REVIEW: Sony DVPS9000ES

[Deang]

I wrote this review last week and posted it on the Asylum.

AUDIO PHILOSOPHY:

I do not subscribe to the idea that just because something is 'great' to one person -- that it will be 'great' to all people. Audio is completely subjective in form. I have heard many a 'great' thing that did not involve me on an emotional level. There are simply too many variables to account for in order to make any real definitive statements about any piece of gear. We can talk about build quality, parts employed, and the wonderful design of the circuits -- but until we drop that piece of equipment into our system and into our room -- we really don't know the true value of the piece. It is true that each individual piece has it's own sonic signature, and it is good to know this -- but what we really want to know is this: how does that signature integrate with the whole. Simply put -- I believe in component matching, finding the proper balance between the parts in order to complete the "perfect" whole.

BACKROUND INFORMATION:

I believe most of us here are familiar with the wonderful 'homogenized' sound of the Sony decks of the 80's and 90's. I had one of the 3rd generation Laserdisc/CD players running with some Magnepan 1.5QR's and Luxman equipment in the middle 80's. It was all I could afford, and with some music it could sound quite satisfying. Most of time however, it left me aching for an upgrade. I have never cared for any of the Sony decks I have heard in the past -- even ES. I tried several times, but always found the Philips based machines to always sound more refined in my systems.

I gross $62,000 a year. I have 4 kids living with me, a huge mortgage, a car payment, and a wife who went part time to home school the kids because private school tuition was bankrupting us. I no longer have the luxury of disposable income. I have just completed upgrading my complete system, and this latest incarnation will have to do for some time to come. The only piece I had not upgraded was my Anthem CD-1 -- which I was still very happy with. To upgrade that piece would necessitate selling it off -- which I did not relish doing.

Everything I considered was beyond the price point I was comfortable moving to. Rega (jupiter), Arcam, Cary, etc. -- just too much money. I had spent $1700 on the Anthem back in '96 -- and that left my stomach upset for 2 days. Not because I didn't like it, but because when you have kids and a wife you love -- you know this money should probably go towards things to benefit them as well. My wife does not *****. She takes all this in stride. She thought I was nuts, but took it like a trooper. No, my problem is always with my own demons. So, how do I get better than the Anthem for around a $1000. I figured almost five years had past since I bought the Anthem, and that advances in this period of time might net me better sound for substantially less money. I decided it might not be possible -- but started lurking here at the Hi-Rez Highway.

I had pretty much decided I would give up a little quality on Redbook playback (regular CD) to get SACD into my system. I did not go with DVD-A primarily because I wanted a well built machine, and I did not believe anyone except Sony was building anything to a standard that I could appreciate. The Denon DVD/CD/DVD-A looks nice, and has a little heft -- but it's not like ES. I also didn't care for multi-channel, and didn't like the fold down or 'dumb down' concept for 2 channel.

My main issue with mult-channel is money. If I had the money I would love to go full blown multi-channel. However, given a choice between spending $2200 on one set of speakers -- or $2200 on 6 sets of speakers. Well, I think you see my point. The same goes with the processor. To get one that is made and sounds to a standard I can accept, would necessitate a 2nd mortgage. I did not need multi-channel playback capability, and therefore saw no point in paying for it.

Build quality aside -- I also felt that whether to go DVD-A or SACD was also going to be dependent on musical tastes. SACD is catering mostly to those who like Classical & Jazz. The bigger recording labels don't appear to be doing much of anything with SACD in the Rock/Pop area -- with the exception of Sony Music. Most SACD releases are coming from the smaller labels. DVD-Audio does have sufficient choices in the Classical & Jazz department -- but also has much more in the Pop/Rock area, and obviously appears to have more support from the bigger labels. In spite of this, I decided to give up some Rock/Pop choices in order to get the better built machine. Again, I also felt SACD was the better standard for two channel playback.

