Pioneer DV-563A Review (1 Viewer)

[Jerry_Z]

Mark,

I believe that your Pioneer DV333 was able to play SVCDs even though it wasn't necessarily listed as able to. Have you tried any SVCDs with the 563A yet? I'd be interested in the results.

Jerry

I received my 563A today and just plugged it in and played a few tracks. I'm not an audiophile, and the rest of my system is not high-end. I have no idea whether the DSD/PCM conversion compromises the sound quality of SACD output (as compared to players that don't do this conversion). One thing I can say is that the difference between my old Pioneer DV333 playing redbook CD and the 563A playing SACD is large, immediately noticeable, and entirely in the 563A's favor. Would your wife/friend/Mom who doesn't care about audio notice if he or she just walked in while you were playing an SACD? No. Would he or she be able to tell the difference if you played redbook and SACD versions of the same song back to back? Absolutely. Let's grant that a $180 player isn't for audiophiles. But SACD is amazing, even on an $180 player. If only there were more content! Bottom line, is there any other way to spend $180 and improve the sound of your system this much? I doubt it.

Mark

 

[MikeSRC]

Thanks for the link Man-Fai.

I didn't have time today to look in to this further, but from the description it sure looks promising. I'm definitely looking forward to picking up one of these players and putting it through its paces.

 

[Walt N]

Seems the bass management is a little quirky on this unit like the other Pioneers. While playing around with the Jeff Beck "Blow By Blow" SACD, I set all speakers to small with sub on, but it didn't seem to sum and redirect the bass to the subwoofer. Hmmm. You can definitely hear the bass being subtracted from the mains, center, and surrounds...but it seems to be disappearing off the face of the earth instead of going where it needs to go. Weird.

 

[James R. Geib]

Is anyone here using the 563A with an AVM20 preamp??

 

[Mark Donohue]

I believe that your Pioneer DV333 was able to play SVCDs even though it wasn't necessarily listed as able to. Have you tried any SVCDs with the 563A yet? I'd be interested in the results.

I never tried SVCD on my DV333. The owner's manual of the 563A claims SVCD compatibility, but I haven't tested it.

 

[Brian L]

While playing around with the Jeff Beck "Blow By Blow" SACD, I set all speakers to small with sub on, but it didn't seem to sum and redirect the bass to the subwoofer. Hmmm.

A couple comments.

One, Blow by Blow is not the most bass heavy SACD on the planet. I actually played it yesterday, and it can't hold a candle to other hi-rez recordings of similar vintage.

Also, you may be seeing the low LFE issue. That will be more or less pronounced depending on how the disc is recorded and mixed.

Forgive me if you already posted this, but how did you balance the channel levels? I think someone has already posted that the internal sub test tone on the 563 is incorrect. As such, you would need to use test disc like Avia or VE.

If you happen to like Bowie, I strongly recommend his Heathen SACD. The LFE track is used quite prominently on that disc (I found that out when I had a cable loose in my rig, and I had the LFE channel disconnected!).

That title will tell you if you sub is working, no question.

BGL

 

[Walt N]

Brian, thanks for your reply.



True enough, too bad though. The tonal balance on the CD is very nice. With hi-rez recordings one needs to toggle sub volume from disc to disc as if playing Nintendo. +10dB on the sub is working OK for this one, but as you mentioned all high-rez discs need some boost. Initial calibration was with AVIA.

As mentioned, +10db is OK... but not good, because of the apparent lack of bass summing and steering to the sub with speakers set to "small". With the "small" setting on all sat's, the bass audibly cuts off at whatever freq. they used (surely too high) and that seems to be it. The Pioneer SACD BM simply isn't getting the job done by adding thickness to the mix via sub like BM on a pre-pro or receiver will do with DD or DTS material.

Very preliminary finding: ICBM may still be required unless your speakers are 6' tall, say Dunlavy, VMPS, or Legacy on them, and your configuration and room can allow you to optimize deep bass from such disparate locations.

I'll have to play around with DVD-A material and see it it's any different.

