Marantz DV-9500 DVD Player Review

[Audioholics]

<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/uploads/MarantzDV9500.jpg"></A><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/MarantzDV-9500Reviewp1.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 51px" alt=[MarantzDV95001] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/MarantzDV95001_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>If you’re an audio/video enthusiast then you have probably had an eye out on all the universal players that have been hitting the market over the last couple of years. Although many companies have released various universal players with steady price drops, it's nice to know that there are still good high end products to fit the needs of the most discriminating AV enthusiasts.&nbsp; Marantz is one such company that has been in the high end industry since their inception in the 1950’s. The Marantz DV-9500 not only fits into the most premium of home theaters but also has features for those that are building a system one piece at a time.&nbsp; Even for the two-channel audiophile who isn’t sure about home theater, the DV-9500 has excellent stereo formats. Read the review to see what we thought of this flagship product.</FONT></P><P><FONT face=Arial size=2>[Read the Review]</FONT></P>

 

[Takeereasy]

That's a nice and thorough review. It seems like the sum is more than the whole of it's parts considering how poor the test results looked and how much the reviewer liked it. I do enjoy reading reviews of high end stuff, even if just to see how the other half lives.

 

[zipper]

Based on this review, it's a no-brainer.........................................the Denon 2910 grades out similarly for about 1/3 of the price.

 

[gene]

Zip there is more to a player than just the HQV benchmark tests or any benchmark tests for that matter. The build quality and internal parts for this player are in a different class than most cheaper players.

 

[zipper]

Well, two things about that Gene................................didn't the review on the 2910 say that it's internal parts & build quality were exceptional?

And if the Marantz is indeed "in a different class" & is 3X more expensive, then shouldn't it be superior to the cheaper Denon unit?


Unless I'm reading this incorrectly, they both scored the same as far as performance & value (4.5 & 4.0 stars respectively). Unless these are being compared strictly to others in the same class or price range I don't see how you would choose the Marantz over the Denon.

I'm not trying to be critical of the reviews or the reviewers, it's just that I happen to be in the market for a universal player & am trying to gather all the info I can. I mean, put yourself in my place for a moment .............I don't have any experience at all with universal players so I'm leaning on the reviews here to try to make a good decision on a unit to buy. If I can get good performance for 1/3 the price ($580 @ a local in this case) of another "good" performer why wouldn't I?

 

[gene]

Zip;

Unless these are being compared strictly to others in the same class or price range I don't see how you would choose the Marantz over the Denon.

Price factors into the scorecard as the ratings are not absolute but comparitive to products in their category.

I understand your concerns and yes the DVD-2910 is a phenominal player and value. I cannot comment on the differences of the two since I reviewed neither nor did i hear them in A/B comparision. If the 2910 does everything you need than save your $$$ and go for it!

 

[zipper]

Understood.................thank you for the clarification.

 

[davidmore]

Overall Place in the Pantheon

Hi All,

Just wondered where you would rate the Marantz DV-9500 when compared with the other better DVD Universal Players from Denon and other even more up market offerings in both terms of value and of absolute performance as seen and heard by the owner?

Cheers

David

 

[Audioholics]

Unfortunately the ratings are somewhat subjective - and while we're all pretty much on the same page, you will notive slight diffeences between reviews... So bottom line is you want to compare products within the same category and price range to each other.

A 5/5 score for a $500 DVD player does not mean it beats the performance of a 4.5/5 score on a $2000 DVD player. It's rated on a different scale - due to its value.

The real trouble brews when we discover a lower priced model that performs better than higher priced alternatives. It doesn't happen often, but watch that extra rating scale for a tip off that the product might be a good performer, but a tad overpriced - or alternatively, a great bargain.

That's why we have all the ratings based on value - but also include an actual value rating metric.

 

[TjMV3]

Nice job and thanks for the review.

It was very helpful to me.