At any rate -- I believe both formats will survive, and don't see it so much as a format war, as two technologies that are slicing into different parts of the market. I see SACD becoming the de-facto standard for the high-end, and DVD-A catering more to those in the mass market -- who have grown comfortable with the term 'DVD'. IMHO.

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT:

I use the Cary AE-25 Super Amp with the oil filled caps upgrade, NOS East German Sieman EL-34's, Amperex 6922 PQ's in the driver stage, and GE 6CG7's as the current source.

The preamp is the Sonic Frontiers Line 1 with the stock Sovtek 6922's. Amperex Orange Globes are on the way -- but for this review, it's the Sovteks.

The Speakers are the Klipsch Reference RF7's. Like all my speakers I have ever owned -- they are two ways. The RF7 employs two anodized 10" drivers and a tractrix horn loaded titanium dome. The crossover is 2.2Khz. The sonic signature is not the same as the Klipsch Heritage or Legend speakers -- which I do not care for. I wanted the resolution of a Magnepan and the dynamics of a horn. The RF7 does both admirably. Certainly not as fast as the Maggies or the with the extreme dynamics of an exponential horn loaded system -- but enough of both to bring it to the middle, producing a very satisfying sonic experience. For more info, see the recent issue of Sound & Vision for a review. You can also see the review of the RB5 bookshelf here:

http://www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/loudspeakers/klipsch-rb5.html

This will at give you an idea of the sonic signature for the Klipsch Reference line. Included in the review are some nifty charts plotting both frequency response and impedance curves.

Klipsch LF-10 Subwoofer: Klipsch was plagued with production problems trying to get this thing out on the market. Many units were sent out that had air leaks around the amp plate or one of the passive radiators. This resulted in spyder slap and/or the amp overheating and shutting down. However, just as many were sent out that had no problems. I have one of those. It's not a Carver Sunfire -- but does well in my small room. I have just sold it and am waiting on a SVS 20-39PCi. For this review -- no sub was used.

REVIEW PART I: REDBOOK PLAYBACK

The more you spend the more you get. However, I also believe in the Law of Diminishing Returns. When I read that a $1200 unit does not sound as good as a $3000 unit -- I understand. When I also read that 'it comes close', I understand that it is usually much less than a stone's throw away. If I can get within 95% of the mark for half the money -- I'm elated.

I do not have a Redbook playback system employing the 'Hyper Extreme Super Power DAC' in line with the 'Maxibit Jitter Killer III' -- the only thing I have to compare the 9000es to is my Anthem CD-1 and my Marantz DV-7010 DVD combo player ($799).

The Anthem had detail in spades. Nice shimmer on the upper treble and a good full-bodied bass. The unit was not well received by The Absolute Sound when it was reviewed. They felt it had too much bass, poor rhythm, and was too laid back. I on the other hand -- always felt it totally rocked. It didn't have the 'haze' I heard on the many other players I listened too, and it really did a good job of taking off the digital edge. It worked well with my all solid-state gear, creating a good soundstage with some decent depth and warmth. There was always a little space between the instruments, and the background was reasonably dark. The only complaint I ever had was with the Sony changer it employed -- which always sounded like it was loading torpedoes.

I did not want to sell this unit. Before I made the decision to sell it -- I spent almost a week comparing the Redbook playback to my much newer Marantz. The Marantz had a little touch of that 'haze' or 'filmy' quality, but it really had a nice extended top end with very little splash. The bass was extremely tight as compared to the Anthem, and it certainly had a bit of that toe tapping quality. The downside was that I didn't feel it put any space between the instruments. It was certainly open sounding, but it just didn't produce that quality of putting things in their place. The music was just...there. I even caught myself trying to move my chair back a little -- like I needed to give it some room to do it's thing. I knew that part of this experiment involved my ears adjusting to the sound. It did get better towards the end of the week -- and I decided that it was certainly much better than units I had heard previously between the $300 - $500 price points.

