I made it!!!

Finally able to post or reply here again... but on to other business.

I am looking for a good SACD/DVD-A combo player below $1,000. I know that Pioneer made a budget DVD player which included both formats, but I've been told that it converts SACD's DSD signal to PCM - I don't want any such defiling of the signal. I've heard some good things about some of the Pioneer Elite Combo players, but I don't know which models to look for or any advantages or caveats associated with certain models.

Would like to get some good advice/recommendations for a combo player - would prefer a signal disc model but could live with a carousel player if all else were worthwhile. Thanks!

Q

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Originally Posted by Quagmire

I am looking for a good SACD/DVD-A combo player below $1,000. I know that Pioneer made a budget DVD player which included both formats, but I've been told that it converts SACD's DSD signal to PCM - I don't want any such defiling of the signal. I've heard some good things about some of the Pioneer Elite Combo players, but I don't know which models to look for or any advantages or caveats associated with certain models.
Q

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Pioneeer, Yamaha, and Denon all make universal players under $1,000 that don't downconvert the DSD signal. Denon just came out with the DVD-2200, and at $600 that model looks like it might well be the best value among the bunch. Supposedly, Denon and Burr-Brown designed a DAC that can discretely convert both the DSD and PCM signals. My only concern with that model is that they packed a lot of advanced circuitry into what looks like virtually the same cabinet as the one that they used on my DVD-1000. Great performance, but the build quality is very gimpy. I know that on their entry level DVD players, Denon outsources the transports and the manufacturing to Panasonic, and adds their own modifcations. The $1,000 DVD-2900 on paper is virtually identical to the 2200, except that it uses much heavier construction in the transport and casing And it uses the same heavyweight chassis used in the DVD-3800, which was Denon designed and built. That alone might justify the higher asking price if you plan to keep the unit for a while.

Yamaha's DVD-S2300 universal player has been out for a while, so you might want to look out for when a replacement model comes out, so you can snap up one of the current models for a closeout price. It's worth considering because it uses the Faroudja DCDi video processor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Quagmire

Finally able to post or reply here again... but on to other business.

I am looking for a good SACD/DVD-A combo player below $1,000. I know that Pioneer made a budget DVD player which included both formats, but I've been told that it converts SACD's DSD signal to PCM - I don't want any such defiling of the signal. I've heard some good things about some of the Pioneer Elite Combo players, but I don't know which models to look for or any advantages or caveats associated with certain models.

Would like to get some good advice/recommendations for a combo player - would prefer a signal disc model but could live with a carousel player if all else were worthwhile. Thanks!

Q

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happy hunting