Speakers Came Today.... what CD Player, which cables, PS3 question...

[TheFactor]

Good buy on the 10awg cable. Bluejeans cable is the way to go....

Thanks I really like it , cant wait to hook it up this weekend

 

[jamie2112]

Lets get some pics up of the new cable when you're done with them. Are you making the connections or did you get terminated cables? Either way I am sure you are gonna be a happy camper....

 

[TheFactor]

Lets get some pics up of the new cable when you're done with them. Are you making the connections or did you get terminated cables? Either way I am sure you are gonna be a happy camper....

I got them terminated locking banana plugs and I'll try to get some pics up this weekend. I'll throw them up on the general disscussion forum in fear of hijacking this thread

 

[Soundman]

First of all, one can occasionally get a "respectable" CD player for next to nothing. I bought a Marantz CD player at a thrift store for $20, and it worked great, and looked almost new. I ended up selling it for a profit, because I had too much equipment.

Second, there is absolutely no way a high end CD player can be reliable enough to warrant the extra cost. An inexpensive player can last for several years. One that costs 5 times as much should last 5 times as long. But that is unlikely to be the case.

Third, by all means, buy according to the features you want. No one ever said that one should not.

Fourth, the Oppo players are not "high end" CD players. They are DVD players that happen to also play CDs, like pretty much all DVD players. And they are not even that expensive for DVD players (check out the higher end of the Denon line to get an idea of what a "high end" DVD player may cost). Certainly, if one wants something that can play DVDs, SACDs, DVD-Audio discs, or any of the other formats the Oppo players can handle, they can be a great choice. I recently bought the Oppo DV-983H player, and it is, by far, the best DVD player I have ever used. I unreservedly recommend it for someone wanting great DVD performance (if they can use its HDMI output). Indeed, its performance for every type of disc I have tried with it has been superb. But if all one wants to play are CDs, then it would be a waste of money, and would be more complicated and feature lacking than what a typical ≈$100 CD player could do. For about $100, one can get a new CD carousel 5 disc changer that will have every CD player feature that you will find on an Oppo, plus a few other CD player features you cannot commonly get on any DVD player.

To be blunt, if one is only wanting CD playback, all of the Oppo players would be bad choices, as they cost more than one needs to spend, and have a poor feature set for CD playback. But if one wants to also play other kinds of discs, such as SACD or DVD, then they become very attractive options, and which Oppo would be best will depend upon what, exactly, one will play on it and with what other equipment one will be using it (as well as one's budget).

In most of my systems, I have separate CD players, because they typically load faster, are easier to use, and are more feature intensive (for CD playback options) than multi-type disc players. They can also be had very cheaply. Of course, they are unnecessary if one already has something else that will play CDs (like a DVD player). In the case of the opening post of this thread, Panhandler801 said that he (or she) already has a PS3, which can play CDs. So there is no need for Panhandler801 to buy any CD player at all. However, if one is desired, there is no need to spend much money on it to get all of the features Panhandler801 is likely to want for CD playback.

Pyrrho,
I think you misinterpreted what I meant. I just meant that some items are priced higher because they are better products. This does not mean all high priced items are better. I think it is best to find a player that has all the features you need at an attractive price. I never said that Oppo players were high end. I used the brand as an example because they make great universal players at a very affordable price. Most "high end" products are not affordable, so the Oppo players are a great compromise of price/performance. Here is my quote in reference to the Oppu players:

"I think the best thing to do is find a player that does everything you need at a reasonale price. A good example is the Oppo players. They have about all the features you need and are sold at a reasonable price."

As for your comments about finding a good deal at the thrift store, well, good for you. I personally don't do my shopping in such places. Again, my comments on reliability come in here. I trust a good new unit with a warranty more then a thrift store item.

Your comments about the Oppo players not having a good feature set for CD playback confuse me.

all of the Oppo players would be bad choices, as they cost more than one needs to spend, and have a poor feature set for CD playback.

What features are you referring to?

