DVD player for conventional CD audio
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Anonymous | My DVD player will be used primarily as a CD player. Which moderately priced DVD player provides the best audio quality for conventional CD audio? |
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aksak | HK DVD21, HK DVD 25, DENON DV700, ONKYO DV-S500, YAMAHA 530 AND 540 . Don't know for the others . All these suggestions based on reviews and tests . I could not listen to them yet . Good luck . |
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G-Man | In audio mode any CD player or DVD player in CD playing will mostly be as good as the DAC it uses. The second biggest issue is the DVD or CD players tracking ability on slightly damaged to even more damaged CD's. If you are not satisfied with the players D/A conversion you should be able to switch it to the receivers pre-amps DAC to see if it is better. The video and chroma levels and balance are far more variable in video performance on dvd players--particularly when played to an HDTV monitor when flaws become far more vivid. On this level, various Panasonic players have a large edge in the under $500 range---the RP-30, the RP-50, the RP-82 and with DVD-Audio the RP-91. The new Denon 2900 with SACD & DVD-Audio and the Yamaha 2300 both use a basic Panasonic player and its chipsets. They obviously did there homework. Then they added other pleasantries and both came out with the best under $1K universal players. |
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Derek | Don't forget the new Pioneer DV-563A. It plays SACDs and DVD-A. There is onboard Dolby Digital and DTS decoded analog out with bass management and Progressive Scan with 3:2 pulldown. I just picked one up from Best Buy and it only cost $179. |
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3m3rson | Aside from Panasonic, are there any other manuf. with DVD players capable of quality CD playback AND a decent progressive scan picture? I have a NAD C740 stereo receiver (which has no digital audio inputs, so I need a player with a good audio DAC. I just tried it out with the NAD T512 DVD/CD/MP3 player. The audio from the T512 was superb, but the video was sub par (plus it wasn't progessive scan). Like most folk, I'm on a budget, and am looking for a unit for $250 or less. Any thoughts? |
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Derek | See my previous post. |
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3m3rson | If I had a surround receiver, I would likely consider the DV-563A... but I don't. Instead of investing in DVD-A and SACD features, I'd rather spend the money on a player with a good audio DAC and above par progressive scan playback. Wish the Panasonics mentioned were still around... apparently the new generation of Panasoncis have been undercut by a pricepoint, sacrificing both audio and video quality... no more Faroudja deinterlacing chip.  |
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Derek | What about the Pioneer don't you like? You could be staring a deal in the face. Go listen to it before you write it off. If you want Faroudja processing on the cheap, Samsung's DVD-HD931 has it. It's under $300. Have a listen to that one too. Playing a CD is not all that hard anymore. I like Panasonic DVD players (They play WMAs and Matsushita's 1-bit DACs are pretty good) but the audio DAC in a DVD player are overkill for CD and make comparing them for playing CDs boring. Over-sampling, noise shaping, good filters and low noise electronics mean CD Audio reproduction has essentially been conquered. Differences are there but differences between speakers and even amps are much more pronounced than audio differences amongst DVD players. My advice: Go listen to them. Video is a different story. It is VERY easy to tell a lousy DVD player from a good one and it can be shown to anyone, not just a videofile. See http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_3/dvd-benchmark-introduction-9-2000.html |
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3m3rson | I beg to differ... my experience tells me that there CAN be a big difference in CD audio quality between DVD players (in instances when the player is doing the d-a conversion). I originally had a Sony DVD-NS725P hooked up to my system... the video was great, but the audio out of that player was horrible, for both DVDs and CDs. I noticed it immediately at home, and started shoping around for another player. While at a Tweeter/HiFi, I saw it hooked up to a bank of receivers, and tested it out there on a couple of high end Denons and Yamahas. It sounded very poor there also. You make a good point though, which is to get out and listen to more of them. I plan to do a little more research, and then pick up a model to test on my home system. Wish me luck... |
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