Best sounding Redbook DVD player < $500.00 -- no mods.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #20 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 03:53 pm »

Quote from: avalon65

Dan

The specs on the 750 states it has "PlayXchange" which allows the turntable to move while the drawer is open. My 10 year old Yamaha CD changer has the PlayXchange feature and it works great. I can swap out four CDs while the fifth CD is still playing. I think Yamaha is the best at this.

All I can say is that I've seen mutiple comments stating that the 750 tray does not rotate when it is out.

Quote

However, I am concerned about 15-20 second delay in disk changing. I often put 5 CDs in and hit the random feature to play all disks to get 3-4 hours of shuffled music. There is very little if any delay with my CD ...

For some people this will be an issue, but not for me. I usually listen through a complete disk, then go to the next one. Rarely do I select random play, which is where I suspect a long delay would be most annoying.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #21 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 04:00 pm »

Quote from: albee

Last night I had no problems with the 5750 resetting itself. All my chosen defaults were in tact. It does have a rather irritating remote and the player is short of features one would expect, such as programming CD play.

I don't believe the 5750 is based on the same chipset as the C750/C6770 models, so I'm not sure if a functionality comparison between these models will be valid.

rmihai0 · « **Reply #22 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 04:37 pm »

For $500, no one can beat yet the Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player. And you can get it for $300 or under.

Trust me.

Oh, and I forgot to say that is playing SACD and DVD-A also.

If you can go up in the $1000 range, Rotel RDV-1060 will blow away anything under a grand. Its sound is just incredible for a DVD player.

Look here: http://www.rotel.com/reviews/pdfs/dvd/rdv1060-hifinews-oct03.pdf

Marbles · « **Reply #23 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 05:11 pm »

For just a little bit more $$$ you could get these Pioneer Elite DV 59AVi Universal units that sound VERY good and play about every format...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5788846068&category=64583&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5789514795&category=64583&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5789546032&category=64583&rd=1

JPodL · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 06:24 pm »

Quote from: avalon65

However, I am concerned about 15-20 second delay in disk changing. I often put 5 CDs in and hit the random feature to play all disks to get 3-4 hours of shuffled music. There is very little if any delay with my CD ...

I have the Yamaha C750 and it does have quite a long delay in changing disks. Other than that, I really like it. I have a very modest setup (the C750 along with GR-research AV 1s and a Marantz SR-6200), but it sounds quite good to me.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #25 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 06:38 pm »

Quote from: rmihai0

For $500, no one can beat yet the Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player. And you can get it for $300 or under.

Except that I've seen several people who compared it to the Yamaha say they Yamaha C750 sounded better than the 502 and the 802. I've also seen some who preferred the 802. Of course, that's strictly a personal preference issue. Onkyo and Yamaha do sound different.

rmihai0 · « **Reply #26 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 06:45 pm »

Sorry, from Yamaha gear I listened only the DVD 530, 550 and 540. None of them came even close to Onkyo.

albee · « **Reply #27 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 07:41 pm »

I'm starting to think either Marantz 4500 or Onkyo 502. I know from having a 63SE that Marantz can have a lively sound with plenty of PRAT. Can anyone compare the sound of the two?

rmihai0 · « **Reply #28 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 08:05 pm »

I compared the Onkyo with the following Marantz DVD-players.

Worst then Onkyo 502:
- Marantz DV 6200,
- DV 8300
- DV 6400

Better then onkyo 502:
- Marantz DVD 9500

Go figure.

albee · « **Reply #29 on:** 14 Jul 2005, 09:04 pm »

rmihai0: I'm sure this comment could cause some debate--I just spoke with a former local Marantz sales guy and "he" said that Denon has drug down the quality of Marantz since the acquisition. Hmmm.

wje · « **Reply #30 on:** 16 Jul 2005, 08:13 am »

Quote from: albee

I feel the urge to get a new DVD player. I just tried a Panasonic 29S ($69.95) and was shocked at how very, very close to my four year old $500.00 CD player it came. I think I could match the sound for $2-300.00. I lean towards Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo--any better ideas?

Albee, You are quite correct as the Panasonic has some surprisingly-good DACs. I realized this when I purchased the S97 a few months back. The Panny it replaced, was veiled in sound when it came to the sound when using the on-board DACs. I then moved to a Sony (non ES) player, and couldn't take the DACs. Brittle is a word I've heard them described as. I returned the Panny S97, because the video was overkill for my needs. But, it did get me lured back into 2-channel sound.

A few weeks back, I purchased the Onix XCD-88. Truly impressive for $299. Also, for my video duties, I opted for the Panasonic 29S. The Panasonic seems to mate well with my Pioneer Elite receiver when it comes to movies. Some of the clearest dialogue I've ever heard. But, that got me thinking again. I hooked up the analog cables to the 29S, pulled out the Grados and started to hold some more listening sessions. While the 29S is quite good, it is still not as refined sounding as the XCD-88. But, for 90% of the population, I'm sure the'd be quite content with the audio capabilities of the 29S. For me, I'll keep the XCD-88 and use it when I want to enjoy music.