Again, I hope I don't come off the wrong way. I just wanted to clarify and also see where you are coming from. I am honestly curious to know as I have considered purchasing an Oppo player myself.

 

[Pyrrho]

Pyrrho,
I think you misinterpreted what I meant. I just meant that some items are priced higher because they are better products. This does not mean all high priced items are better. I think it is best to find a player that has all the features you need at an attractive price. I never said that Oppo players were high end. I used the brand as an example because they make great universal players at a very affordable price. Most "high end" products are not affordable, so the Oppo players are a great compromise of price/performance. Here is my quote in reference to the Oppu players:

As for your comments about finding a good deal at the thrift store, well, good for you. I personally don't do my shopping in such places. Again, my comments on reliability come in here. I trust a good new unit with a warranty more then a thrift store item.

Your comments about the Oppo players not having a good feature set for CD playback confuse me. What features are you referring to?

Again, I hope I don't come off the wrong way. I just wanted to clarify and also see where you are coming from. I am honestly curious to know as I have considered purchasing an Oppo player myself.

The Oppo players do not have a good set of controls on the front panel, nor a very informative display, compared with typical dedicated CD players. Additionally, one can easily get a CD changer for less than any Oppo, which is a great feature to have. Furthermore, at least with my Oppo DV-983H, there does not appear to be any way at all to program CD tracks. And, of course, for CD playback, the remote is cluttered with useless buttons. So, from a feature standpoint for CD only, they are not very good.

Again, my point was that if all one wanted was something to play CDs, and nothing else, the Oppo DVD players would be poor choices. They cost too much (for CD playback), and are comparatively dreadful from a feature standpoint. Of course, they work as CD players, and if one wants to play other things (like DVDs), then they can be excellent choices, particularly if one does not have the space or money for an additional player.

This is not a slam against Oppo; Oppo markets their players as DVD players that play some other things, not as CD players that play some other things. They are more ideally suited for use as DVD players than as CD players.

If all one wanted was CD playback, here is something that would be better than any Oppo (though more money than I was originally talking about for a CD player):

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-DXC390-Disc-CD-Player/dp/B0000EZ1KK/

By "better", I do not mean that it will sound better. I mean that it will have better features and be less expensive. There is nothing wrong with the sound of an Oppo with CDs. But it is lacking for features and is too expensive to justify buying if all one wanted was to be able to play CDs. I bought mine primarily for DVD playback.


Now, if instead of a CD player, you want DVD playback, here is what I have to say about the Oppo DV-983H:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43346

In short, if you want what is possibly the best DVD playback you can get, buy this player. It is a great DVD player. And it plays CDs, too!

 

[Soundman]

The Oppo players do not have a good set of controls on the front panel, nor a very informative display, compared with typical dedicated CD players. Additionally, one can easily get a CD changer for less than any Oppo, which is a great feature to have. Furthermore, at least with my Oppo DV-983H, there does not appear to be any way at all to program CD tracks. And, of course, for CD playback, the remote is cluttered with useless buttons. So, from a feature standpoint for CD only, they are not very good.

Again, my point was that if all one wanted was something to play CDs, and nothing else, the Oppo DVD players would be poor choices. They cost too much (for CD playback), and are comparatively dreadful from a feature standpoint. Of course, they work as CD players, and if one wants to play other things (like DVDs), then they can be excellent choices, particularly if one does not have the space or money for an additional player.

This is not a slam against Oppo; Oppo markets their players as DVD players that play some other things, not as CD players that play some other things. They are more ideally suited for use as DVD players than as CD players.

If all one wanted was CD playback, here is something that would be better than any Oppo (though more money than I was originally talking about for a CD player):

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-DXC390-Disc-CD-Player/dp/B0000EZ1KK/

By "better", I do not mean that it will sound better. I mean that it will have better features and be less expensive. There is nothing wrong with the sound of an Oppo with CDs. But it is lacking for features and is too expensive to justify buying if all one wanted was to be able to play CDs. I bought mine primarily for DVD playback.