In this shoot off the Anthem won -- but not by leaps and bounds. They just did things differently. The only thing that really bothered me about the Marantz was the digital haze. There wasn't much, but it was there nonetheless -- always calling attention to itself. However, it was SACD I was after, and I reasoned that with the kind of music I listen to -- I could live with it if need be. If you are wondering why I was so concerned about the Redbook capability of the Marantz -- it is because I was simply expecting the Sony to sound horrid, and I wanted a fallback position.

UPS arrived at my doorstep with the unit yesterday. The unit came double boxed from J&R Music World for $929 shipped. It was cold and rainy yesterday here in Ohio -- and when I opened the boxes, the Sony was very cold to the touch. I decided to let her sit for about a 1/2 hour so that any moisture accumulating because of the temperature change would have time to evaporate.

I waited 2 minutes, unwrapped it, picked it up, grunted, put it in the rack, grunted again, ran my wires, and fired her up. I waited a few minutes, just admiring it. It's really a gorgeous piece of equipment.

I had heard about the lack of ergonomics with the buttons on the front panel. I guess some have trouble with them. It took me about 10 seconds to figure them out. The buttons are great. What else can I say? Very nifty little soft touch devices. For those that have difficulty with them, I can only think they have never used an old fashioned cassette deck. The buttons are set up quite similiarly.

I pushed the button for the drawer. It slid out, smooth as a baby's butt. It wasn't plastic. It was aluminum. It was quiet. It was cool. I reached out and took hold of the tray. I moved it around a little. Sure, a little play. Actually less than my Anthem had. A little play does not mean loose. A little play is a good thing. The last thing I want is the drawer hosing up with age, if a little dust accumulates in the mechanism, or if the lubricant runs dry.

I started with Fuel's first release. It's a good Redbook recording. I pushed the button again (right there), the drawer pulled back in. Again, very quiet compared to what I am used to. I am already mentally preparing myself and bracing for disappointment. It is after all -- a Sony. I head to my chair thinking, "as long as it sounds as least as good as the Marantz -- it'll be O.K.

I pick up the remotes for both my SF Line 1 and 9000es. I sit. I press play. Nothing happens. I stare at my remote like a well-trained audiophile. I am an expert -- just ask my wife. The Sony is a lemon. What a POS. My non-audiophile wife asks me if I put batteries in the remote. I yell "yes" and start looking for the batteries. I put them in the remote and sit back in my chair. I hit play.

Music.

Pretty good sounding music.

Not as warm as the Anthem.

But not sterile either -- not by a long shot.

It's a rich, 'all there' kind of sound, but a little on the 'cool' side of neutral -- just as I had read in another review. I should mention here that I have what I refer to as 'sissy' ears. I like clarity -- but not the associated 'brightness' that sometimes comes with it. I need to state here, that in my system -- the Sony is not 'bright'. There is clarity without 'edge' or undue forwardness. This is not what I expected.

I then become aware that there is no 'haze' or 'filmy' quality. The sound is simply clear and actually better than the Anthem in this regard. I am really surprised by this and my hopes begin to climb.

In spite of being so clean, the treble is a little splashy on top. Maybe a touch more than the Marantz. The Sony does not have the nice shimmer on the cymbals like the Anthem did. The bass is a little lean also. Tight as hell -- but not room filling like the Anthem. More definition in the bass than both the Anthem and the Marantz. I could hear individual notes much better. At this point, I begin to relax a little. I pick up the remote to the SF (preamp) and decide to listen to the rest of the opening cut, and then I will put the juice to 'Jesus or Gun'.

The song ends and I skip to the song 'Jesus or Gun'. This is a great grind it out kind of song with good drumming and wailing guitars. I decide to dump everything the little triode amp can muster into this song -- the entire massive 15 watts worth.

