Looking for a Universal DVD/CD/SACD for Xmas

[cjtalbot]

Hey,

Can anyone recommend a Universal DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-Audio Player that is similar to the Onkyo DV-SP502 with DTS 96/24 and ProLogic IIx....but is less than $300???

Thanks for any help,

Chris

[Woochifer]

The universal players that I've seen in the under $300 range all have some major drawback, whether it's limitations with the bass management, lack of channel delay adjustments, or converting the SACDs' DSD bitstream into a PCM format (which is what DVD-A uses). DTS 96/24 and DPLIIx are features that are normally found in receivers, and nowadays even lower tier receivers have that functionality. It's not something that you would normally see built into a DVD player, even a universal player.

The main reason why you see such a huge gap in price between universal players is because the entry level models from the likes of Pioneer, Toshiba, Samsung, and I believe that Onkyo that you mentioned as well, do not play the SACDs in their native format. In order to lower the price of the unit, those entry level models convert the SACD signal to PCM. It can still sound quite good (and depending on the quality of the disc, a huge improvement over the CD version), and give you great multichannel music playback, but it may not give you all of the purported advantages of SACD.

The higher tiered models do play back SACD and DVD-A in their native formats, but these players basically have two separate playback circuit paths under the hood. I've read that the complexity of this arrangement is why universal players often cost more than what a separate SACD and DVD-A player would cost. Denon has sort of found a middle ground by working with Burr-Brown to develop a digital-to-analog converter that has native support for both DSD and PCM. But, even their universal players start at $600.

[SSaull]

You can buy a Pioneer Elite DV-45A for around 350 at Tweeter, only because it is an older model. I paid $500 for mine, but that was a year and a half ago. It lists for 700. It plays everything well, and the video quality is excellent. That is probably the least expensive universal player that you will be happy with.

[cjtalbot]

Thanks guys, that info helped a ton.

[SSaull]

Thanks guys, that info helped a ton.

By the way, the Pioneer DV-45A is not their entry level model that the previous poster is referring to. The entry level Pioneer is the 578 AS, which usually sells for $129.

[cjtalbot]

By the way, the Pioneer DV-45A is not their entry level model that the previous poster is referring to. The entry level Pioneer is the 578 AS, which usually sells for $129.

Yeah, I noticed that as soon as I started running searches for the DV-45A. I haven't actually located a decent source for that component yet, (the Tweeter site only has the DV47AI listed at $899, and if this is a brick and mortar biz as well, I've never seen one around western NY).

But thanks again for the heads up on that.

Chris