Oh, I'm not dissing the 29S in any way. Actually, last evening, I stumbled across the black version of the "29" and picked it up. I'm going to return the silver version in favor of the better asthetics of the black player. For my video and surround sound needs, the "29" from Panasonic can't be touched - especially for its price of $69.

albee · « **Reply #31 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 04:15 am »

I've been trying an Onkyo 502 for the past five days with mixed results. This unit kicks out a lot of good, tight bass, good tuneful midrange, PRAT, but seems to soften up on the topend quite a bit when warmed up. More so than anyother units I've tried. Admittedly, I am using two SI's (one per side) and they have a tendancy to soften as they get warm--so, this slightly compounds my judgement. Although, the 502 seems to soften up the topend more than anything else I've used with them. Has this been anyone else's experience?

Btw, this seems to be a brand new unit--no repack or anything of that sort.

rmihai0 · « **Reply #32 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 01:26 pm »

You are perfectlly right about the highs. But remeber - this player is only $300. If you want better stuff you will have to spend more. As a DVD-player, I think, the Arcam stuff is the best that you can get for 2-channel audio. Try a DV78 or 79 and you will see.

albee · « **Reply #33 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 03:49 pm »

I'm at a loss here . . . a machine capable of playing dvd-a and sacd's should sound decent on redbook. I know that's not the general experience and it puzzles me. It would seem they dovetail so closely--obviously not. What gives?

albee · « **Reply #34 on:** 9 Aug 2005, 05:24 pm »

A fellow just can't get a free lunch!

I've tried the Onkyo 502 for almost two weeks and am returning it because of a disappointing Redbook playback. The 502 has PRAT, good bass, good midrange, but the topend is where is sounds slightly rolled off and homogenized. The $69.00 Panasonic sounded "good" but not critcally good--more like background good. The Yamaha had great tone and detail but absolutely no PRAT or jump. Listening to it was like looking at a painting. Looks like I need to take a break and just resign myself to spending about twice the bucks--silly since I don't really own a single DVD-A or SACD disk.

John Casler · « **Reply #35 on:** 9 Aug 2005, 06:05 pm »

Quote from: albee

Right now I'm trying the Yamaha 5750 (mass merchandiser model number) and really impressed with the picture quality. It has selectable upsampling and really sounds great on 4X when playing CD's. The problem is that I forgot the Yamaha sound: very refined, detailed, but lacking in PRAT! Whereas, my Newcastle CD player would have me toe-tapping and head-bobbing, the Yammie lays me back and washes over me with tone and detail. This may not cut it. I like to feel the music. I'll give it a good run in before hitting the returns counter.

Any suggestions for machines PRAT?

While I don't understand what PRAT is, you might want to consider staying with Sherwood NewCastle.

As a "SN dealer" I picked up the "new" SD860 unidisc DVD player for my personal system, and it is exceptional with a list price of $450 it does it all. Of course street prices are somewhat lower.

albee · « **Reply #36 on:** 9 Aug 2005, 08:11 pm »

I would consider SN but for the cosmetics. I'm not ready for silver, titanium, or gunmetal. I'm still into basic black.

How does the 903 sound to the 860?

PRAT = pace, rythm, and timing. that which makes you jump and dance.

albee · « **Reply #37 on:** 9 Aug 2005, 11:56 pm »

Well, this clears up the cognitive dissonance--my 502 is really a 588! For only a hundred bucks more . . .

"The SP-502 is a rebadged Pioneer player, but thankfully it does not fall into the category of duping its customer base. The 502 is a replica of the popular DV-588a, which is one of the best low priced universal players on the market today. The 502 does come in at a higher premium though. It is listed at $100 more then its Pioneer counterpart, but Onkyo has made improvements in the build and look of the player. Whether this is important to you or not is the question. Personally I liked the look of the Onkyo far more then the Pioneer and appreciated its spit and polish in comparison."

Scroll down to the second test.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=123#OnkyoDV-SP502%20Universal%20DVD%20Player

http://

John Casler · « **Reply #38 on:** 10 Aug 2005, 12:35 am »

Quote from: albee

I would consider SN but for the cosmetics. I'm not ready for silver, titanium, or gunmetal. I'm still into basic black.

How does the 903 sound to the 860?

PRAT = pace, rythm, and timing. that which makes you jump and dance.

What is the 903? Don't think I have heard it.

Danberg · « **Reply #39 on:** 10 Aug 2005, 12:53 am »

I'm considering a Music Hall 25.2. Never listened to Music hall units. The new 25.2 is supposed to be astonishingly good for around $500. Anyone heard one? How does it stack up to the others listed in this post? PRAT sound? Laid back? detailed, etc.?