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  1. #1
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    DVD-Audio/SACD Players

    Anybody have any suggestions for a decent DVD-Audio (and/or SACD) player? Make and model please. Is there DEFINITELY an advantage to buying one of these players?.....Thanks..Paul

  2. #2
    Forum Regular TinHere's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GOIRISH
    Anybody have any suggestions for a decent DVD-Audio (and/or SACD) player? Make and model please. Is there DEFINITELY an advantage to buying one of these players?.....Thanks..Paul
    There is a HUGE advantage. Ya need one to play those formats. Oh, and they do sound great.

    Check out the Pioneer 563A. It's a universal player and can be had for less than $200. You can spend a lot more but this should do the trick.

    I think I sense a "casual listener" becoming an "audio enthusiast."
    TinHere

    Enjoying a virtual life.

  3. #3
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    Tinhere, I hear ya!!!! Starting to get addicted to this stereo stuff.....Paul

  4. #4
    Oldest join date recoveryone's Avatar
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    Wink

    Quote Originally Posted by GOIRISH
    Anybody have any suggestions for a decent DVD-Audio (and/or SACD) player? Make and model please. Is there DEFINITELY an advantage to buying one of these players?.....Thanks..Paul

    Pioneer Elite DV-45a
    HT
    Pioneer Elite SC lx502
    Pioneer Elite N50
    Pioneer Cassette CTM66R
    Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD

    Vizio P series 2160p
    Panamax 5300 EX

  5. #5
    Forum Regular psonic's Avatar
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    btw that 563a is is near bottom of the SACD player barrel...at less than $200 you get all formats played plus progressive scan!@ sounds great till ya hear it, lol, and how do they get all that in that box for $179? they use cheapest audio DACs out there, sacrificing what you bought it for, sound...over at CNET they stated that the sound was mediocre in the editorial review.

    some decent players are the aforesaid Pioneer Elite DV45A, and Denon models DVD-2200, DVD-2900 are said to be excellent, these will also give you very good CD & DVD sound, which is usually lacking in the cheaper gear...

  6. #6
    Forum Regular TinHere's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by psonic
    btw that 563a is is near bottom of the SACD player barrel...at less than $200 you get all formats played plus progressive scan!@ sounds great till ya hear it, lol, and how do they get all that in that box for $179? they use cheapest audio DACs out there, sacrificing what you bought it for, sound...over at CNET they stated that the sound was mediocre in the editorial review.

    some decent players are the aforesaid Pioneer Elite DV45A, and Denon models DVD-2200, DVD-2900 are said to be excellent, these will also give you very good CD & DVD sound, which is usually lacking in the cheaper gear...
    Thanks for the heads up. I haven't heard it but the reports I read on some forums were favorable at the price point. Maybe they were more excited about options than sound.
    TinHere

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  7. #7
    Forum Regular psonic's Avatar
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    yea i mean its all relative to the rest of your system, ie if you own a $150 receiver, sure fine why have a $400 sacd player! but if its a $400 amp or receiver i bet it would benefit much from the added quality DACs...I can tell you I have a NAD Integrated with boston cr9 and I recently tried the Philips dvd763sa which is one of the cheapest SACD dvd players out there, just to give it a shot...well the Philips sounded slightly worse in SACD than my Denon CD player could play it! I am assuming Philips used the bare minimum or cheapest way to play SACD, cutting the quality of sound way down from what you'd think SACD should be. A normal CD in the Philips was flat thin lifeless baseless garbage! Just an example of how much a quality CD / DVD player matters.

  8. #8
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    Pioneer 45A

    I've got the Pioneer DV-45A and have been very happy with it. I've used all of the audio features (CD, DVD-Audio, SACD, DTS) and have been very pleased. The picture is quite nice too, although I haven't had the opportunity to use the Progressive output, yet. It includes at least basic bass management functions and allows you to specify speaker distances (I believe). I'm not thrilled with the remote, but I programmed my Denon remote to operate the unit. I bought mine about a year ago for $425 - it's probably cheaper now, but it seems harder to find than some of the other Pioneer models.

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    BTW, my local Best Buy is now selling the the Pioneer DV-563A for $171. I know there are better units out there(and considerably more expensive) but this unit will get me into the SACD/DVD-A ballgame for a darn cheap price. I'll upgrade down the road if it doesn't satisfy my needs. BTW, Sound and Vision included the 563-A in their year-end Reviewer's Choice Awards...in a word...VALUE.

