Yamaha DVD-S2500 Info

[markjx]

Yamaha says that the DVD-S2500 is shipping... ?

FYI:

Today, I used the phone number for Yamaha (1-800-292-2982) that troytn graciously provided. The person I talked to said that the DVD-S2500 is shipping. I expressed that I hadn't seen anything yet. She suggested that I talk to my distributor.

Personally, I've only been waiting a month or so, but maybe hope is on the way...

MarkJX

 

[Thwarter]

Yes, I talked to a Good Guys rep and they didn't have it in stock as of Friday. He didn't see it in the distribution channel either, but I didn't get the impression that he was looking that hard.

 

[troytn]

A sd25000 has been spotted!

Well I read over at www.avsforum.com that someone received a new sd2500 dvd player today! So they are shipping! I hope audioholics gets one soon for a full review.


Troy

 

[lifamily]

Yes, They are shipping. I received a call from my dealer advising me of its arrival.

 

[lifamily]

Received mine on Saturday 05/21. This is definitley one fine sounding player. Paired up with the RX-Z9, and you've got yourself a set up that is hard to beat in any price range.
The SACD and DVD-A via I-LINK is unbelievable. I was informed that the reason for its late arrival was due to the version upgrade to the HDMI. But who knows for sure..

If you have one on order, you will not be disappointed...

 

[CooLJ92]

Got mine yesterday 5/23 after the GoodGuys rep called me stating my merchendise was in. Originally the rep told me it would get in on 6/6. I ran (literally) to the store to pick it up. This is one awesome player. Just taking out of the box I noticed how heavy and sturdy it is. Quickly connected it to my RXV2400 and set it up thru the menu. At first you will have to get used to the menu interface, but once you get used to it it is fairly easy to navigate. I popped in the Chainsaw Massacare and clearly notice the quality of picture and sound it produces. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with the features it has. Haven't had a chance to set it up to listen to a SACD but will later on today. Only draw back is that the remote is kind of lame. Doesn't matter, because I will be using a universal remote soon.

The DVD S2500 also compliments my RXV 2400 very well. I don't recommend you place it on top of any receiver.

I'm hoping audioholics gets one so they may conduct a full review.

jj

 

[Thwarter]

Well, it finally came in to the local Good Guys. I got it for $650+tax and probably could have shaved another $20 or so off if I really was in the haggling mood.

The verdict is still out, but here's what I have learned so far.

The unit has good weight - doesn't "feel" cheap. Only the very basic controls on the face and you can't operate the menus without the remote.

Audio is very good, but I still need to tweek the speaker settings a bit to get the 6CH audio dialed in.

There are a lot of menu settings to play with.

Video looks OK, but I'm not a good judge as I'm watching it on my old Pioneer Elite Pro-97 RPTV which has seen better days.

Functionaly speaking, I'm dissapointed. The fast forward/reverse scan is shared with the chapter skip which I absolutely hate. If you want to scan, you have to hold the button down for a sec or two or you automatically jump to the next chapter. And then the scan is either 4x or 32x - no in between speeds. I haven't been able to get a smooth scan yet and it's either too slow or too fast.

Layer change is quick, but still noticeable.

And the remote codes don't appear to be standard. My receiver's (Yamaha RX-3000) remote couldn't use the standard Yam1 or Yam2 remote codes and I had to manually program each button. Not a major problem, but makes me wonder why it didn't just work since it's all Yamaha. I was hoping the << and >> buttons on the receiver's remote would give me FF/FR scans, but it doesn't as the codes don't work and there are no "scan only" buttons on the remote to copy from. So I'm stuck using the dual-mode |<< and >>| buttons.

And the main reason I got the player doesn't seem to work. I haven't been able to get any of my recordable media (DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3 CDRW) to play reliably yet. My "backup" DVD movies made to DVD-R sometimes play, but will start to skip and eventually lock up if you chapter advance. These discs play fine on my computer's DVD drives. I haven't tried DVD+R yet.

I also noticed a tiny electronic whine coming from the unit even when it is turned off, but you need to be close to the unit to hear. It may have just been capacitors getting their initial charge as it seems to have gone away now.