I'm buying another SPL meter tonight. I lent my old one out and it was never returned and eventually lost. I do not know what I get at the listening position with 15 tube watts. The RF7's are rated at 102db/w -- but The Sound and Vision Review put it closer to 100db/w. Nevertheless, the output is substantial.

The song breaks loose and I'm immediately blown away by the smoothness and definition. Folks, this machine's forte lies in the midrange. It is so smooth from top to bottom and completely free of any grain whatsoever. If it were there, the RF7's would find it. One of the downsides of the horn is it's propensity for pushing all the $hit up along with all that wonderful low level detail. There is no $hit . None.

I move on to all my favorites. Stone Temple Pilots (Core), Some very old Judas Priest (Sad Wings of Destiny), Pink Floyd (Momentary Lapse of Reason), Moody Blues, Metallica (Black), Black Sabbath (Double Live), Asia's first, and a few others I can't remember right now. Each time it was the same clear, smooth top to bottom sound, with no discernable grain or film. Always a little forward, but with no edge. Just effortless sound.

BREAK IN

My feeling on breaking in a component is like buying and breaking in a new pair of shoes. You put them on your feet and they either fit or they don't. Sometimes they fit -- but are a little too tight. You buy them thinking they will break in and fit better. However, they never really do. They stretch some, but they never feel quite right. They end up sitting in the bottom of your closet. The shoe that fits best is the one that fits best right away.

I believe equipment is the same way. You buy something and put it in your system. It doesnt sound quite right. You wait, hoping it will break in and begin to bloom. The sound improves -- but it never sounds 'right'. You then sit around waiting for it to completely break in. After a few months you realize you bought the wrong 'shoes'. Each piece has a basic sonic signature that it maintains even after it is broken in. Some of the rough edges may come off -- but never to the extent that the entire signature changes. If a unit doesn't basically sound 'right' in your system when you drop it in -- don't expect the miraculous. This is just my opinion on the matter, and I am sure many here will disagree.

AFTER-THOUGHTS

This machine integrated into my system well. I'm extremely happy. I expected anything but this. I think if you are using a tube-based system -- than this machine is probably a good choice. If you are using a solid state based system with speakers tending on the warmer side -- than this machine is probably a good choice for you too. However, if you are running all solid state, with speakers that run to the cooler side -- I think a careful audition is in order. I'm not so sure I would have liked this machine running with the Bryston 3b-st/bp-20 combo I had in my system last month. I think it would have been too much of a good thing.

I would like a little more bloom from this machine, and I wish the bass had more weight. The very top end, like I said is a little splashy and not as transparent as it could be. The overall sound however is outstanding and I believe on a scale from 1 to 10 I would rate this machine an 8 for its resolving power ability and smoothness. I feel no real need to mod this machine, or to run it with external digital devices -- I actually like it just the way it is.

I was fully prepared to send this machine back to J&R. It's not going anywhere. Going from the CD-1 to this machine was a substantial upgrade. At the original list price of $1500 this unit would be a winner. At the current list price of $1200 it's even better. At $929 shipped, it's a no brainer -- a complete steal, and this is my feeling on just its Rebook playback capability! With the right ancillary equipment -- very highly recommended.

SACD Playback

This is the 2nd part of a two part review of the Sony DVPS900ES. Part 1 dealt with general impressions and Redbook playback. The primary reason for the review being broken into two parts was because the SACD's from Elusive Disc had not yet arrived -- and I wanted to write my impressions regarding Redbook playback while they were still fresh in my mind.

SONY DVPS9000ES AND SUPER AUDIO COMPACT DISC

The only reason not to go with SACD is because it is very difficult to pronounce. It just doesn't come off the tongue very well. I was telling my Dad about SACD and he says, "What are they called again?" I say, "SAC-D." "SAC what?" he asks again. "Saaaac-Deeee". I'm sure at this point he thinks I have a speech impediment -- so I spell it out for him, "It stands for Super Audio Compact Disc, and it sure is different."

