gerbache Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 So I'm in the market for an SACD player, and have a budget of around $500 to work with, but there's one big question that has me trying to figure out my plans. How important do you think DVD-A is going to be? I'm looking mainly at the Denon DVD-2200, the Marantz DV6400 and the Philips 963SA. The first two are universal players, while the Philips is strictly SACD (which makes sense, considering that they designed the standard..). Trouble is, the Philips is a little cheaper and has excellent reviews for its sound and build quality, plus it looks like it may have a slightly better analogue output section than the other two. How big an impact do you think DVD-A is going to have in the market? So far, it seems that SACD has emerged as the clear leader, since so many big groups have jumped on the SACD bandwagon. I just don't want to spend this kind of money and then realize in a few months that I'm missing something important, like I did buying an HDCD player last year instead of an SACD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 Good question to ask. Because one thing I found in my tests is that DVD players were meant to play DVDs. Yeah, they say they play all the CD formats, and MP-3s, etc. But every time I put an audio CD in even a decent DVD player, I do not get audiophile sound. I get low-med quality CD player sound. Maybe someone can suggest a DVD player that plays audiophile quality audio CDs. I personally am getting an SACD player for my audio CDs though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbache Posted December 15, 2003 Author Share Posted December 15, 2003 Is that true, even with the newer players? It seems to me that it's rare to find a pure SACD player these days, without spending huge amounts of money. Also, the Philips one does red book CD upsampling, which seems to be touted as being a significant improvement. Anyone have any experience with these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 I don't think DVD-A is going to make it. But then again, a lot of people, including me, thought it would be history by now and it isn't yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgb Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I think cheap universal players will keep both formats alive and kicking. But the dual layer SACD seems to be the way to go. ---------------- On 12/15/2003 7:02:49 PM paulparrot wrote: I don't think DVD-A is going to make it. But then again, a lot of people, including me, thought it would be history by now and it isn't yet. ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 gerbache- I think the question is do you want the SACD player for only SACD/CDs or do you want it also to play DVDs? For the $500, you will most likely get a better sounding player if you only go with a SACD/CD player, then with one that incorporates video features. Also, as far as DVDs/HDTV goes, it looks more and more like the DVI interface is going to be the preferred method for connection. So, if you are going to get a new TV or already have one with DVI (Digital Video Interface) the current universal players that have this interface are WAY out of your price range. So depending on your DVD/DVD-A needs in the near future, then I think this would dictate your purchase. I don't mind 2 boxes, one for SACD & one for DVD/DVD-A, but you might..... I'm not sure if SACD & DVD-A will survive the test of time. I'm not sure either one will, to be honest..... the younger generation likes portability and DVD-A and SACD don't really offer that, its MP3 or die. If they can't play it on our computer, its not worth it. The studios will naturally try to stuff something down our thoats so they will try to maintain control. However, I'm hoping it will be SACD for several reasons. First, you can almost play it on almost any system (if it has a CD layer). Second it doesn't require a monitor to navigate. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbache Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 Funny thing about that is that I am one of those younger generation listeners, and honestly, I agree that most of my generation if going to continue to want their music in the cheap, easy mp3 format, sadly enough. Are you aware of any good players around $500 right now that aren't video players? I haven't seen too many of them, although several currently give the option to turn off the video portion of the circuit. I suppose there's probably some in the used market, but I'm not sure that I really want to go that route, especially with something as rapidly changing as SACD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 hmmm...$500.... The SACD/CD only player that comes to mind is the Marantz SA-8260, it lists for $999, but should be able to find it chaper. The Phillips 963sa is a funny beast, they guys at Audio Asylum have a love/hate relationship with it. There have been numerous posts about reliability problems, and alot of users mod the player to get much "better" preformance from it. Sorry, but I'm not really "up" on the $500 SACD players, since I'm looking in the $1000 - $2000 range for SACD/CD only. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I've had my 963 for about three weeks now and have been VERY impressed with the video side of the player. For the audio side, I had a few things to figure out. The manual was pretty decent, but it wasn't super-clear on the soft switches, of which there are MANY. For instance, I'm only running the optical digital out to the Denon (no RCA cables) and I wasn't getting any sound when I put in a CD. After diddling around, I found that I had (nice) music playing when I shut the upsampling option to "off". I'm not sure if this option is only available with the analog outputs. I use the 963 for videos/movies first and foremost. For that it is a stellar player. I use it for casual (not critical) listening secondly, and the way it's configured now, it sounds great. I miss the upsampling option though. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Chris, How do you get any analog output from the player into the receiver if you are only using the optical cable? You said no RCA jacks. I can't get that one. I have done A/B tests with my DVD player on one input to the amp, and a nice CD player on another. The DVD player analog outputs were connected to the amp (RCA jacks). I used CD 1 and CD 2 of a 2 CD set to compare the sound in a fair fashion. The sound of the DVD player playing a CD was no comparison to the CD player. I find this the case in combination DVD / CD players and am guessing that everyone uses the digital out for DVDs, and thus gets awesome audio because it comes from the HT system, and not the player. Then, when you use the analog outputs, you get lower quality analog than if it came from a dedicated CD player built with optimized analog circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesfan70 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I own the Denon 2200 player, and I can't say enough with how happy I am with it. I think it is one of the best players to get in this price range. If you are interested in both formats, then a universal would be my first choice. I wouldn't worry about it's CD playback compared to a CD only player. If you plan on using the digital connections, it's really a mute point. The 2200 does have Burr-Brown DACs, so I don't think it is no slouch. You can also shut off the video circuits in the 2200 for higher quality playback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I agree, but my Scotts have no digital inputs. I guess they forgot to put it on the unit, or I didn't spend enough money. Hey Criag, I think I need a digital mod to my Scott. I'm not going back to solid state so I can use a combo player. I already have that. I'll just get an SACD player. I have a nice Sony HT all by itself and I have the DVD player optical out going into the HT. I have the DVD analog outs going to the Scott. So if I play a concert DVD, I can have HT sound and/or Scott 2 ch tube audio through the corns. Actually I have plenty of amps and KLipsch to builf a kick a$$ Klipsch HT, but I still love 2 CH. the most for music listening, and I would ruin my 2 CH. setups in each room. Catch 22 for my 222. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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