Please understand these are my first impressions and I'm still getting to know this unit. I may end up finding fixes for the problems I've run into so far (and I'll post if I do), but my initial reaction is one of disappointment. I've got 30 days to decide if I'll take it back. I just may do that and get a cheap universal player since this one is already not living up to my expectations, especially for $700.

Sure wasn't the experience I was hoping for after waiting six months for this thing. Maybe I was hoping for too much.

 

[zoran]

Well, it finally came in to the local Good Guys. I got it for $650+tax and probably could have shaved another $20 or so off if I really was in the haggling mood.

The verdict is still out, but here's what I have learned so far.

The unit has good weight - doesn't "feel" cheap. Only the very basic controls on the face and you can't operate the menus without the remote.

Audio is very good, but I still need to tweek the speaker settings a bit to get the 6CH audio dialed in.

There are a lot of menu settings to play with.

Video looks OK, but I'm not a good judge as I'm watching it on my old Pioneer Elite Pro-97 RPTV which has seen better days.

Functionaly speaking, I'm dissapointed. The fast forward/reverse scan is shared with the chapter skip which I absolutely hate. If you want to scan, you have to hold the button down for a sec or two or you automatically jump to the next chapter. And then the scan is either 4x or 32x - no in between speeds. I haven't been able to get a smooth scan yet and it's either too slow or too fast.

Layer change is quick, but still noticeable.

And the remote codes don't appear to be standard. My receiver's (Yamaha RX-3000) remote couldn't use the standard Yam1 or Yam2 remote codes and I had to manually program each button. Not a major problem, but makes me wonder why it didn't just work since it's all Yamaha. I was hoping the << and >> buttons on the receiver's remote would give me FF/FR scans, but it doesn't as the codes don't work and there are no "scan only" buttons on the remote to copy from. So I'm stuck using the dual-mode |<< and >>| buttons.

And the main reason I got the player doesn't seem to work. I haven't been able to get any of my recordable media (DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3 CDRW) to play reliably yet. My "backup" DVD movies made to DVD-R sometimes play, but will start to skip and eventually lock up if you chapter advance. These discs play fine on my computer's DVD drives. I haven't tried DVD+R yet.

I also noticed a tiny electronic whine coming from the unit even when it is turned off, but you need to be close to the unit to hear. It may have just been capacitors getting their initial charge as it seems to have gone away now.

Please understand these are my first impressions and I'm still getting to know this unit. I may end up finding fixes for the problems I've run into so far (and I'll post if I do), but my initial reaction is one of disappointment. I've got 30 days to decide if I'll take it back. I just may do that and get a cheap universal player since this one is already not living up to my expectations, especially for $700.

Sure wasn't the experience I was hoping for after waiting six months for this thing. Maybe I was hoping for too much.

Does any one know? if 2500 has same DCDI chip as in Oppo and Denons and have MB?

 

[Thwarter]

I returned it today.

I had one major and many minor issues with it and couldn't justify keeping it if I wasn't at least 90% happy with it.

I couldn't get DVD-R media to play without it wanting to skip. I tried four different types of DVD-R and all had problems. Sometimes they would read OK and then lock up or skip when I tried to scan. CDR seemed to play OK.

The scanning sucks. On DVDs it's either 4x or 32x so it's too slow or too fast.

Load times are very slow. And the eject button doesn't believe you half of the time.

<< and >> shares the same buttons with |<< and >>| which sucks if you want to scan but didn't hold the button long enough.

Sound quality was very good once I got the parameters set, which took a while. I couldn't give it a good video review as my RPTV needs calibration.

And the fact that Yamaha made me wait soooooooo long didn't help either.

I won't be surprised if others fall in love with this player, but it just wasn't meant to be for me. I'm glad I'm rid of it. Thank goodness for GoodGuys' 30 day money back guarantee!

 

[Howaraj1013]

I returned it today.

I had one major and many minor issues with it and couldn't justify keeping it if I wasn't at least 90% happy with it.

I couldn't get DVD-R media to play without it wanting to skip. I tried four different types of DVD-R and all had problems. Sometimes they would read OK and then lock up or skip when I tried to scan. CDR seemed to play OK.

The scanning sucks. On DVDs it's either 4x or 32x so it's too slow or too fast.

Load times are very slow. And the eject button doesn't believe you half of the time.