Different it is -- and I will endeavor to describe it the best I can.

My SACD's from Elusive Disc arrived on time yesterday on a beautiful Ohio afternoon. I pulled into my driveway and saw the ubiquitous FedEx box sitting on my porch like an abandoned orphan. Since I had to immediately take my son to soccer practice, I could only grab the box and go. I figured I could at least drool over the contents while I sat in the car watching him kick the ball around.

While I was driving I said, "Hey Ethan, why don't you rip that thing open and let's see what we got in there." Ethan is 11, and watching him pull on the strip-tab was as bad as watching a 90-year-old woman trying to start a lawnmower. He finally manages to get it open, and the first thing that happens is all the Styrofoam peanuts begin floating out of the box, and flying out the windows. I felt bad, and wondered what expletives the folks behind me were engaging in as all the peanuts twirled in a trail behind my car. So, with most of the peanuts now inhabiting various yards in the neighborhood -- the SACD's come tumbling out.

The Byrd's Greatest Hits: I bought this for one reason. I used to own the Redbook version. It was completely unlistenable. Awful. Just awful. It was so bad, I had it 2 days and gave it away.

Alice in Chain's Greatest Hits: I was looking forward to this one. Their first recorded CD was great -- but fairly grainy sounding.

Santana Abraxas: I'm a huge fan of Greg Rolle.

Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow: I only like about 1/2 of this thing, but I was VERY familiar with the early vinyl version, and also own the Redbook version.

Roger Waters - In the Flesh: Just because I hadn't heard it yet, and figured it would be the one to best represent what SACD could offer at its best.

We pull into the parking lot and Ethan jumps out of the car for soccer practice. I jump for the discs. The packaging is nice -- each disc has a sleeve that fits over the jewel case. I wondered if it was really necessary, and how much extra the additional packaging contributed to the total cost of the disc. I guess someone felt the need to make me feel like I was holding something 'special'.

We get back home and I immediately go upstairs. The system is already warm, as I had left everything on from the night before -- with the exception of putting the SF Line 1 and AE-25 in 'standby'. The Super Amp is throwing off waves of heat, and so I load the first disc. The Sony promptly gobbles up 'The Byrds'.

THE BYRD'S GREATEST HITS

It's listenable. Pretty darn good considering the age of the original recording. Definitely better than the Redbook version. It is however, obviously a remix, and I realize that it is going to take a while before I can know for sure what to attribute to SACD, and what to attribute to the recording. The first thing I do is turn down the volume. I then forward to 'Eight Miles High' -- which I've heard at least a 100 times on vinyl. Not because I love it so much, but because that's how many times I had to listen to it to learn my guitar part for our once upon time wannabe Rock band.

At the lower SPL on this recording, it is very easy to tell what SACD is doing. The imaging is much better than Redbook, and I can tell the instruments are spread out from each other a little more. There really is more distance between them, and there is also a little bit of ambiance. On the whole, light years ahead of the Redbook version, and I remember thinking that it sounded much like I had expected the Redbook version to sound when I first bought it -- until I played it and had my ears assaulted. The tone of the guitars seems right on -- and I think this is important.

Though SACD rendered the tones correctly, the remix has the guitars too up front, and the drum kit sounds like someone pushed it off the stage. It's a very midrangey sounding remix, but it's also very clean and open without any congestion. In spite of the forward midrange, it's not making me want to curl into the fetal position.

JEFF BECK - BLOW BY BLOW

I don't like fusion all that much with the funky offbeats and the band sounding like they are all on a different piece of sheet music. However, much of what is on this recording is pretty cool. I'm sitting back listening to it, and am impressed with drum work that has great transient attack. It is sharp, but at the same time, has a softness to the leading edge of the transients. Again, I notice the acoustical space expanded and more space between the instruments. This space adds to the illusion of having each instrument alone, occupying it's own space. Good Redbook does this too -- but not like this. Another old recording vastly improved.

