DVD-AUDIO VS. SACD--- CHoose one (1 Viewer)

[kuttaS]

my budget for dvd player is low and the pioneer 563 was really looking promising since i wanted both dvd-audio and sacd playback. however, i am dissapointed by a huge amount of pplz who claim that this player is all in one but not really good at either one of those(dvd-video, audio, sacd). thats also the rep at best buy said. so i think i will have to compromise on one of the formats since there are many cheap dvd players with either dvd-audio or sacd but not both. so what do u guys think is the winner between these two formats and which budget dvd player should i choose or should i rather wait for other cheap universal players to come out

 

[Stephen Dodds]

The simple answer is to listen for yourself and see what you think about the Pioneer.

If you do want one or the other, check which has the music you like. Generally, SACD has more jazz and classical and DVD-A more pop.

An SACD DVD player will of course allow you to play the DD/DTS tracks on DVD-A discs.

Steve

 

[LanceJ]

What Stephen said.

And: For all we know both formats are on one mass-produced chip (i.e. inexpensive to build), making this player no worse than two separate dedicated players.

And some hobbyists are extreeeeeeemely picky about their components, so read all reviews with a grain of salt.

LJ

 

[KeithH]

kuttaS, this thread could very easily get ugly, as there are strong opinions out there regarding the hi-rez formats. That said, before witnessing a debate that could cloud your judgment, absolutely listen to the formats and the Pioneer '563A and decide for yourself.

To me, both SACD and DVD-Audio have merit. In addition to listening to both formats, take a look at the available titles and see if one format offers more titles that appeal to you.

You said:

however, i am dissapointed by a huge amount of pplz who claim that this player is all in one but not really good at either one of those(dvd-video, audio, sacd). thats also the rep at best buy said.

I just commented about opinions clouding your judgment. In that vein, the last person I would listen to is someone at Best Buy. (Yes, that's my opinion! ) In my experience shopping at many Best Buy stores, their people by and large know nothing. You should have asked this Best Buy employee what his or her recommendation for a hi-rez audio component would be. I would love to know what the person would recommend. :rolleyes

 

[John Geelan]

Buy the Pioneer 563 and just enjoy it. It is a fine player for people who have a budget to consider. Don't listen to people who can afford 1K+ players, of course their gonna put their nose up at a player that costs under $200.

You'd have to be crazy to buy any other player at that price point (unless you have the bucks for a Denon 2900 or a Marantz 8400).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[CurtisC]

I have a Denon 2900,which I like very much(it fits my budget).I would not hesitate to buy the pioneer at 170.00(add warranty),if my budget were 2 or 3 hundred.As far as dvd-a sacd,they both have pos and neg and are both great.

 

[ReggieW]

You may also want to consider the Pioneer Elite 45a which can be had for about $350.00 online. It is said to better than the 563 in all areas. Also, Denon is releasing the 2200 in late October with a street price of just over $500.00 (retail is $599.00). This player has it own discrete power supplys for audio and video, the silicon image chip, and a host of other features which has worked themselves down from Denon's most expensive players (mostly the 2900). There really is no reason at this point to go with one or the other. If you had asked this question just two years ago, my reply may've been different.

Reg

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Geez, for $200, what do you expect? You still get both new formats with better performance than CD. If you want the best apparent *reasonably* priced universal player out there now, pony up the denaro and get the Denon.

 

[kuttaS]

the BB guys was reffering a Panasonice over the 563 cuz he said it has better quality in both dvd-audio video but only lacks sacd

 

[gregD]

At the $200 price point, it's unlikely you will hear a significant difference between the Pioneer 563 universal player and another dedicated (DVDA-only or SACD-only) player at the same price point... at which point it seems logical to get a player that can handle everything, and start to sample what both hi-res formats have to offer... enjoy now, upgrade later.

Video-wise, there may be more discernible differences, but even then, those are most likely to be detected only on the more expensive high-resolution TVs.

In any event, wherever possible, arrange to audition such gear so you can make make a better-informed decision... use discs you're familiar with... a BB salesman is not your best source of information.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Buy the Pioneer 563 and just enjoy it. It is a fine player for people who have a budget to consider. Don't listen to people who can afford 1K+ players, of course their gonna put their nose up at a player that costs under $200.

