Luvmonterey
Member
Yeah, sometimes I wonder. Thanks!
Need Advice: DVD for Listening; Yes or NO?
- Thread starter Luvmonterey
- Start date
Luvmonterey
Member
Thank you! Several people on this thread have recommended Pioneer Elite players. I know Burr-Brown has an excellent reputation. Finding something with both a decent transport and DAC seem daunting given how often the manufacturers switched them up between models. I'm formulating a list and hopefully I will be able to find one at a reasonable price.
Luvmonterey
Member
Thanks!
91r100gs
Lunatic Member
I understand about 30 day return policies. Things I am not sure of I tend to order from Music Direct or other retailer that offers a 60 day return period.
In relation to your post about optional cables yeah or nay, the cables that came with mine were just not very good. I had a set of BJC's laying around and they easily added a octave of deep bass, and at least two veils were removed from the soundstage.
Everyone has their opinions on the burn in mystique, mine is that hi-fi components need to stabilize and the assorted parts learn to work together. Both the C 7030 and my recent purchase of a new preamp has made it clear to me that this phenomenon is real. It took six months for my Grado MCZ stylus to wake up, playing an average of two LP's a day. Just a personal observation here is that higher performance components tend to take longer to reveal their true character.
Thanks for reading
If I had a budget, I would almost be looking at a player with an optical or coax digital output, and get an inexpensive external DAC either now or in the near future. If the basic player is good at spinning discs, then changing out the DAC is a good way to get a different "flavor". That is another option available.
FWIW, I owned a DV-45A for over a decade and (being very, very nice here) did not like the sound of it--it had all of those typical qualities of digital sound that I dislike. It took me a while to save up enough to make a big leap upward. I own a cheap DV-578A I had in a cheapo system and thought that actually sounded a little smoother (although it had its own issues). The 578A would actually have made a decent transport for an external DAC.
FWIW, I owned a DV-45A for over a decade and (being very, very nice here) did not like the sound of it--it had all of those typical qualities of digital sound that I dislike. It took me a while to save up enough to make a big leap upward. I own a cheap DV-578A I had in a cheapo system and thought that actually sounded a little smoother (although it had its own issues). The 578A would actually have made a decent transport for an external DAC.
Luvmonterey
Member
Thanks for the reply. Yes, a digital out and an acceptable transport mechanism are requirements for my next player, so that I have the option of inserting an external DAC to my system when/if I come across one. I appreciate the recommendations!If I had a budget, I would almost be looking at a player with an optical or coax digital output, and get an inexpensive external DAC either now or in the near future. If the basic player is good at spinning discs, then changing out the DAC is a good way to get a different "flavor". That is another option available.
FWIW, I owned a DV-45A for over a decade and (being very, very nice here) did not like the sound of it--it had all of those typical qualities of digital sound that I dislike. It took me a while to save up enough to make a big leap upward. I own a cheap DV-578A I had in a cheapo system and thought that actually sounded a little smoother (although it had its own issues). The 578A would actually have made a decent transport for an external DAC.
willyrover
Super Member
What is the player connected to?
The rest of the system has to be capable of resolving the differences between players or you aren't going to hear any difference.
The rest of the system has to be capable of resolving the differences between players or you aren't going to hear any difference.
SoNic67
Well-Known Member
Personally I recommend one of the Denon DVD universal players. DVD-2910 (or better DVD-3910) for example can be found on eBay at a decent price. They play all the audio formats (CD/HDCD/DVD-A/SACD), their DAC and analog stages are very good. The DVD-3910 has extra the proprietary (very good) Denon upsampling algorithm Advanced AL24 Processing.
As a bonus, the 2910/3910 series had a "bug" in their hardware that allowed playing of the home-burned SACD's (legal personal backup copies of course). That bug was "fixed" in the 2930/3930 series.
As a bonus, the 2910/3910 series had a "bug" in their hardware that allowed playing of the home-burned SACD's (legal personal backup copies of course). That bug was "fixed" in the 2930/3930 series.
Luvmonterey
Member
It's an older two channel Marantz SR4120. Connected to the CD "in" with generic RCA cables. The Marantz is driving Wharfedale Diamond 8.4 speakers. Thanks!
Luvmonterey
Member
Thanks for the information! Good to know about the "bug"! I will check out these players.
SoNic67
Well-Known Member
That Denon DVD-5910 is IMO better than a cheap DAC, even with the Sabre's ESS chips. What Sabre has done was to incorporate in their DAC's better filters and jitter reduction that is incorporated in competitors chips. But Denon used a true DSP in the DVD-5910 that beats in performance the capabilities of the ESS chips, and that processed signal is send to each of the "stereo mix" channels, is using PCM1792 in mono mode, for the best quality.
Luvmonterey
Member
Very interesting. Does that require a setting or selection on the player, or does the DAC chip always send the signal in mono mode?
SoNic67
Well-Known Member
On the DVD-5910 (PCM1792), those outputs are always in dual mono, hardware wired. Basically it has 3 DAC chips for the 5+1 channels (stereo mode) and other 2 DAC chips for the L+R mix (mono mode). The AL24 Processing happens only for that stereo mix channel on this model, on newer models they extended the AL24 for all the channels.
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Luvmonterey
Member
Thanks for the information!
cardvn1
New Member
I have a Sony 300 DVD disc changer from the early 2000s. I have loaded it with CDs only. I spiced up its sound by routing its optical output into a Yamaha WXC-50(pre-amp as well as ESS DAC as well as 192kHz/24-bit digital audio player). I love this setup for its soundstage and crisp sound. While WXC-50 puts you back by $350, it takes the cd-player out of the equation. Plus you add airplay, Bluetooth, Internet radio and Hi-bit audio format capabilities to you system.
if you're looking for low-cost playback, whether it's DVD/SACD/CD, then try looking
for models from around 10 years ago. they show up at CL, GW, SA, and other places
and are cheap - I picked up a Samsung HD841 (plays everything) for about $20
with remote. you can upgrade from there, sell on ebay or back on CL, etc.
today, the vendors have to make and sell high-end because of the past components
so now you pay thousands for that oversampling no-DSD-to-LPCM conversion monster
and unless you have other uber equipment, you won't hear the difference.
also for a slightly better presentation try a tube amp. In my system it tames the
digital experience and it's harder to fry the speakers.
for models from around 10 years ago. they show up at CL, GW, SA, and other places
and are cheap - I picked up a Samsung HD841 (plays everything) for about $20
with remote. you can upgrade from there, sell on ebay or back on CL, etc.
today, the vendors have to make and sell high-end because of the past components
so now you pay thousands for that oversampling no-DSD-to-LPCM conversion monster
and unless you have other uber equipment, you won't hear the difference.
also for a slightly better presentation try a tube amp. In my system it tames the
digital experience and it's harder to fry the speakers.