I had just recently, within the last month, listened to this same recording on vinyl at a friends house. He has a Rotel turntable, which is about 6 years old, with an Ortofon MM cartridge. Nothing fancy here. However, this record, on his Klipsch RC7's (identical to the RF7's I have, with the exception of having two 8's instead of two 10's, and a smaller enclosure), and two Boston PV1000 subs -- in spite of filling the room up, sounded fairly flat and very strident. I realize this is probably not the fairest of comparisons, considering he is using old Adcom 555's and a modest vinyl rig. However, now, instead of attributing the differences in our systems to being a matter of levels of refinement -- mine now sounds like it just underwent a major speaker upgrade. The difference is that dramatic.

I can easily see vinyl sounding better than SACD, but it would take a considerable investment. Mark's Rotel/Ortofon rig did a somewhat better job I think, of pushing the music from this recording out into his room, than the same recording in SACD in my room. However, I also think the SACD rendering of 'Blow by Blow' on my system, in my room sounds much more realistic. The SACD recording of 'Blow by Blow' is superior to the Redbook version, and the vinyl version played on a modest rig ($800), in a system using old Adcoms.

I might add here that the real limitation of these old recordings is the source itself, and even with a good vinyl rig -- you are more times than not, stuck with the old vinyl releases. It is more than possible for SACD to always sound better than the best vinyl rigs on these older recordings simply because the new rendering is so clean and uncompressed. Just something to consider.

ALICE IN CHAINS' GREATEST HITS

This disc is cool because the first song was recorded in 1990 and the last song was recorded in 1996. It's sort of like a mini time line of digital recording. The debut CD for these guys was great, but grainy as hell. The grain is all but gone on the early songs and towards the end it starts sounding mighty good. Again, an improvement over the original Redbook release.

Roger Waters' - IN THE FLESH

This one is the bomb. An absolutely outstanding and jaw dropping experience. I have nothing in Redbook that even comes close. Maybe Fleetwood Mac's 'The Dance', which sounds pretty damn good. This SACD however, pushed voices out to my chair. It is so incredibly smooth sounding that by the time I got to 'Comfortably Numb', I was pushing the volume to a level I would never have attempted with any Redbook recording in my possession. I kept waiting for the little triode amp to go up in flames, and every time I looked over, it was blowing me kisses.

I will certainly buy some of my old favorites, if and when they are re-released. However, what I am really looking forward too is new releases of my favorite type of music on this medium.

I would characterize SACD as extremely smooth and transparent. Dynamic, yet not sharp to the point of excess. There is a 'softness' to the leading edge of transients that stayed consistent throughout my listening regardless of recording (whether this is a characteristic of the Sony or SACD I cannot know for sure). SACD also does a great job of rendering instruments in their proper tone and acoustic space. It has a realistic quality to it, spilling out the naked truth more so than ever before. The Sony? It did A.O.K. It did its job. It drew me into the music, and let the music extend out to me when the program material allowed. It maintained much the same sonic signature it had with Redbook and this was much to my liking.

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Dean

Cary AE-25SuperAmp,- Sonic Frontiers Line 1 - Sony DVP-S9000ES - Klipsch RF7's -

SVS 20-39 CS Plus - Samson S1000 - HSU Research electronic crossover - MIT/Monsters

Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out-- 2nd Law of Blissful Ignorance

This message has been edited by deang on 05-30-2002 at 11:53 PM

[edster00]

Thanks deang, nice review (sorry if I was a pest)!

[zandern]

Wow, that was long. Good thing I don't buy sony or I would have to take the time to read the whole thing.

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I like my bass like I like my women, deep and tight.