 

[Brian L]

The Pioneer SACD BM simply isn't getting the job done by adding thickness to the mix via sub like BM on a pre-pro or receiver will do with DD or DTS material.

Interesting. Sure sounds like something is amiss.

Now I need to go back and re-check a few other MC SACD's that I have. Beck's Sea change has pretty good bass, as does the Police Every Breath You Take compilation. No sure if its mixed in the .1 or the mains, though. Would be great to test with a bass heavy disc that is 5.0....shame I have no such disc.

Since I do run an ICBM, its really a moot point for me, but I still seem compelled to understand everythiing I can about how this player works.

As you correctly point out, even with correct calibration, disc authoring is all over the map. Some titles sound fine at calibrated levels (Heathen for example), while other are way too hot (Telarcs DVD-A Tribute to Weather Report), and some are weak (Blow by Blow).

I actually have two macros in my remote; one is +2 dB on the sub channel trim, the other is -2 dB. Very handy indeed.

BGL

 

[ShaunLB]

Ok guys, it seems that almost everyone that has gotten one of these players so far has an ICBM and therefore offers no information either way on the BM issue. For the sake of the pursuit of knowledge could some of you ("this is only temporary! ) disconnect your ICBM and do some tests to help confirm?

I know one tester at least is having bass issues. Perhaps posting Speaker/Sub type and size would be helpful also.

...just trying to bring a little more order to this madness.

 

[Jeff O.]

Ok, you guys are killing me again. I broke down and ordered one today for the bedroom setup. When I get it I will do some tests if no one else has before then. Anyone want to buy a Tosh 4700?
Jeff

 

[Walt N]

Just a casual tester for the distractions of what this thing is doing right, but I'm using Onix Rocket 750's, 550's, RSC-200 and a pair of SVS 16-46 CSi's with a Mackie M1400i amp + Behringer FD.

 

[ShaunLB]

Just a quick item (don't know if this has any real berring):

digital bass management (speaker size, delay time, and channel balance adjustments)

Got that from Crutchfields website.

 

[Steve Meskell]

Philips Press Release on chips used on 563A

 

[Sathyan]

I'm happy with DVD, DVDA, SACD and CD playback on the 563

But VCD's are not good

the audio/video is not in sync and every few seconds the picture freezes and becomes "block-y"


These VCD's (my recordings of Seinfeld and MwC) were created in Nero and playback fine in ATI VCD player and my Sony DVP-NS315 DVD player.


Anyone else experience this problem?

Is there a setting I need to change?

Sathyan

 

[Ben LG]

Sathyan, FYI I have the same thing going on with my Panasonic S55, vcds recorded in nero are also blocky and not in sync (but not CDRWIN image files). Yet I dont have a problem with my other cheap Apex 3 disc changer.

~Thx for the review on my post, I also have the feeling I am just talking myself into picking up the Pioneer ;P

 

[Lewis Besze]

digital bass management (speaker size, delay time, and channel balance adjustments)

Crutchfield hasn't specified as to what format these or all applies to.

 

[Jake K]

Why not just ask Pioneer?

 

[Dan Hitchman]

However, using the Philips DSD decoder does not mean it is a pure DSD player. Many have stated that Pioneer is using PCM DAC's to keep the player's cost down, that means the chip's option to do DSD--->PCM is probably turned on.

Not a huge biggie for a temporary (until the growing pains in these new formats and a universal digital interface are sorted out) player that doesn't break the bank, but still kind of disappointing since DAC's designed for pure DSD and pure PCM decoding (like the new Burr-Brown dual-purpose DAC) are not that expensive.

Once a digital interface and 100% pure DSD processing and decoding show up via players, pre-amps, and receivers I probably would get separate DVD-Audio/Video and SACD/CD transports.

Dan

 

[Rich G]

Are these players in the B&M stores yet? If so, where? If not, who has em on line besides Crutchfield?

 

[John Knowles]

The best buys here in MN are just starting to get them in...in fact, I'm off in a few minutes to pick one up.