Now, if instead of a CD player, you want DVD playback, here is what I have to say about the Oppo DV-983H:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43346

In short, if you want what is possibly the best DVD playback you can get, buy this player. It is a great DVD player. And it plays CDs, too!

Hey Pyrrho,
Excellent point. Thanks for clarifying. So what if I was interested in a player for both CD and SACD playback? Are the Oppo players the best bet? Or are there some other options that would be better for this? DVD playback is not important to me since I already have that covered. I will also be purchasing a PS3 for movies anyway.

 

[Pyrrho]

Hey Pyrrho,
Excellent point. Thanks for clarifying. So what if I was interested in a player for both CD and SACD playback? Are the Oppo players the best bet? Or are there some other options that would be better for this? DVD playback is not important to me since I already have that covered. I will also be purchasing a PS3 for movies anyway.

Any of the Oppos would be good for SACD and CD playback. If you are going to use HDMI, the cheapest Oppo would be your best choice, because it can output DSD (and is the cheapest). Outputting DSD means it outputs the signal as it is on an SACD, which is a good idea, but, unfortunately for those who imagine it is a terrible thing to convert the signal to PCM, most receivers will do just that for processing the signal (e.g., bass management, etc.). So the reality is, for most people, it really won't make any difference whether the HDMI output is of DSD or converted to PCM, even if such conversion made an audible difference (which it probably doesn't, if done properly).

The analog audio outputs for the players are supposed to be, in order from best to worst, DV-983H, DV-980H, DV-981HD, though whether you will actually hear any difference or not is another matter. For just SACD and CD playback, and nothing else, I would go with the DV-980H. But for playing DVDs, it is the least good (and cheapest).

The Oppo players are easy to make region free, and the DV-983H and DV-981HD are great for upconverting PAL DVDs to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p @ 60 Hz (the DV-980H is less good for this, because it first converts the PAL to NTSC [which throws away lines of resolution] and then upconverts). [For my purposes, these matters were crucial to my decision, as I have quite a few PAL discs and quite a few non-Region 1 discs.]

Probably, the Oppo DV-983H is better for upconverting DVDs than the PS3 or any other Blu-Ray player. But I have not seen a proper comparison for this. However, I have never seen a review of any Blu-Ray player as an upconverter where proper testing was done where it was as good as the Oppo DV-983H; see:

http://hometheater.about.com/od/dvdproductreviews/ig/OPPO-DV-983H-HQV-Test-Results/

Warning: The following is a large page that may take some time to load:
http://69.64.68.156/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

Please note, the Oppo DV-983H beat out everything else they tested for DVD playback, including some Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players.

It should not be be too surprising for the Oppo DV-983H to be better as an upconverting DVD player than a Blu-Ray player, as the DV-983H is Oppo's "statement piece" on how DVD playback should be done, and the focus of a Blu-Ray player is playing Blu-Ray discs, not on upconverting DVDs. They do, however, usually do a good job of upconverting DVDs, probably due at least in part to the fact that the amount of data on a DVD is very little compared with Blu-Ray, so processing power should not be lacking.


There are other very reasonable options, though, for just SACD and CD playback. Here is one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Yamaha-DVD-C750-5-DISC-home-DVD-CD-Changer-PLAY-mp3_W0QQitemZ160242507235QQihZ006QQcategoryZ15077QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It is "C stock", rather than new, but it is a fine SACD changer, and is less expensive than any Oppo. It does not have an HDMI output, so one must use the multichannel analog output for SACD. It also happens to be easy to make region free, and can convert between PAL and NTSC. But like the Oppo DV-980H, when converting from PAL to NTSC, it throws away lines of resolution. It does not upconvert (though it is progressive scan). The loading is very, very slow, and the remote is not overly user friendly. The quality of DVD playback is inferior to the Oppo DV-983H, which should not be surprising to anyone. I happen to own one of these, and bought the Oppo for better DVD playback. It is a fine SACD player, and I would never replace it for that.

