Going Old-School ... Are all SACD / DVDa Players the same?

[bizmord]

Hi guys ... i hope to get some response, so please help out.

I have 2 players that both play SACDs .... I always felt like all of these SACD players sound somewhat the same. But now after upgrading/changing ... I think I hear a difference or maybe it's just my imagination???


I used to own Sony 222ES SACD player

Sony SCD-C222ES Multichannel SACD 5-disc changer at Crutchfield.com



and now I just bought a Denon 2910

Denon DVD-2910 (Black) Universal DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-Audio player with HDMI™ and DVI output at Crutchfield.com


Reason for change ... Denon plays SACDr and DVDa so I need this one.

Nothing in the set up really changed much. Same connection via Analog 5.1 cables, using my Denon 4311 AVR simply be an amp ... no processing.


So ... what I heard once I switched ....

I "think" ... again, I "think" ... that Sony may have emphasized a bit more on details of the sound. Denon sounds a bit warmer (less harsh) but less detailed as well.


Could it be that the laser in Denon 2910 is overused and thus shows signs? Also ... I thought I heard more hiss sound coming out of speakers when Denon 2910 was playing. Again .... maybe it's all in my head. Any thoughts???


very much appreciated.

 

[afterlife2]

You should try the older Oppo 980H($100-140 ebay). It plays both beautifully in nice detail.

 

[bizmord]

You should try the older Oppo 980H($100-140 ebay). It plays both beautifully in nice detail.

I can't ... that one would not play SACDr ....
only these would work

OPPO BDP-80
OPPO BDP-83
OPPO BDP-83SE
OPPO BDP-93
OPPO BDP-95
OPPO BDP-103
OPPO BDP-105

question ... will they sound better? Any experience comparing different SACD players?

thanks

 

[afterlife2]

No need the Oppo sounds fantastic. There was a Pioneer I forget the model that was highly regarded, but too much for me. The 980H does play SACD and DVD-A that's the reason I got it besides upscaling DVD Concerts/Movies. http://www.whathifi.com/oppo/dv-980h/review

 

[Adam]

To answer your question - yes, different players can absolutely sound different if you are using the analog connections. It's a function of the digital-to-analog conversion being done in the players, including any signal processing that is turned on.

You could try feeding the signal to your Denon via HDMI (the receiver can decode it, but I didn't check if your players can send it that way).

 

[bizmord]

Based on tech specs ... which one looks to be superior?

 

[j_garcia]

Old school would be vinyl or reel to reel Just get an Oppo and be done with it. The 980 is definitely a good older unit, but you can also find 83 and 83SE model for pretty good prices these days and the 83SE in particular has very nice DACs. I used to own the 222ES and it does sound quite good, but both of my Oppos easily outclassed it (83SE and 105). I had a Denon 2900 and it was very nice also, but I sold the 2900 and kept the 222ES.

 

[bizmord]

Old school would be vinyl or reel to reel Just get an Oppo and be done with it. The 980 is definitely a good older unit, but you can also find 83 and 83SE model for pretty good prices these days and the 83SE in particular has very nice DACs. I used to own the 222ES and it does sound quite good, but both of my Oppos easily outclassed it (83SE and 105). I had a Denon 2900 and it was very nice also, but I sold the 2900 and kept the 222ES.

great info. thanks

Regarding Oppo ... it is more expensive that what I paid for for Denon ($81.00)
Also, I had to pick one of about 20 players that play SACDr and DVDAr.
Oppo could work but like I said it's more expensive and to be honest, Denon Player on top of my Denon 4311 looks very cool. So unless there is a major sound difference to justify going from $81 to let's say $150 and up ... maybe doesn't make sense?

what do you think?

 

[j_garcia]

I think the 2910 and the 222ES are both solid players. I'd stick with them until you're ready to spend more because you're probably going to have to step up to the level of something like an Oppo to get a noticeable improvement on those. the 980 you could probably find in that range, but not the 83 or 83SE. Focus on getting the better DVD-As and SACDs for now, since their prices aren't going to come down, only up going forward.

 

[bizmord]

if I connect the SACD player via Analog as well as HDMI to Receiver ... how does this work? both send signal and it depends on what Input I select on AVR that will produce the sound? If that's the case then it will be very easy and fast to compare sound

 

[j_garcia]

The analog outs are usually independent of the HDMI on most players and yes they are separate inputs on the AVR so you can switch between them easily. Depends on whether the player or the receiver process better. For music, I usually listen via analog. For movies, fully room corrected via HDMI.