Panasonic DVD-CP72S starting to hit stores, anyone tried yet? (1 Viewer)

[Dan_Jones]

Well I'm looking to buy a new DVD changer here and wanted to go with a changer. After the very good reviews (well, minus the bad tray batch) the RP82 seemed like one of the best all around budget players out there, so the CP72 seemed to be the right choice in changers (they are the exact same I figure, besides the changer?). Now that its finally in stock at some places (namely Etronics) I was curious if anyone had it.
So, anyone have experience with this changer yet? Really looking for some first hand experience in how it is in vid/aud/mechanics
Sooo curious

 

[KeithH]

Dan, I have not come across anyone here who owns the 'CP72 yet. Seeing as it is just coming out now, you might want to wait a week or two to see if anyone posts a review. I am waiting for Crutchfield to post it on its web site so I can get a look at it.
In case you didn't notice, someone here recently posted specs. for the 'CP72 that appear in a current Panasonic products catalog. The specs are listed in the following thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=87426

 

[Neil Weinstock]

And it really does look like a it inherits the RP-82's guts, including the MPEG decoder. That's good news. This is looking like my new player, though I still haven't completely ruled out the Sony 655 (Am I the only one who can never remember the letters they attach to these names, only the numbers?)

I wish Panasonic's numbering made any sense. The carousel version of the RP-62 is the CP-67. The carousel version of the RP-82 is... CP-72?

 

[Gary Thomas]

I've ordered one through Onecall...but have no idea when they will be in stock. I've not seen any of these in BB or CC or Sears, etc. The only ones I've seen "in stock" through the Internet are at full retail. Onecall has a great price...just hope I don't have to wait too long!

Anyone know if you'll be able to randomly change through DVD-A songs with this player?

 

[Walt N]

I received a CP-72K yesterday from OneCall. It's missing the Digital Re-Mastering Processing of the RP-82 and only has a Toslink dig. output, but if you're not going to use as your primary Redbook CD player it's the equivalent. I went through the on-line parts lists that was posted by someone at AVS for both units to confirm this before I ordered.

The only player I could compare it to was my old Pioneer DVD-525 and the video difference was stunning and instantly noticeable. I didn't really expect much, if any, of picture improvement (to my eyes) as my Toshiba 57HX81 has a good line doubler, so I'm very impressed since I bought this player primarily for it's DVD-A capabilities. I'm more of an audio-head than a video-head so I'm not well versed in "jaggie, chroma-bug, flicker, etc." identification but the picture is as close to flawless as anything I've seen.

For $224 this thing is an absolute steal.

Edit: Gary, it will play random tracks on random discs if you press both the "sequential" and "random" buttons. It skips the DVD-V discs and the empty slots when doing this but it will include MP3 discs or other music formats.

 

[KeithH]

Walt said:

I received a CP-72K yesterday from OneCall. It's missing the Digital Re-Mastering Processing of the RP-82

I don't know if this is such a loss with respect to the 'CP72. I have the Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player (first-generation model), which has the Re-Mastering feature. In limited use of the 'A10 with CDs, I did not detect a difference in the sound with the Re-Mastering feature engaged. Most reviews of the 'A10 I read said that the sound was worse with the Re-Mastering feature engaged.

 

[John Wielgosz]

I just picked up a CP72 yesterday. Could've got the CP-67 but DVD-Audio for another $50? I'm sold. I am VERY happy with my purchase. I'm hooking up through a 42H81 which further upconverts the signal to 540P (to a detrimental effect, it softens the highest frequency portions of the video signal), but even with that, I instantly noticed an increase in detail and image stability, and no chroma bug either.
Plus it carries various controls for MPEG-2 Noise Reduction which helps to control some of the lesser quality discs in my collection (Hunt for Red October anyone?)
I haven't seen any combing artifacts on video sources, even when I tossed it the "Ray of Light" video (composite video source combined with 5+ minutes of VERY fast motion and numerous edits, it didn't trip once).
This player is a steal for $249 street.

 

[Dan_Jones]

Sounds very good...couple more questions:

How's the Audio CD playback via toslink?
How's the changer mehanics...is it a loud carousel..any idea at how long it will last? (hypothetically)

Thanks!

 

[John Wielgosz]

I haven't tried CD playback yet. Multi-channel Film soundtracks seem to sound unchanged versus my older Sony changer via coaxial output. I'll check with some of my reference CDs and let you know.