I think the Pioneer 563 is awesome. I heard it at another HTFers house and it sounded great for the money. Not all of us with $3K players look down on other price points.

 

[Carlo_M]

Agreed about the $200 price point. Sure you could get a nicer sounding DVD-A-only or SACD-only unit. But probably not at the sub-$200 level.

Right now the 563A is the ONLY competitor (new, not used price) at that price range.

If you want great DVD-A or SACD performance, be prepared to spend considerably more than the 563A.

Of course, now that Pioneer has "shown the way" with this, I fully anticipate more Uni players in this range within the next 6-12 months.

Personally (not having any SACD other than Norah Jones which is hybrid) I am waiting. My RP91 is quite the DVD-A player, but it's still about twice the cost of a 563A (I bought it at 3X the price), and that's just for DVD-A.

 

[John Wes]

If you bought it and didn't like it...you could take it back.....

Try it out for yourself and see what "you" think.

 

[BrianEK]

I say to go with the dv-563a, like everyone else has said, at this price point, you would probably never notice a difference in sound quality between the pioneer and panasonic. If you are really looking for a "better" quality player you'll have to shell out some more cash for a pioneer elite dv-45a($399) or something similar. And I also agree with the fact that most Best Buy employees don't really know what they are talking about. I once had a guy try to sell me a digital optical cable to hook my dvd player to my mini shelf system(before I bought my first HT)!! I find wierd that he said this pioneer player isn't very good because since this player is so new, the only real reviews I have been able to find on this player is here on the forum, and almost everyone seems to say it is a very good player. So I'm wondering where his sources are coming from. I have read very good things about the pioneer and say it's worth trying out.

 

[Carlo_M]

Doesn't Best Buy have a 30-day money-back guarantee? If there's no restocking fee, there's no risk for you. Try it out, the only cost is $179 you can't spend on your credit card for however long you audition the 563A.

 

[Brian L]

however, i am dissapointed by a huge amount of pplz who claim that this player is all in one but not really good at either one of those(dvd-video, audio, sacd).

Please provide some back-up to this. The 563A review thread here has about 300 posts. I have not read all 300, but I think the majority of users LIKE this player.

There are also threads at HT Spot and AVS. I know a few posters said they were not happy with it, and returned it, but that is the minority. For $178 it has NO COMPETITION right now.

FWIW, I have a 45A, and I like that too.

And really, advice from a Best Buy salesman. PUHHHLEEEZE!

BGL

 

[Tim Hoover]

the BB guys was reffering a Panasonice over the 563 cuz he said it has better quality in both dvd-audio video but only lacks sacd

On the video side, this may have been true with earlier-gen Pannies, but from what I've read about the current F-series, they don't have the video muscle present anymore...

 

[Mark LP]

I was fortunate enough to be able to use both a Pioneer 47ai and an Integra 8.3 for an extended period. Both performed very well in most respects. What I could not take was the chroma bug. Both went back. If I were you, I would look for the best budget dvd player I could find that may also have dvd-a or sacd playback as a bonus. There aren't that many titles in either format now anyway. I ended up with a Denon 1600 and put up with its slow chapter changes and other quirks for a great picture. Dvd-a is a bonus as well as decent dacs for redbook.
When money allows buy a great redbook cd player only. I recently added a Jolida tubed cd player to my system and was amazed at how much more musical it was.
Morale to the story: get the best single task machine that budget allows and add other components as time goes on.

 

[LanceJ]

FYI: that Panasonic F-65 player that BB sells has only STEREO dvd-audio capability. It's the F-85 (Circuit City) that has full multichannel outputs.

LJ

 

[FeisalK]

let's go back to the original post

and which budget dvd player should i choose or should i rather wait for other cheap universal players to come out

IMHO budget universal players cannot radically differ from each other - if you wait, you may be getting more features, slightly better performance but nothing earth-shattering. It may perform better than a current more highly priced player but most likely not anyway (is the 563A better than the Yamaha s2300?).

With the facilities available - return policies etc, the 563 is worth a try IMO - in the meantime you get more budget to spend on software and save money on a better player in the future