter but using the analogue outputs is the only way to judge the player accurately.

    After looking closer he did use analogue connections.

    " This allows you to hook the DVD 31 to the multichannel inputs on your preamp-processor or receiver as well as the stereo inputs, which I did."

    If he used the digital output he would no longer be judging the HK. He would be listening to the NAD and that would defeat the purpose of the review.
    Last edited by anamorphic96; 05-15-2005 at 01:20 AM.

  6. #6
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    Your probably right but I emailed the guy who wrote it and hope he responds back for clarification on this and the fiber optics question. I'm going to spend tommorow on that web site as it looks like a great site. Thanks.

  7. #7
    Forum Regular anamorphic96's Avatar
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    Interesting Repsonse From Your Question At Sound StageAV

    May 16, 2005

    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.

    Phil Hershon

    A: 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

    He at least admits there could be differences in transports. Which could account for the differences you hearing in the HK. Maybe the HK is doing something subtley different in it's digital output.

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