 

[Soundman]

Any of the Oppos would be good for SACD and CD playback. If you are going to use HDMI, the cheapest Oppo would be your best choice, because it can output DSD (and is the cheapest). Outputting DSD means it outputs the signal as it is on an SACD, which is a good idea, but, unfortunately for those who imagine it is a terrible thing to convert the signal to PCM, most receivers will do just that for processing the signal (e.g., bass management, etc.). So the reality is, for most people, it really won't make any difference whether the HDMI output is of DSD or converted to PCM, even if such conversion made an audible difference (which it probably doesn't, if done properly).

The analog audio outputs for the players are supposed to be, in order from best to worst, DV-983H, DV-980H, DV-981HD, though whether you will actually hear any difference or not is another matter. For just SACD and CD playback, and nothing else, I would go with the DV-980H. But for playing DVDs, it is the least good (and cheapest).

The Oppo players are easy to make region free, and the DV-983H and DV-981HD are great for upconverting PAL DVDs to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p @ 60 Hz (the DV-980H is less good for this, because it first converts the PAL to NTSC [which throws away lines of resolution] and then upconverts). [For my purposes, these matters were crucial to my decision, as I have quite a few PAL discs and quite a few non-Region 1 discs.]

Probably, the Oppo DV-983H is better for upconverting DVDs than the PS3 or any other Blu-Ray player. But I have not seen a proper comparison for this. However, I have never seen a review of any Blu-Ray player as an upconverter where proper testing was done where it was as good as the Oppo DV-983H; see:

http://hometheater.about.com/od/dvdproductreviews/ig/OPPO-DV-983H-HQV-Test-Results/

Warning: The following is a large page that may take some time to load:
http://69.64.68.156/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all

Please note, the Oppo DV-983H beat out everything else they tested for DVD playback, including some Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players.

It should not be be too surprising for the Oppo DV-983H to be better as an upconverting DVD player than a Blu-Ray player, as the DV-983H is Oppo's "statement piece" on how DVD playback should be done, and the focus of a Blu-Ray player is playing Blu-Ray discs, not on upconverting DVDs. They do, however, usually do a good job of upconverting DVDs, probably due at least in part to the fact that the amount of data on a DVD is very little compared with Blu-Ray, so processing power should not be lacking.


There are other very reasonable options, though, for just SACD and CD playback. Here is one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Yamaha-DVD-C750-5-DISC-home-DVD-CD-Changer-PLAY-mp3_W0QQitemZ160242507235QQihZ006QQcategoryZ15077QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It is "C stock", rather than new, but it is a fine SACD changer, and is less expensive than any Oppo. It does not have an HDMI output, so one must use the multichannel analog output for SACD. It also happens to be easy to make region free, and can convert between PAL and NTSC. But like the Oppo DV-980H, when converting from PAL to NTSC, it throws away lines of resolution. It does not upconvert (though it is progressive scan). The loading is very, very slow, and the remote is not overly user friendly. The quality of DVD playback is inferior to the Oppo DV-983H, which should not be surprising to anyone. I happen to own one of these, and bought the Oppo for better DVD playback. It is a fine SACD player, and I would never replace it for that.

Once again, Excellent info Pyrrho! After looking at the links you provided, I'm considering purchasing the 983. I took a look at the DVD player shootout.Here are the concluding comments concerning the PS3:

"Conclusions
It is a shame that Sony put so much work into the PlayStation 3 in some areas but not in DVD playback. The lack of a film mode for de-interlacing and no support for upscaling are rare in progressive scan DVD players these days. While I would still recommend it as a Blu-ray player, anyone considering adding the PS3 to their home theater rack should probably keep their standard DVD player as well."

It seems as though the 983 would be worth the purchase for DVD playback alone. My original goal was to purchase a player for CD and SACD playback, and using the PS3 for BR and DVD playback. It seems the 983 may be the best compromise.

 

[Soundman]

Dv-983h Anywhere?

BTW, if I do decide on the 983, where can it be purchased? it seems to be sold out.

 

[Pyrrho]

BTW, if I do decide on the 983, where can it be purchased? it seems to be sold out.