    The prices for the really great units have already started to tumble.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by headknocker
    BTW, my local Best Buy is now selling the the Pioneer DV-563A for $171. I know there are better units out there(and considerably more expensive) but this unit will get me into the SACD/DVD-A ballgame for a darn cheap price. I'll upgrade down the road if it doesn't satisfy my needs. BTW, Sound and Vision included the 563-A in their year-end Reviewer's Choice Awards...in a word...VALUE.

    The prices for the really great units have already started to tumble.
    My local Marantz dealer also works with pioneer. I bought Marantz SR5300 yesterday and wanted DV 4300 ,but the salesmans friendly tip was pioneer DV 565 S (lot more featuers than pricey DV-4300). Any opinions with that pioneer?

  11. #11
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    Okay everyone. I emailed Pioneer directly and asked the question that no one can give a definitve answer to.
    "Does the Pioneer promote DSD while playing SACD's or does it convert to PCM as a short cut"
    There answer was that it is DSD.

  12. #12
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gorilla196635
    Okay everyone. I emailed Pioneer directly and asked the question that no one can give a definitve answer to.
    "Does the Pioneer promote DSD while playing SACD's or does it convert to PCM as a short cut"
    There answer was that it is DSD.
    Which model did you inquire about? It's pretty well documented that the DV-563A does the PCM conversion with SACDs. Other current Pioneer models should have a Sony DSD chip on board (which partially explains their higher cost).

  13. #13
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    I asked about the DV563-A... Hopefully a company would not just say that if it was not true....

    Here is the actual email... I removed my personal info for security reasons.

    From: customer.support@pioneerservice.com [mailto:customer.support@pioneerservice.com]
    Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 7:16 PM
    To: tdncp@cox.net
    Subject: RE:Feature and Specification|E00001|8606650687 [#804587]
    It is direct DSD.



    --Original Message--
    From: Date: 12/11/03
    To: customer.support@pioneerservice.com
    Subject: Feature and Specification|E00001|8606650687[#804587]

    Inquiry Type:Feature and Specification
    lstPublishers:0001
    lstTitles:E00001
    Inquiry:Hi, I recently purchased the DV563A DVD player. Sounds like you have created the ultimate machine, now add a DVD burner with multi channel capabilities and you will have the most ultimate machine in the DVD industry. My question is when playing and SACD does the unit convert the signal to PCM or does it use the SACD standard DSD. I am asking becasue I have heard both answers from all the discussion boards. I appreciate your time in answering this question. thanks

  14. #14
    Forum Regular psonic's Avatar
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    from the CNET review of the DV563-A:

    "The good: Budget-priced universal DVD-Audio/SACD player; easy setup with effective bass management; progressive-scan video outputs.
    The bad: Sound won't impress serious audiophiles; video-based material may exhibit some artifacts."

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    I gotta tell ya, On my 19" Magnavox Color TV, the picture couldn't be clearer,lol. I don't have my Hitachi 57S500 yet

    You know, my experience has been that the 563A sounds incredible. I am totally satisfied with this little gem of a player. It is not the level of the dedicated SACD player, but it's not Dog S H I T. I mean, give it a break. This unit will work its little A S S off. DVD-audio is awesome. Blue Man Group never sounded better! CD sound is absolutely crystal clear in every detail and DVD's, for me, are great. Nice features, especially for the cost. I would put it side-by-side with a higher end model, and I bet you couldn't tell 'em apart. To each his own, but I rate the DV-563A very highly and recommend it to anyone.

  16. #16
    Forum Regular hmmmm's Avatar
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    pioneer dvd

    I am considering the pioneer also but I've read in several reviews that it doesn't sound very good with regular cd's.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrPorterhouse
    I gotta tell ya, On my 19" Magnavox Color TV, the picture couldn't be clearer,lol. I don't have my Hitachi 57S500 yet

    You know, my experience has been that the 563A sounds incredible. I am totally satisfied with this little gem of a player. It is not the level of the dedicated SACD player, but it's not Dog S H I T. I mean, give it a break. This unit will work its little A S S off. DVD-audio is awesome. Blue Man Group never sounded better! CD sound is absolutely crystal clear in every detail and DVD's, for me, are great. Nice features, especially for the cost. I would put it side-by-side with a higher end model, and I bet you couldn't tell 'em apart. To each his own, but I rate the DV-563A very highly and recommend it to anyone.
    Thanks, MrPorterhouse. That's what I've been hearing about the DV-563A as well. It may not be reference-quality but it's not a POS either. I just figured that it represented an upgrade in my case and it appears to be a solid value. I can always upgrade down the road if I want to take the experience to the next level. It's kinda hard to complain about a unit that gets you into the DVD-A/SACD ballgame for $170-$180. My only concern was reliability and it seems to be very reliable as well.

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