<< and >> shares the same buttons with |<< and >>| which sucks if you want to scan but didn't hold the button long enough.

Sound quality was very good once I got the parameters set, which took a while. I couldn't give it a good video review as my RPTV needs calibration.

And the fact that Yamaha made me wait soooooooo long didn't help either.

I won't be surprised if others fall in love with this player, but it just wasn't meant to be for me. I'm glad I'm rid of it. Thank goodness for GoodGuys' 30 day money back guarantee!

Which player are you looking at now?

 

[Aliixer]

Yamaha receiver=yes...........DVD=no

I purchase Yamaha receivers with out a question, however when it comes to DVD/ universal players I avoid them. I would love to have matching components but the playback of dvd-r, cd-r ect is just plain lousy. You can never get consistent playback. So I agree with the earlier poster, just avoid them. I buy denon dvd, they have never failed me with playback of any format.

 

[Mobius]

I purchase Yamaha receivers with out a question, however when it comes to DVD/ universal players I avoid them. I would love to have matching components but the playback of dvd-r, cd-r ect is just plain lousy. You can never get consistent playback. So I agree with the earlier poster, just avoid them. I buy denon dvd, they have never failed me with playback of any format.

I have never had any issues playing a dvd-r, dvd+r, cd-r etc... in my DVD- S2300. The only thing I don't like about the S2300 is there is no power button on the remote, the S2300MKII fixed that, & the layer change should be faster IMO.

I saw the S2500 for the first time today. The goodguys store had it out, the face plate is aready messed up due to careless shoppers, the unit was not even plugged in and it was sitting in a space next to a $44 JVC dvd player. I'd say that goodguys store was clueless. All I saw was Denon 3910s everywhere I looked which is no surprise because it's a fine player but they should have the S2500 at least hooked up to the Yamaha display instead of the S1500.

I have been waiting to see what this player can do for a long time and I can't wait to hear some reviews. It's a little sad to hear about Thwarters issues since the player took so long to come out. I was really hoping (and still am hoping) this player could give the 3910 a run for it's money. I am looking at this player to replace my S2300, I am hoping it can put out a better picture with the upconversion feature and I'm curious if they upgraded the sound or not, a $300 MSRP price drop and shedding 6-7LBS compared to the S2300(MKI & MKII) leaves me with some doubts (although the price drop is always a good thing).

 

[Jaycan]

I have been waiting to see what this player can do for a long time and I can't wait to hear some reviews. It's a little sad to hear about Thwarters issues since the player took so long to come out. I was really hoping (and still am hoping) this player could give the 3910 a run for it's money. I am looking at this player to replace my S2300, I am hoping it can put out a better picture with the upconversion feature and I'm curious if they upgraded the sound or not, a $300 MSRP price drop and shedding 6-7LBS compared to the S2300(MKI & MKII) leaves me with some doubts (although the price drop is always a good thing).

My sentiments, exactly. I was really anticipating hooking up the s2500 to the 4600. I really dont want to go away from Yamaha, and the next comparable single brand pairing -the Denon DVD3910+AVR4806 is a huge price premium over the Yamaha combo. I just dont think the price difference reflects an equivalent quality/performance step up. Now, if the 4806 had 2 DIGITAL VIDEO OUTputs that still would not justify the price increase IMO, but would certainly cause me to think harder.

 

[MR M.l.]

I previewed the 2500 at the same time as the rotel 1056. IMHO the rotel has a much cleaner sound by a longshot. The extra two to three hundred dollars is well worth it.

 

[Mobius]

I previewed the 2500 at the same time as the rotel 1056. IMHO the rotel has a much cleaner sound by a longshot. The extra two to three hundred dollars is well worth it.

MR M.I.

The 2500 model we are referring too is the brand new Yamaha Universal DVD player, model is DVD-S2500.

 

[Jaycan]

Any chance of the S2500 being reviewed on this site? With all the problems encountered by Thwarter, it would be interesting if those problems could be duplicated in a review.

 

[Thwarter]

Which player are you looking at now?

Sorry I didn't get back here for a while... Well, since I spend most of my home time in my computer room I've been watching movies on my computer. Since my RPTV is having convergence problems, I like the super clear picture on my 21" monitor. Plus I have the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speakers which are awesome.

