So I've had 2 nights to play with this new player and I must say it is a great unit. The box is huge for it, about the same size as my Marantz avr came in. When I first picked up the unit I could not believe how heavy it was. It actually felt like it was of more mass than my old Denon avr 2801. Info sheet says it weighs in at 25.5 lbs. It comes with firewire cable, audio/video cable (like I need more of that), HDMI, S-video, and IR repeaters (2). I don't like the looks of the remote, but I do like how it controls everything since there are only 5 buttons of function on the face. I like the clean looks of this player. The back is well laid out in that everything is spaced out, which helps when trying to manage a bunch of cables. Setup was pretty easy once I had the HDMI cable connected properly on the projector, as it was not all the way in (yeah I know, that's what she said). All adjustments were straight forward. Now on to the good stuff...
As I couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong with the HDMI I turned on the 480i and 480p. In both of these formats I couldn't tell much of a difference from my previous source (Pioneer Elite-45a), but this may have to do more with the Faroudja 2310 chip in the projector. At this point I was beginning to wonder if this player was going to be worth the cost. After a few minutes I looked over everything and noticed the gold showing on the HDMI cable end, gave it a little push and switched to this input.
At that point I about dropped dead! The image was much more clear and the colors, WOW! I am having the player upscale the image to 1280x720P so the projector is receiving its native resolution. I'm sure this in comination of the digital connection yields an amazing image. The picture is more clear and the colors are so natural. Shadow detail is excellent and there is no edge enhancement noise, even with the sharpness at mid setting (I currently have it set at -6). No evidence of macroblocking either which is why I went with the SI chip. Set it up using DVE and based on the pluge test, it passes BTB via HDMI no problem, whites are not crushed either. Many claim that these upscaling players give a near HD image and well I thought it was not possible. At this point, after seeing it I'm going to have to agree with them. Is it the same as a quality CBS 1080i feed OTA.....no, but darn close.
It was now time to begin looking for the lip sync that a few have had with this player. I wanted to order from Onecall as they had the best price, but when I asked if I would have to pay the restocking fee if there was an issue with this they told me yes, same with Oade's. I ended up ordering through vanns.com in Montana. The price is $100 more, but they include shipping so it really came to about a $50 difference and they have a 30 day trial period and would take it back if it was bad. So far I have viewed 15-25 minutes in differing parts of: Shrek 2, Kill Bill Vol.2, LOTR:Fellowship, Ocean's Eleven, Pearl Harbor, and Pirates of the Caribbean. It was in this last disc that I saw a lip sync problem in a couple of scenes. I marked the times and tried it on 2 other players to see if it was the disc. On both the Sony and Pioneer it showed the same lip sync problem. So for right now I'm thinking I don't have the problem. Everytime I see in the next couple days I will put it on the other players to test. I guess Dodgeball is one to test and I plan to rent it today. Now on to what I'm sure you have all been waiting for....audio
The audio is stunning. First I just wanted to compare the transports of the 45a and the SP1000, so I ran digi in to the Marantz. Not much difference, but the SP1000 did edge the 45a out. It is using the analog outs that was a real surprise. I will start by saying I had always been pleased with the analog performance of the 45a. The Onkyo has an excellent sound, it really grabs your attention. The player is not bright at all, but has such a natural top end with great detail and air, the cymbals ring forever. It also showed the sense of added dynamic range when compared against the 45a. I have to say that I am most pleased with how this player handles the lower end. The bass is nice and tight with great punch. The soundstage is very open and wide and the imaging was spot on. I will say that this unit did bring the vocals a tad more forward. It went from a 10th row listening experience to a 5th row. It is not at all in your face, but I was never really happy with how laid back the system was. It is now very nice and will hold me over until I can afford a new processor and amp. I've yet to really listen to much SACD or DVD-A, but the Diana Krall SACD I did listen to was nothing short of jaw dropping.
I sure hope I don't find any lip sync issues in the days to come, because I want to keep this unit for the audio alone! When I spoke to Doug about this unit, he was very impressed with it and I now know why.
Topic: Onkyo SP1000!! Early Impressions Now Up (Read 2060 times)