[WillyP]

Who has experience with the Panasonic DP-UB9000 or DP-UB9004 UHD Blu ray player (the name may differ in various countries, but it is the same device), in combination with the SP3 processor and would like to tell me more about the different aspects: picture and audio quality with UHD, Blu ray and DVD?

What would be the best way to connect the Panasonic to the SP3: one or two HDMI cables or analogue 7.1 channel output? In theory, the Panasonic has the better DAC, but this is only one part of the complete audio chain that is responsible for the quality of the audio.

Thanks for your help.

WillyP

[Phil A]

I have one on order (probably have it in a couple of weeks - latest is that it will be shipped on May 27).  I know it has different settings for different types of displays (e.g. OLED).  I just upgraded the UHD TV from my 55 inch Sony to a 2020 model Samsung (80T) QLED 65 inch set.  The set came on Thursday and I still have the Oppo 203 hooked to it until the Panasonic comes and then the Oppo will go upstairs to a spare room with the Sony UHD TV where I'll need to run two (separate HDMI) cables as the old Marantz 6003 receiver up there doesn't have the later protocols.  The Panasonic can also play files like the Oppo (but not SACD discs) and has settings for files 192kHz and below where one can make it sound like different tubes.  I don't use the UHD system tons for audio (just a few times/year) but it should be fun to play with.  I only sit about 7 feet from the TV and the 65 inch set looks really good.  Up until last week I had a Teac UD-501 DAC and an iFi Tube Buffer in the system as I preferred that vs. just the Oppo 203.  Had a small fanless PC and a Curious USB cable but just over a month ago the PC bit the dust so knowing it was just a temporary thing I just hooked the Oppo to the Teac via a digital coax cable.  Prefer the simplicity of just a player given I don't use the system for audio all that much.

[WillyP]

Hi Phil,

Do you already have the Panasonic? If the answer is yes, would you like to share your experiences with us?

Kind regards,

WillyP

[Phil A]

Willy - Yes - have the Panasonic about a week and a half or so.  Have it in my main UHD system with a 65 inch Samsung 80T (just just about 7 feet away - pic below).  Have mainly watched movies on it.  Mainly Blu-Rays but have watched a couple of 4k movies as well as DVDs.  Very impressed video wise with the player (had an Oppo 203 along with a 55 inch Sony UHD which I moved upstairs to the bonus room).

I've played a couple of cuts from audio CDs and also very impressed with the Panasonic as a CD player.  I'm into file playback so that is something that wasn't tons of interest for me. It was just under double the price ($1k vs. $550) of the 203 but clearly to me is better.  I've played with file playback a drop as well.  Since it is not the main system, it probably won't see tons of use for high end audo.  But it plays them very well.  I have files on my Synology NAS in the office.  I tried a variety of files at different sampling frequencies.  Again very impressive.  I think it is a bit smoother (with more options) vs. the Oppo 203.  I have B&W P6s as mains (owned them since they were new in 1997) augmented by a Sumiko S.5 sub (Sumiko used to distribute Rel and it is a copy of a Rel T5, connected both for HT by the low level RCA connection and the high level Neutrik connected and set up using a one third octave RTA).

The room is 13x11 with a 10 foot ceiling.  I have acoustical treatments including home made stuff and a couple of GIK acoustics art panels.  When the house was built, I had in-ceiling surrounds put in which I am now using for Atmos speakers and I ran speaker wire along the sides for my B&W Leisure Monitor surrounds.  I have a Marantz 5010 for HT and a Sherbourn Pre-1 (with HT Bypass) as a preamp and a Mivera SE amp to drive the front speakers.

The Panasonic has settings (if one wants) to sound like 6 different output tubes.  They work via a button on the remote that toggles through them. I settled on number 3, which is described as a soft rich sound.  These setting only work for sampling frequencies up to 192kHz.  They also have 3 settings they call 'Remaster.'  I haven't tried them.  They are geared towards the genre of music and also work with sampling frequencies up to 192kHz.  One is for 'pop and rock,' one is for 'jazz' and one is for 'classical' and they work by increasing the high frequency portion of the audio.  I tried CD quality files, 24/96, 24/192, 24/88.2, 24/176.4, DSD and double DSD.  It will supposed do up to quad DSD but I haven't tried any of those (I don't have tons of them).  I have a few albums of 24/352 and they played in slow motion (the manual indicates it doesn't play them normally).  There is, however, a 'Night Surround' mode (toggled by the same button on the remote) that dumbs files about 192 to either 192kHz or 176.4kHz.  I haven't tried it as of yet.