[Deang]

I do not believe Sony made the 9000es

I believe it was made by Elves living in the Black Forest

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Deanf>s>

Cary AE-25f>s>SuperAmp,f>s>- Sonic Frontiers Line 1 - Sony DVP-S9000ES - Klipsch RF7's -

SVS 20-39 CS Plus - Samson S1000 - HSU Research electronic crossover - MIT/Monsters

f>s>

Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get outf>c>s>-- 2nd Law of Blissful Ignorancef>s>c>

[T2K]

I agree with your 'Audio-Philosphy' Dean.

Keith

[bigdnfay]

deang,

nice review. i really liked the peanut story. lol

[edster00]

So...does anyone here use the Sony DVP-S9000ES for playing DVDs?? I am considering this unit for dual use in my basement 2 channel + 5.1 channel HT rig?

TIA

[ShapeShifter]

Enjoyed reading your review. Extensive, detailed experiences and good humor too.

Wes

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"KLIPSCH IS MUSIC"f>

[Deang]

I do. After all, it is a DVD player

It puts out a great picture.

Reviews are usually centered around its sound capability simply because that is what folks are usually most concerned with.

The unit was actually engineered by Sony's Video Team as opposed to the 777es, which was engineered by the Audio Team. I think the in-house audio engineers could learn a thing or two from those video engineers -- the unit sounds really great.

You do realize that it is a two-channel only unit?

------------------

Deanf>s>

Cary AE-25f>s>SuperAmpf>s> - Sonic Frontiers Line 1 - Sony DVP-S9000ES - Klipsch RF7's

SVS 20-39 CS Plus - Samson S1000 - HSU Research elec. crossover - MIT/Monsters

f>s>

Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get outf>c>s>-- 2nd Law of Blissful Ignorancef>s>c>

[edster00]

deang,

I guess I just thought you were using it for music only because of your sig.

Yea, I am aware it is 2 channel, that is all I am really looking for at present, or 3 channel with the Khorns and a center Belle.

How do you have the Sony hooked up? Video out to the TV and 2 channel out to the Line 1? Do you have a HDTV and what video out method are you using (component out?)? Sorry for so many questions.

Thanks!

[emc]

I have also purchased the 9000ES. I'm happy with the audio capabilities, and the video is extremely nice, particularly when running through the stereo system to flesh out the audio on the DVDs.

[Deang]

Ed said How do you have the Sony hooked up? Video out to the TV and 2 channel out to the Line 1? Do you have a HDTV and what video out method are you using (component out?)? Sorry for so many questions.

Yes, I have the Sony going straight into the preamp. I leave the S-video cord plugged into the back of the Sony, and when I want to watch a movie, I roll the TV in front of my rack and plug the other end of the S-video cable into the TV. When I done, I roll the TV back out of the way for music.

I don't have HDTV. All my money goes into 2-channel. Maybe someday.

At any rate, I'm not totally sure -- but I think HDTV requires that the component outs be used.

I'm pretty excited right now about another product I fell into. I bought the HSU electronic crossover with the really nice parts so I could get the cleanest signal possible on my high pass using my sub. What a great product. It's the first time I have ever used a high pass without noticing some signal degradation.

------------------

Deanf>s>

Cary AE-25f>s>SuperAmpf>s> - Sonic Frontiers Line 1 - Sony DVP-S9000ES - Klipsch RF7's

SVS 20-39 CS Plus - Samson S1000 - HSU Research elec. crossover - MIT/Monsters

f>s>

Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get outf>c>s>-- 2nd Law of Blissful Ignorancef>s>c>

This message has been edited by deang on 05-07-2002 at 08:51 PM

[edster00]

Thanks deang,

My TV is going to be mounted above a Belle (it will look like it is sitting on it) so I can just leave it hooked up w/component outs. Now I just need to figure out how to get a derived center out of my preamp!

Sounds like that HSU crossover is pretty cool!

[Audible Nectar]

Ed, go here:

Belle Center thread

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First we Rock, then we Roll!

A Beast is Lurking.........To be unleashed May 2002

*** Alpha Testing Complete ***