Open box RP-91 vs. New F85s (1 Viewer)

[marc]

I just purchased the Panny F85S to replace my 5 yr. old toshiba. I am using this with a toshiba 50" standard tv. They had an open box, Panny RP-91N, one hell of a deal, Let's just say it was under $300. I don't care about the 5-discs, but what would you guys do. I want good DVD video and DVD-Audio. Fast responses would really help me. Thanks

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

The F85 uses Panasonic's new all-in-one chip which is a step back from the faroujda based Panasonic players like the RP56, 62, 82, CP72, and so on. The RP91 isn't faroujda based, but is also not an all-in-one chip based player either. It's still Panasonic's top-of-the-line player after over 2 years of production and a steal at under $300. I payed $290 shipped for a new one in the Champaign color and couldn't be happier. If scaling is important to you (it is to me, my Panasonic 47" widescreen RP HDTV locks in full mode when receiving progressive/HD signal), then I would definitely go w/ the RP91. If not, it's probably a wash to be truthful. None of the Panasonic players are going to exhibit the chroma bug, and I wouldn't think there would be a real difference in DVD-Audio performance.

Either way I think you'll be happy. If you need scaling features like me, the RP91 is the way to go. If you don't mind the Champaign color, you can pick a new one up for $290 shipped at www.newegg.com .

Hope this helps

 

[marc]

I don't have an HDTV or Widescreen, so I would guess that the scaling would not be a factor. I only bought this for a future addition of an HDTV. I got the F85S for $140. The open box RP91 is $198.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

If you're after good DVD-Audio and good 480i, maybe your best bet is the S55 plus Outlaw ICBM assuming none of the Panny's offer good bass management and you actually need it.

_Man_

 

[KeithH]

Man-Fai,

Are you recommending the 'S55S over the 'F85? If so, why?


All,

Is it know with certainty that Panasonic's all-in-one chip is inferior to its previous separate-chip approach?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Keith,

I'm not saying the S55 is better than F85, but given his situation and the lack of reviews for these players, I was just suggesting that he spend much of that $300 budget on the Outlaw ICBM unless he doesn't need BM, which seems unlikely to me.

BTW, I just placed an order for the ancient RP91 from MikeSRC's site, but I went cheap w/ ground shipping, so it'll still be another week or so before I know exactly how much better the RP91's PQ is over the S35. If J&R had the S55 in black, I would've gotten that instead of the S35, but DVD-A isn't a priority for me.

_Man_

 

[MikeSRC]

Keith -

I've done a side-by-side comparison of an RP-82 and an S35 (my review is on another forum). The S35 (and by extension, the other new Pannys) is not a bad player, but it doesn't have per-pixel motion adaptive deinterlacing. There are some noticeable artifacts on a big screen (50"+) in motion sequences and some blockly chroma in some of the typical scenes where the chroma bug is usually seen. Viewed on a 32" direct view, these problems become almost invisible and the zoom capabilities become a plus.

Man -

You might get it sooner than you expect because they're shipped from a warehouse in Philadelphia.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

You might get it sooner than you expect because they're shipped from a warehouse in Philadelphia.

Hey! That's great news! I just assumed it would ship from CA where you are. Too bad I didn't order a day or two sooner so I could have it for this weekend. But if FedEx ground works the same way as UPS Ground, then I should probably get it much sooner indeed.

Any recommendations for 2-channel DVD-A discs to try w/ the RP91? I prefer classical music, but some good jazz or classic rock or even some 80's stuff would be appreciated.

_Man_

 

[MikeSRC]

For 2-channel jazz, there's nothing better than the discs at www.hiresmusic.com. Jazz at the Concord with Herb Ellis and Joe Pass is sublime. If you like Steely Dan, Two Against Nature and Donald Fagen's The Nightfly are outstanding.

For both classical and jazz, check out AIX.

For classic rock, the Eagles' Hotel California is very good choice.

 

[KeithH]

Mike,

Thanks for the comments. Interesting. Fortunately, any DVD-Audio player I buy for my second stereo system will only be used for audio. Still, it is interesting.


Man-Fai,

O.K. From what I have seen, there is no black 'S55. I considered getting an 'RP91 to have stereo DVD-Audio in my second stereo system, but that would be crazy for me. You see, I replaced a Technics DVD-A10 in my main system with a Denon DVD-3800 about a month ago, and I in turn sold the 'A10. As you can probably imagine, I sold the 'A10 for less than the price of a new 'RP91. I'd feel like an idiot if I now went out and bought a new 'RP91 for the second system when I could have simply moved the 'A10 up there. For audio, I consider the 'A10 and 'RP91 to be similar if not identical. So, I would feel better just going with the inexpensive 'S55S or 'F85. Besides, this is just the second system. If I had a good reason not to get the 'S55S or 'F85 (e.g., some major production issues), there is an outside chance I would "go for broke" and get a Denon DVD-1600. The 'RP91 would be my last choice simply because I sold the 'A10.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Keith,

Since you will be using the player for a DVD-Audio only application on a second system, the RP-91 would probably be overkill for your use. It's biggest drawing point is its built-in scaling feature, which would be useless in an audio-only application.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

The 'RP91 would be my last choice simply because I sold the 'A10.

But Keith, 2 wrongs don't make 1 right.

Anyway, I would've considered the Denon 1600 also, but since scaling is a big issue for me, that was a no go.

This is a bit OT, but can anyone recommend an SACD player that plays CDs better than the RP91 and both CD and SACD better than the Philips 963sa for

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This is a bit OT, but can anyone recommend an SACD player that plays CDs better than the RP91 and both CD and SACD better than the Philips 963sa for

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

For some reason, I thought I heard the lower end Sony ES players weren't that good for redbook CD though. Did I remember incorrectly? Also, there's concern about the quality of the BM processing on these players. So far, I don't recall any sound quality problems w/ the Philips 963sa and it seems to offer more processing capabilities although not w/out its own quirks.

Would be nice to have an ES changer again, but would like to know more. Guess I should post to the other threads for this...

_Man_

 

[KeithH]

Scott,

I agree that the 'RP91 would be overkill. Again, I'd feel like an idiot for getting the 'RP91 after selling the 'A10. I figured the new Panasonic players would be good for me. On the other hand, I have a thing for the higher-quality gear, and there is a temptation to get the Denon '1600. I admit that the '1600 would be way overkill for my needs.


Man-Fai said:

But Keith, 2 wrongs don't make 1 right.

True. The 'RP91 is a nice player, and the '1600 is obviously very nice, but I think I will go with the 'F85. It looks great for the money. I would consider the 'S55S if I could find it locally.

 

[TommyL]

how is the rp-91 vs the 1600 for regular cd audio? having a difficult time figuring out which to buy....the 2900 is still a option, but at this point I really don't need sacd ...thoughts? thxs!

 

[KeithH]

Tommy, the '1600 is a better CD player than the 'RP91. The '1600 is a nice component.

 

[KeithH]

Man-Fai said:

For some reason, I thought I heard the lower end Sony ES players weren't that good for redbook CD though.

Well, it depends on what you are comparing them to. In general, all the Sony ES players have gotten favorable reviews as CD players at their respective price points. The 'CE775 and Sony's non-ES DVD/SACD players have been deemed lacking with CDs by many owners. I agree.