When I first got the Panasonic, I searched the web for a bit to see if I could find evidence of an App to control the file playback.  I have things in folders on the NAS (e.g. jazz non-hi-rez, rock and pop hi-rez, jazz and blues hi-rez, etc.) located in my office.  The house was pre-wired (with my instructions on where to put things both low and high voltage and I ended up with 300 amp electrical service, including 50 amps for the main system) with Cat 6 and of course being a crazy audiophile (even though I may not use a system tons and donation are gladly excepted for my straight jacket - size extra large ) I have better than standard cheapo ethernet cables (for that system it is probably largely Blue Jeans Cat 6 since they aren't super expensive).  I have lots of music files (I'm guessing a bit more than 50,000 and the discs are in a closet and if I buy new things I'll do downloaded files if possible as the closet is fairly full, including about 600 DVDs - the only discs I have out in AV furniture are the Blu-Rays - I probably only buy about a dozen music discs/year at this point).  I couldn't find an App but I have downloaded 'DS Audio' which was made to work with my Synology NAS and I had it on my phone and iPads (I have a Hegel H190 Integrated/DAC/Streamer in another secondary system and I'm still playing with that at the Hegel doesn't do DSD, just up to 192, and has limited USB - for now using a small PC on its last legs using JRiver to dumb down sampling frequencies with a USB to SPDIF converter but have used DS Audio with the Hegel to play non-DSD) and yesterday was able to play the files with the iPad using the Synology DS Audio App (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-90MLAKd6g) and was happy with that.  When I pull up the DS Audio App, it will give me a choice of players connected to the Network.

They are supposed to start broadcasting 4k in my area sometime this year and if so I'll probably end up with one of these shortly thereafter - https://zapperbox.com/  I just do over-the-air and get Netflex and Amazon Prime over the high speed internet.  The Samsung comes with a ton (besides all the usual video streaming Apps) of internet TV channels they call Samsung TV.  I haven't thoroughly explored them (not a huge TV person) but at some point I'll take a closer look.

[mav52]

That's good news on the Pany player. Thank Phil.   FYI; That Pany is using the AK4493 dac chip.  The oppo 203 is using a AKM chip called the AK4458VN.

[WillyP]

Thanks, Phil, for your extensive review. You seem to be content with the Panasonic. No issues, or whatsoever?
Kind regards,

[Phil A]

Thanks, Phil, for your extensive review. You seem to be content with the Panasonic. No issues, or whatsoever?
Kind regards,

No - just a week and a half or so with it.  My only compaint (and not that I use the unit much for 2 channel audio) would have been the lack of an App to play music files.  Since I have so many files, it is just more cumbersome to scroll through the screen vs. using an App.  Now for those into physical media, the Panasonic does not play (from reading both reviews and the manual) SACDs or DVD-As.  So for that purpose those people might be disappointed.  I also don't think (with just my limited use) that it (the UB9000) remembers when you put a disc in the next day to resume from the point one has left off the way an Oppo does (sometimes when I haven't watched a disc in a bit the Oppo would start up from the ending movie credits).  So those are things to consider.  I actually at one point (and still might since they fetch decent money) sell the Oppo 203.  Rarely have used it for audio and own something like 10 UHD discs.  Having it with a 55 inch UHD TV vs. a 65 is a big deal.  At about 7 feet away the size feels similar to my 100 inch screen in the main system, where I set about 10.5 feet (give or take) from the screen.  I had the 203 with the new 65 inch TV for about 2 weeks until the Panasonic arrived.  It is just a better HT experience with the bigger screen size.  The weight of a 75 inch (would have loved to get one) was just about at the limit to what my shelf can handle.

[mav52]

No - just a week and a half or so with it.  My only compaint (and not that I use the unit much for 2 channel audio) would have been the lack of an App to play music files.  Since I have so many files, it is just more cumbersome to scroll through the screen vs. using an App.  Now for those into physical media, the Panasonic does not play (from reading both reviews and the manual) SACDs or DVD-As.  So for that purpose those people might be disappointed.  I also don't think (with just my limited use) that it (the UB9000) remembers when you put a disc in the next day to resume from the point one has left off the way an Oppo does (sometimes when I haven't watched a disc in a bit the Oppo would start up from the ending movie credits).  So those are things to consider.  I actually at one point (and still might since they fetch decent money) sell the Oppo 203.  Rarely have used it for audio and own something like 10 UHD discs.  Having it with a 55 inch UHD TV vs. a 65 is a big deal.  At about 7 feet away the size feels similar to my 100 inch screen in the main system, where I set about 10.5 feet (give or take) from the screen.  I had the 203 with the new 65 inch TV for about 2 weeks until the Panasonic arrived.  It is just a better HT experience with the bigger screen size.  The weight of a 75 inch (would have loved to get one) was just about at the limit to what my shelf can handle.

Well if you sell that 203 let me know.