Has anyone tried one of these out for playback. I listened to a DVD-A and SACD disc today at a store but wasn't able to demo a two channel audience recording. I guess my question is more like whats the D>A stage like in this deck. Ive read all the reviews from so called "audiophile's" but they haven't been really helpful as far as the music I listen to.
Any thoughts
doing a little digging...
anyone give one of these a go?
From what I hear the 5900 is where it is at as far as te combo unit and stuff goes. The 2900 is stil a fine player.
Yeah right. The 5900 retails for 2x's what the 2900 goes for.
Well, you at least get Faroudja de-interlace and DVI, but not sure if it is macrovision free or has a scaler..... Head over to audioasylum.com.
Thanks, Scott. My main concern isn't video playback, but more so audio playback. However, I don't plan to use the internal d/a of any unit. Rather, I plan on using an standalone dac. Should I really be that concerned about the internals of a unit? Or is it moreso just a transport? Thanks!
you're probably not going to be able to use an external DAC with SACD's. Not sure if that matters to you or not, but it's something to consider.
True that...
Getting ready to start the move to dvd-a. Next will be Bronze.
expect a call from me a little later mr. monterisi
I picked up a Dennon 2200 a few months ago and have been very pleased with the results so far, so I'm sure the 2900 will be nice as well.
One factor to consider, is the 1000$ player gonna be outdated in two years? With technology moving the way it is (especially w/dvd and sacd), the top of the line players will be average in a year or two. Why go all out when you can spend half as much, get a great product and still have $500 left over. It maybe worth it to some, and I can see why, but to me it wasn't. Just some food for thought.
Nick
Ahh.. a voice of reason!
Definately something to consider, esp if it is only being used as a transport.
if all you care about right now is doing dvd-a, get the super cheap pioneer dvd-a player and an external DAC that does 24/96. nick's right, prices will come down, though they haven't that much in the 8 months since i got my universal player. i love sacd and i'm glad i bought it. regardless, go used. plenty of stuff on audiogon.
I am waiting on a response from someone about the Rotel 1060. Not sure if it plays all formats of burned discs. If it does, I think that is what I'll go for. Otherwise, I'll follow Nick's lead with the 2200. They seem to go pretty cheap on the used market.
oh yeah, almost forgot, there was a thread on here a while back about some dvd-a players not sending 24/96 signals out due to copy management. my player does send up to 24/96 but downsamples 24/192 to 24/96. i think that's because spdif is not reliable for 24/192. but if you're gonna use an external DAC, you should check before you buy.
If not concerned w/ video I would get a cheaper player then. One thing to remember is that there will always be a better more expensive player, you will always be waiting. I'd say get the best you can now!
SC
that DVD-A sendng PCM over s/pdif thread....
I thought it was determined that most do not?
also, if using it only as a transport for primarily redbook, you'd do much better with just a transport than a DVD player.
but, if you are looking for a transport for 24bit stuff, then I guess you'd best be sure that it does pass PCM. This was discussed on the oade board a couple weeks back, and I thought it was determined that only the high-end dennon DVD-A decks did it? maybe this model you are discussing is the one...beats me
Check out the CAL CL-20 DVD player. It got an excellent review from Stereophile as a CD player using the internal D/A. And it will pass 24/96.
I ended up picking up one of these players and my initial thoughts are all positive. According to the manual, it does pass 24/96 pcm data through either of its digital outs. At higher resolutions, it downsamples to 96 or 88.2, whichever is more appropriate. However, I don't have any 24/96 dvd's to validate the manual... Damon has promised some are on the way.
Dark Side of the Moon had the hairs on my neck standing up and I have the wife out today looking for the Allison Krauss live sacd. Pretty exciting!
Even listening with the player just as a transport impressed me. Certainly a noticeable difference over the old player. Wouldn't have believed it before, but my ears aren't making me a believer.