Best value universal player right now?

[robman]

I want to replace my current universal player, a Panasonic DV-563A. I am unhappy with it because it often freezes or skips while playing slightly scratched DVDs. When I bought the Panasonic, it was the only budget universal player available; now I see that there are many more options. What would you recommend? I'd like to stay under $300, or as close to that range as possible.

The rest of my system consists a Denon AVR-1802 receiver, Axiom mains, center, and surrounds, and an Adire Rava subwoofer. I've been happy with the sound of the Panasonic, but then I never had anything to compare it with other than the ancient (c. 1991) Yamaha CD player that it replaced.

Thank you!

 

[Spiffyfast]

Denon 1910 and the Oppo Digital. There is also a panasonic that gets great reviews, cant think of the model number 577 maybe..?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-...ch&articles=all

That link was posted by Brian a few days ago, it is a review of pretty much every dvd player out there and how they perform in different situations. Whats funny is by the tests the Oppo (which sells for $200 www.oppodigital.com) was only bested by one dvd player the Denon 5910 a $3,500 dollar player. Now how accurate this info is can be debated, but it looks as though they went through a lot of trouble to complie it all. Warning though, it takes a while to load.

 

[supervij]

But the Oppo isn't a universal player, Spiffy. It plays DVD-A, but not SACD. And I think the Denon 1910 plays neither hi-res formats.

The Denon 2910 is a universal player, but the cheapest I saw it online was $569 US. I considered recommending you the player I bought -- the Pioneer DV-588A -- but the fact that it doesn't pass blacker than black information drives me nuts. Other than that, it's a pretty phenomenal player, which you can grab for $110 US.

I was looking for a universal player a few months ago, and in my neck of the woods, the only universal players I found under $300 US included the 588A, the Pioneer DV-578A, and the Samsung HD841. I picked the 588A for the lightning fast layer change.

There's also the Pioneer Elite DV-45A, which I saw for $305 US. People seem to like it, even though the benchmark guys gave it a low score. Also, there's the Samsung HD950, which still isn't on the benchmark, but can be had for $180 US.

Good luck with your decision!

cheers,
supervij

 

[dillweed]

Find a used Panasonic S97. Great picture through component + DVD-Audio

 

[robman]

Thanks for the advice! The Denon 1910 is not universal, but there is a new 1920, which is. It's currently selling for $350 at Crutchfield (the only place I could find it), but the price should fall as more vendors offer it. Here are the specs: http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/DVD1920.pdf

As far as I can tell, the main selling point of the 1920 is HDMI, which I can't use with my current equipment, so I think I'll spring for one of the Pioneers at one-third the price and keep the change.

Thanks again!

 

[Spiffyfast]

Sorry, the Oppo can only play dvd-a not SACD and I was thinking of the new Denon, i guess the old numbers are still stuck in my head

 

[LOUMFSG]

To answer the question, we need to know your usage profile

I want to replace my current universal player, a Panasonic DV-563A. I am unhappy with it because it often freezes or skips while playing slightly scratched DVDs. When I bought the Panasonic, it was the only budget universal player available; now I see that there are many more options. What would you recommend? I'd like to stay under $300, or as close to that range as possible.

The rest of my system consists a Denon AVR-1802 receiver, Axiom mains, center, and surrounds, and an Adire Rava subwoofer. I've been happy with the sound of the Panasonic, but then I never had anything to compare it with other than the ancient (c. 1991) Yamaha CD player that it replaced.

Thank you!

Robman - in order to recommend, we need to know what criteria is most important to you, since some players excel in video quality, but not audio quality. Others may have great SACD sound, but not as good in 2 ch stereo.

What are your viewing / listening habits? Are you more concerned with sound quality or picture quality? When you listen to music, is it mostly multichannel or stereo? Also, is a multi-disc changer important to you, or is single-disc fine?

 

[Bryce_H]

I got a pioneer 588A from onecall for $130. Love it, has good picture, sound, and a seamless transition. It is also in the recommended systems.

 

[robman]

What are your viewing / listening habits? Are you more concerned with sound quality or picture quality? When you listen to music, is it mostly multichannel or stereo? Also, is a multi-disc changer important to you, or is single-disc fine?

I use the player for everything: movies, DVD-A, SACD stereo and surround, and regular CDs (though these I usually play in the five-channel matrix because the room is large). Top-notch video quality is less important, because we're still using a 27" tube TV and are not likely to upgrade in the near future. A single-disc changer is just fine.

I went ahead and took the plunge this morning and ordered a Pioneer 588a. If that's a bad choice, please let me know ASAP!

 

[Johnny Canuck]

The new Yamaha DVD S657. I just bought one a week ago. Plays all formats, SACD and DVD A..24 bit coverter, great picture. I have auditioned the Pioneer 567a...this thing smokes it. I am replacing my Panasonic F85 with it now. I got it for $229 Canadian. It will be rewplacing the Yamaha DVD 1500 apparantly..at a fraction the cost.

Audioholics has to do some kind of story on it I think. Why hasn't the DVD S657 been mentioned anywhere here. Everyone should be getting one of these until they are ready for the format of the future to be announced. I want a Denon 3910 but I really can't see how ANY DVD player can be worth $1000 more than what I bought this Yammie for.

GET IT!!

JC

 

[robman]

I checked out the specs for the Yamaha. It looks quite nice (though given my primitive TV, not worth the cost and hassle of returning the already-shipped Pioneer). I do have a question about the Yamaha, though: What is the "Audio Direct" listed in the specs?

 

[Taifun]

I'm pretty sure "Audio direct" is a pure audio mode that turns off the video processing while listening to CDs/pure audio format.