The carousel is very quiet and smooth. The build quality seems very high, even if the player is on the small side. Far better than a JVC progressive changer that I had tried earlier in the year.

 

[Walt N]

Dan, I haven't tried any music CD's in the player, however DVD-V soundtracks and the alternate 5.1 DD tracks on the DVD-A discs I have sound fine through the Toslink output. No controlled testing performed here, but it's not noticably different from that of my replaced Pioneer's co-ax digital output and the Pioneer DVD-525 has always been considered and recommended as a superior bargain CD transport by various external DAC manufacturers. (It must have been a *very* good performer in the jitter department because without mods the transport mechanism sounded like a Pratt & Whitney JT8D when a disc would spin up!)
The carousel drawer operates smoothly and quietly. It's operation (when repositioning discs) is audible from my spot 9 ft. away but it didn't catch my attention as being excessively loud or suffering from a negative mechanical interface ie. grinding noises. ;-) I can't imagine why it wouldn't last for a good ten years or so, but then far be it for me to predict such things and inadvertently hex them. Overall it's a very good looking unit IMO and seems quite solid enough. Not flimsy and/or cheesy at all, but not quite an overbuilt "tank" on the scale of a Pioneer DV-09 DVD either. It looks just like this one.

 

[KeithH]

I saw the 'CP72S at Circuit City today ($250). Unfortunately, it was not plugged in, so I could not play with the carousel drawer. Typical Circuit City. Build quality of the chassis is about what I would expect for the price. I don't dig the mirror finish on the front panel, however. It's amazing how many components we are seeing these days with mirror finishes.

 

[Gary Thomas]

Keith: I agree with your assessment of the silver / mirror finish. I had to put on sunglasses to look at it. Similar models in black did look much better IMHO.

Anyone find a K (black) model yet???

I called onecall today and asked when they expect to receive 72K's & they said: "should be a week or two"... obviously to get me off the phone!

 

[Walt N]

Gary, the one I got from OneCall is a K version. Problem is they've just been trickling in and they go quickly.

 

[Harley]

Gary, the one I got from OneCall is a K version. Problem is they've just been trickling in and they go quickly.

Is it all black?

Harley

 

[Walt N]

"Is it all black?

Harley"

Yes, it looks just like the picture I linked in the message above. The shiny area on the front is black mirror, whereas the silver model has more of a chrome or silver mirror finish in that area.

 

[KeithH]

Walt, thanks for the information. The black version sounds more appealing to me. Now I would be curious to hear how DVD-Audio discs on the 'CP72 sound in comparison to other players out there.

 

[Walt N]

Sure thing, Keith. The CP-72 sounds great with DVD-A recordings. How the player's DVD-A capabilities will rank compared to other players is something I think will depend mainly on the listener's test methodology and belief system. No doubt there will be some "interesting" subjective evaluations coming down the pike in this area, but unlike the highly complex gyrations involved with video performance, the audio processing for DVD-A players is very simple, straight forward, and nothing particularly groundbreaking. (That's not to say the software medium itself isn't.) Unless one or more players compared suffer from obvious flaws (excessive noise floor etc.) in this area, I'd expect no audible difference that will stand up to the scrutiny of a DBT, or even a well run SBT.
Just IMHO of course!

 

[Harley]

Thanks Walt....

I placed my order or should I say tried to but was told to submit my email and when they come in I would be contacted for the all-black.

The reason I was concerned if it was all-black was because on "one call.com" they show a silver with a black front which is labeled under the black but with a disclaimer "This is the silver" but I saw the 72 at CC and it was all silver with a mirrored front, so I called one call and asked them about the picture and he said I've not seen the black yet, so I was concerned if it was completely black or a mixture.

Thanks for clearing that up and I'm jealous that you were able to obtain the black so quickly...now once again (Outlaw 950, Samsung HLM 507) I'm on a waiting list for promised products that always seem to be in short supply or intentionally hyped to see how much interest there is before actually getting sufficient supplies to market.

Harley

 

[KeithH]

Walt, I would expect more expensive DVD-Audio player like the Denon DVD-1600 to be better on the audio side than the Panasonic 'CP72, but that is just my opinion! I could very well be wrong. If the 'CP72 can hold it's own with more expensive players, then it's a real bargain. I like changers and wouldn't mind owning an inexpensive DVD-Audio changer like the 'CP72 if it is a quality audio component.

 

[Dan_Jones]

I know the PR82 has a "Audio Only" mode that turns off all video components (or something like that) to supposedly improve audio quality...does the CP72 have this?