You need to get on their email mailing list to buy one here:

http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp

Getting on the list does not make you obligated to buy one, but there is not much point in being on the list if you are not going to buy one.

Evidently, they are selling them as fast as they can make them. After deciding to buy one, if I had waited until they were listed on their web site as "available", I would still be waiting. If my memory is correct, after getting on their waiting list, I was contacted about a week later. I cannot promise how long it will take you to be contacted once you are on the list, but Oppo seems to sell to those willing to be on their list first. It may be a while before they are just listed as available on their web site, as with videophiles with a substantial DVD collection who have some expensive equipment, $400 is not very much at all. I think anyone who has a very extensive DVD collection (that they plan on viewing again) and who has an expensive and good HDTV with an HDMI input should consider buying one of these.

These players are for people who want the very best DVD performance they can get, and do not mind paying a reasonable amount for it. You can get pretty good DVD performance for less, but this is a bargain price for what you are getting. If you wanted to buy a processor that had the same chips in it, you can get a DVDO unit that retails for about $2000, and then you will need to add an optional card for about $500 more. Then, of course, you would need to use a DVD player with it. All things considered, the Oppo DV-983H is a bargain for what you get. Still, you should not expect that your DVDs are going to look as good as Blu-Ray, because there is simply no way to magically add detail to a picture. And, of course, I believe that Oppo has a money back guarantee (minus shipping, of course) if you are not satisfied (check their web site when placing your order for details on that). But I doubt they get very many returns, given how good the player is. It plays everything very well, and I am very glad I decided to buy one. For me, $400 for a DVD player seemed like a lot, but I think it is worth every penny. Some of my DVDs are out of print, and will probably never be released on Blu-Ray. I want them to look as good as they can.

 

[Soundman]

You need to get on their email mailing list to buy one here:

http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp

Getting on the list does not make you obligated to buy one, but there is not much point in being on the list if you are not going to buy one.

Evidently, they are selling them as fast as they can make them. After deciding to buy one, if I had waited until they were listed on their web site as "available", I would still be waiting. If my memory is correct, after getting on their waiting list, I was contacted about a week later. I cannot promise how long it will take you to be contacted once you are on the list, but Oppo seems to sell to those willing to be on their list first. It may be a while before they are just listed as available on their web site, as with videophiles with a substantial DVD collection who have some expensive equipment, $400 is not very much at all. I think anyone who has a very extensive DVD collection (that they plan on viewing again) and who has an expensive and good HDTV with an HDMI input should consider buying one of these.

These players are for people who want the very best DVD performance they can get, and do not mind paying a reasonable amount for it. You can get pretty good DVD performance for less, but this is a bargain price for what you are getting. If you wanted to buy a processor that had the same chips in it, you can get a DVDO unit that retails for about $2000, and then you will need to add an optional card for about $500 more. Then, of course, you would need to use a DVD player with it. All things considered, the Oppo DV-983H is a bargain for what you get. Still, you should not expect that your DVDs are going to look as good as Blu-Ray, because there is simply no way to magically add detail to a picture. And, of course, I believe that Oppo has a money back guarantee (minus shipping, of course) if you are not satisfied (check their web site when placing your order for details on that). But I doubt they get very many returns, given how good the player is. It plays everything very well, and I am very glad I decided to buy one. For me, $400 for a DVD player seemed like a lot, but I think it is worth every penny. Some of my DVDs are out of print, and will probably never be released on Blu-Ray. I want them to look as good as they can.

Very good points made. I wouldn't call my DVD collection large by any means, and I'm not aware of any titles I have that are out of print. Honestly, most of my titles will probably be available on BR eventually. It just may take some time before that happens. I do want the best video performance possible, but again, maybe it's worth waiting for the BR release? The problem is waiting for the release when you have no idea how long that will be. Again, I haven't decided completely. I'll have to think about it. I will, however, be purchasing a player one way or another so I can take advantage of CD/SACD/DVD-A playback. We'll see, I suppose.