PaulDA

new budgetary constraints, need help to rethink my choices

I was planning to get a universal player for hi-res and movies and a dedicated redbook cd player. New financial reality dictates only one machine for now (and next couple of years). I'd like to know of the following Denon 2200, Marantz 6400 or Yamaha 1500, which will likely give me cd playback satisfaction in the medium term? Or should I just rely on my Integra DTR 6.4 DACs and not care which player I get?

prog scan not important and won't be for at least 5 years (when I update the TV, I'll update the player)
audio is critical

ScottCHI

paul, i've never really owned a high-end CD-only player (or DVD-player, for that matter). my new 2200 is about the nicest of either of those that i've had, actually. i am really enjoying it, so far, for 95% audio (granted it's been mainly these new hirez discs). i can tell you that i prefer it's analog connection(s) for ALL that i'm doing with it otherwise, too (redbook CDs and DVD movies), to my denon 3803s DACs.

about the only complaint that i DO have about it, is that the transport mechanism is very sensitive to "off-center" or "unbalanced" discs. it's not the transport mechanism, per se; that, i think, is very quiet. but on a few of my discs, the center hole or the disc's weight must be off-center, causing the transport mechanism to vibrate and "whir" pretty loudly; much moreso than the same discs had ever (if at all) made any of my previous players vibrate.

PaulDA

I guess the reason I'm interested in a stand alone cd player is because my current one, a Denon DCD-460, was a great player back in '89. I still use it and it plays quite well, soundwise. However, it has trouble reading TOCs on newer discs, particularly those with a lot of "paint" on them. It's never skipped or done anything wonky, except for the TOC issue (on those discs, it won't play track 1 without my scanning into the track backwards from track 2). It will reside in my secondary system when we move.

As for the new system, I also like the idea that if the DVD player breaks down, I don't lose all my music on my main system. I'll likely get one next year or the year after, so I guess I'll live with whichever universal I get in the meantime. When I think of the luxury I have in looking at more than one player in the same system while others have trouble paying the rent, I guess this problem seems rather tiny.

I guess the question is which universal should I get?

Shane Martin

Paul,
There seems to be a rumor that the new Yamaha is a rebadged Phillips 563. That worries me a bit.

It is also delayed until late June early July so that might affect you some.

The Denon is a solid player and the refurb 2900 for $550ish sounds like a decent deal to me if you want to go that route.

The 2900 is a better machine than the 2200. You might be able to find a used one for that money too with the new Denon's coming in Septemberish.

The Marantz has the Chroma bug which bothers me. The other 2 don't have this so this will affect Picture quality differences. Audio wise its a tough call on all 3.

Also the Yamaha has the Faroudja processor in it. That will probably push me over that edge.