Least expensive SACDor DVD-A player? (1 Viewer)

[Nathan J]

What is the cheapest that I could get one of these for? I would also be using it for regular DVD's as well, so I would like to have Prog. Scan.



Thanks

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, for SACD, look at the Sony DVP-NS755V single-disc DVD/SACD player. It offers progressive-scan output. Best Buy and Circuit City sell it for $250 and sometimes have it on sale for $237. It is also available through crutchfield.com. Go to their web site for more information.

For DVD-Audio, check out the Panasonic DVD-CP72. It's a five-disc changer with progressive scan (no chroma bug). You should be able to find for around $220, and last I heard, Panasonic was still offering a $30 mail-in rebate on it. It's quite a value.

Another option for DVD-Audio is the Pioneer DV-656A single-disc model with progressive scan. It sells for $200, but I haven't read too many reviews of it. I believe it shows the chroma bug.

Two other players to consider are the Panasonic DVD-RP82 and DVD-XP50. The problem is that they both have been discontinued, so they are very tough to find. The 'RP82 used to sell for around $230, while the 'XP50 sold for around $300. Perhaps you could find one locally. As with the 'CP72, these single-disc models offer progressive-scan output without the chroma bug.

If you can wait awhile, Pioneer will be releasing the DV-563A universal player (DVD-Audio and SACD with progressive-scan output) for $270 later in the year. Also, Zenith will be releasing the DV-318 universal player with progressive-scan for $200 this year. Both models will be single-disc players.

 

[Nathan J]

Could someone explain what the chroma bug is?



That Pioneer SACD+DVD-A sounds like a decent deal......I will keep my eyes open.

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, the chroma bug has been discussed ad nauseum here. My suggestion is that you do a search. In short, it is a video problem in which certain colors do not display properly. Often times, red colors appear "distorted". The proper name for this problem is chroma upsampling error.

 

[Nathan J]

Ok , thanks.

 

[Jeff Weight]

The new Philips 763 will play SACD and can be had for under $200.00.

 

[nousername]

What is the cheapest DVD-A/SACD combo player out there? I don't care about video quality as I already have a Panny RP82. I'd like a combo DVD-A/SACD player for the stereo in the bedroom (no TV).

 

[Philip Hamm]

I have the Sony DVP-NS500V, the non-progressive predecessor to the current DVP-NS755V. The SACD performance is extraordinary, the DVD performance is pedestrian. It's a good player for the money, a work-a-day DVD player and a very nice sounding SACD machine. Dark Side Of The Moon multichannel sounds stunning!

 

[Bill_D]

Nathan: Chroma Discussion and Pics here.

 

[KeithH]

Allan, at present, the cheapest universal player is the Pioneer Elite DV-45A at $500. However, later this year, Pioneer will release the DV-563A for $270 and Zenith will release the DV-318 for $200. The early word, unfortunately, is that the Pioneer '563A will convert the DSD bitstream from SACDs to PCM. I don't know if the Zenith player will do this as well.

 

[Nathan J]

I thought that Apex made a universal player around $300?


Not that it was the best of quality from what I remember though...

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, you are thinking of the APEX AD-7701. It was only available for a short period of time. It had reliability issues, which it typical for APEX. In addition, the reviews I read of working units said it was mediocre at best (picture and sound). APEX pulled the player from the market shortly after release. I had heard that there were some licensing issues with SACD, but I don't know if that is true. There was talk last year about APEX releasing a '7702 universal player, but that never materialized.

 

[Nathan J]

Ohh yes.....I had read about it in Sound & Vision I believe.


I think I remember them saying something about the quality was not as high as it could be. Doesnt really surprise me though being an Apex product, and being so cheap.

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, based on what I read about the '7701 on Audio Asylum, here, and other web sites, it seems like Sound & Vision was rather kind. Then again, they rarely, if ever, are harsh in a review.

 

[Nathan J]

Thats one thing about magazine reviews....they can never really say what they want to, or what they are thinking, because if they do, they might lose the advertising profits from that company.

Alot of magazines won't even "recommend" a product over another one....they all just have somewhat neutral opinions, and act like everything is a decent product.
(Some magazines....not all of them)

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, well, that is particularly true of the US magazines. The British magazines, such as What Hi*Fi? and Hi-Fi Choice, are more honest. In fact, these magazines tend to do shoot-outs of several like components in a given price class, and they go into detail about each component's strengths and weaknesses. These shoot-outs end in one component being declared the winner. The US magazines rarely do this. When I've seen shoot-outs in US magazines, they tend to be wishy-washy.