It's kind of embarrasing to admit, but when I do watch movies on my big system, I'm using my XBox to watch DVD's for now. Sound is digital, so that's fine. Video ain't fantastic, but I won't worry about that until I replace my TV.

I'll probably wait a while and see how the Blu-ray/HD-DVD battle turns out. I used to always get the latest technology when it was available, but now I've got crap everywhere, half of which I don't use much anymore. These days I'm more concerned about saving money and will wait until I REALLY want/need something new. Gettin' older I guess...

I'm also waiting for the new TV's to come down in price and get a little more settled in before I dump another three to five thousand bucks on one. I may just wait until I get a new TV to decide on what my next DVD player will be.

And my good ol' Pioneer Elite DV-05 which I bought back around '96 still works fine and sounds great. But that's now in the bedroom.

 

[Buckle-meister]

Comments and query

Calling all S2500 owners!,

I have been waiting since Christmas '04/'05 for the S2500. Now that I finally have it, here are some comments of my own:

The fast forward/reverse scan is shared with the chapter skip which I absolutely hate.

I agree, but since using this function is rare, I can easily live with it.

Load times are very slow.

I agree. Again, I can live with this, but am surprised the unit takes so long to recognise CD's.

Any chance of the S2500 being reviewed on this site?

Now that would be nice.

Paired up with the RX-Z9...

If you are reading this lifamily, you are in the perfect position to help me as I also have the Z9. However, I would appreciate feedback from anybody on the following problem I am having:

I have Digital output set to All because the Z9 can decode multichannel audio, and PCM output to 96kHz since the Z9 can accept this signal format. I currently use a coaxial digital interconnect to link the two units.

The thing is; sometimes when I load a CD, the music comes out sounding like I am muting/unmuting every second or so repeatedly. It's definitely not skipping; the elapsed-time clock is running normally. And it's definitely not the Z9 as I was previousely using the digital out from my old CD player without this problem.

Has anybody else experianced this? I am reluctant to return the unit to the shop until I am sure it is not simply something that I am doing incorrectly, and even if I do, I have absolutely no problem in getting an identical replacement since I just love the sound, picture and aesthetics of the combined Z9/S2500.

Regards

 

[Aliixer]

I think you need to consider a denon 3910 universal player. I too would love having my RXZ9 paired with yamaha's player but I just can't live with all the complaints you guys have. Buy the denon and stick it in the cabinet. Use the yamaha remote and be done with it.

However if you still insist, give Yamaha a call and let them know your compaints. I have had many friends purchase the yamaha S2500 and have all returned it. I however influenced them to note.

One more thing, have you tried using the s400/firewire for your audio connection. let the Z9 do all the processing and see if that helps. I have it set up that way with my denon 3910 and its great.

PS I wish Yamaha comes out with a Z9 w/ hdmi......Z10 MAYBE

 

[Buckle-meister]

I think you need to consider a denon 3910 universal player.

Nah!, that would be far too easy.

I too would love having my RXZ9 paired with yamaha's player but I just can't live with all the complaints you guys have.

It is true that I have some issues, but honestly, for me they are small. If I can get this one problem ironed-out, which I think may actually be a fault with the unit, I'll be very happy with my purchase.

...have you tried using the s400/firewire for your audio connection. let the Z9 do all the processing and see if that helps.

The shop is getting the i-link interconnect in for me as we speak. However, my problem relates to CDs (DVD's work flawlessly). In this case, using the i-link shouldn't make any difference (remember, the Z9 is currently doing the processing since I'm using the S2500's digital-out), and if it did, then there would definitely be a fault with the unit.

The funny thing is; if I power up the S2500 and CDs work fine, then whilst the player remains on, any CD will be fine. It's only when I initially turn it on and a CDs music stops/starts that the problem persists with other CDs. If I turn the unit off, then on, sometimes the problem goes away.

Also (although I know I shouldn't be doing this), I've played a CD which stops/starts, and whilst playing, removed/replaced the coaxial interconnect from the players jack, and the music became ok! This leads me to believe that it may be something to do with PCM output set to 96kHz rather than 48kHz, but having changed that, it didn't consistently fix anything. Who knows?

Any other thoughts would be welcome.

Regards