DVD Player reccomendations

[Pyrenees]

From what I have read, the Denon 2900 looks pretty good..due out in May.

[kjohnsonhp]

Denon 2900 does look good...$995 list. I wonder how cheap on-line this summer?

[shoe11]

I put in an order for the Denon 2900 this past weekend. Now that I've placed the deposit I'm having second thoughts on the whole SACD/DVD-A deal. The following have me thinking of canceling the order:

1. The lack of a digital interface at this time. I don't really like the idea of having to buy/use a ton of extra cables and then a year or two from now, a digital standard becomes available.

2. Even with a few great additions recently announced, very small catalogs of available software and fairly expensive.

3. Multi-channel I find to be rather gimmicky. Just a personal opinion of course.

4. Would really prefer to have a dedicated audio only device instead of a combination player.

There are a few other reasons that have me thinking I'm going to be sticking with good ol' 2 channel CD for a few years longer. Still, not sure just yet.

If I were to recommend a DVD only player at this time, I'd buy a Denon-1600. I've read very positive reviews about it and it's under the $500 price point at this time.

BTW both www.denon.com and www.crutchfield.com have pics of the 2900.

~shoe

[Greek]

I am seriously considering in the very near future buyin the Denon 3800. I currently have the Phillips Q50. Would I notice a significant difference? Can you tell me details on its audio/video strengths? How does CD playback sound? Any freezing?.....chroma bug? Thank you for your time and input.

The GREEK

[TauRus]

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On 4/23/2003 9:34:47 PM shoe11 wrote:

I put in an order for the Denon 2900 this past weekend. Now that I've placed the deposit I'm having second thoughts on the whole SACD/DVD-A deal. The following have me thinking of canceling the order:

1. The lack of a digital interface at this time. I don't really like the idea of having to buy/use a ton of extra cables and then a year or two from now, a digital standard becomes available.

2. Even with a few great additions recently announced, very small catalogs of available software and fairly expensive.

3. Multi-channel I find to be rather gimmicky. Just a personal opinion of course.

4. Would really prefer to have a dedicated audio only device instead of a combination player.

There are a few other reasons that have me thinking I'm going to be sticking with good ol' 2 channel CD for a few years longer. Still, not sure just yet.

If I were to recommend a DVD only player at this time, I'd buy a Denon-1600. I've read very positive reviews about it and it's under the $500 price point at this time.

BTW both www.denon.com and www.crutchfield.com have pics of the 2900.

~shoe

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Folks, Here are my thoughts on the issue:

1) To go HiRez or not to go - TO GO for sure - I listened to both stereo and multichannel SACD and DVD-A and was impressed. Just a few days ago I sat all alone for half an hour in the Tweeter demo room listening to the Dark Side of The Moon SACD in multichannel mode played on Pioneer DV47Ai/B&W receiver/Vienna Acoustics speakers ... man, that was something, I just could not stop listening to this well known album, yet rediscovering it in a new way.

2) SACD vs DVD-A - since the war is still on and the winner is far from determined, my choice is - Universal player. Just a couple of months ago my unversal player of the choice was Pioneer DV47Ai. But when in January I saw first reports of Denon DVD2900 I immediately realized this is the best unit to come out this year. I am aware of the high end players like Rotel, Esoteric etc. but I am not at that stage of evolution yet to pay a few grands for a player. Having a Denon receiver I know how well Denon products sound. Although this unit does not have a digital output for SACD/DVD-A, I still prefer it to Pioneer DV47Ai, since the audio quality is a lot more important to me. Also, even if I would get the DV47Ai now, I wouldn't be able to use its FireWire output since my receiver (Denon 3803) does not have this interface. So far only a few of the top-of-the-line receivers like Pioneer 49i have this capability, and at that price point, I would rather go with separates than with a receiver.

Finally one more point to DVD2900 is that it is based on DVD3800 chassis (that takes care of video quality) and is rumored to have excelent CD performance as well - so, I will still be buying some regular CDs too.

3) As for the choice of SACD/DVD-A discs, the lists are getting bigger by day, I don't see a problem here.

So, I will wait a bit to let the prices go to the reasonable level of 750-800 and then will get DVD2900.

The only other potential threat to DVD2900 might be the rumored Outlaw universal player. Outlaw is well respected for high value and high quality. Their amplifiers are really a bargain. But have yet to witness how well they will fare with a mechanical product.

[bnewt]

Anyone have any experience with the Onkyo DV SP500 unit?

[Marshal]

Does anyone have the Sony ##999-ES DVD/SACD? It's supposed to be Sony's best DVD player ever and is very impressive in multi-channel SACD also.

And the SA-777ES is supposedly the ultimate SACD/CD player. Anyone have it?

Speaking of DVD players, I've been hoping one or more companies would give us a DVD-R/RW and hard disk recorder with MP3/WMA playback capability.

The Panasonic HS2 from what I've read is a good kit and with Progressive Scan too, but lacks the MP3/WMA playback ability.That's the only thing holding me back from getting it.