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Kaskade1309

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I expect that all these units of similar size are mostly empty space. Filling the space with a larger circuit board doesn't mean it is somehow higher quality. A larger board may result in slightly better heat disappation because components my be further apart, but I doubt it would have any particular impact on the longevity of the unit. I suppose a larger board could reduce the possibility of problems developing due to solder migration.
Was just reportin' on what I read; it is kinda embarassing, though, when you see what's in the Oppos/Cambridge and Panasonic compared to the Reavons...

It's like this:

1642625272626.png


Compared to this:

1642625295469.png


1642625309489.png


1642625376132.png


1642625428531.png


The Cambridge CXUHD looks a bit stingy inside compared to its Oppo cousin probably because the unit drops the analog outputs and associated hardware...

Just guessing, though.
 

Edwin-S

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I would guess that the top pic is a Reavon X100 since there are jobs analog outs. I have to admit those pics do make it look like like the Reavon is way overpriced for what is in there.

The Panny 9000 looks like the most.solid build of the lot. Getting a region-free version of it is something like 1500US. That would put it over 2000 in Canadian monopoly bucks and would have to be ordered from the Statea.
 

Bartman

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The top picture looks more like a $15 DVD player from Walmart, seriously, is that a Reavon?

If so, while more hardware does not necessarily equate to more performance etc, I have to hand it to Reavon for their economy of design.

Just out of interest, has anyone read the QR code on the optical drive assembly?
 

Kaskade1309

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The top picture looks more like a $15 DVD player from Walmart, seriously, is that a Reavon?

If so, while more hardware does not necessarily equate to more performance etc, I have to hand it to Reavon for their economy of design.

Just out of interest, has anyone read the QR code on the optical drive assembly?
GUARANTEED that's the Reavon, albeit the X100, I believe.
 

Kaskade1309

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I would guess that the top pic is a Reavon X100 since there are jobs analog outs. I have to admit those pics do make it look like like the Reavon is way overpriced for what is in there.

The Panny 9000 looks like the most.solid build of the lot. Getting a region-free version of it is something like 1500US. That would put it over 2000 in Canadian monopoly bucks and would have to be ordered from the Statea.
Yes, that is a pic of the X100 I provided; it does look ridiculously under-gunned compared to the others, which was my point.

I own the 9000, and from what I am being told, the build quality of these Reavons -- even the premium over-$1K X200 -- can't hold a candle to that of the Panasonic. While I dislike the Panasonic for a myriad reasons, mainly having to do with the functionality of the unit and lack of certain key features (including a stupid non-defeatable auto-power-off-after-20-minutes function that they STILL haven't addressed), there is no denying it's the best built disc player I've ever owned. The weight of the unit, the multiple layers of aluminum on the body, the top plate screw pattern...it really screams "premium."

However, my unit has developed a weird "vibration cogging" when the disc drawer shuts closed (not when it's opening, which is smooth as butter) and it renders the whole drawer mechanism/rail somewhat "scratchy" as the tray closes shut. It's disappointing for a unit that costs so much and is built so well otherwise.
 

Carlo_M

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Promising specs. Waiting for the price announcement. Anything over a grand is gonna be a no go for me.
 

JohnRice

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Just a note, the X100 does play DSD and associated files. It just doesn't read SACD discs. I'm actually hoping to rip all my SACDs anyway. I'm trying to get away from disc based music.
 

Carlo_M

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From what I am being told on a UK-based forum...

it will cost between 150 to 200 Euros more than the existing UBR-X100!
$200 USD would put it at $999. At that point the reviews will have to be stellar in order to tempt me.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Just a note, the X100 does play DSD and associated files. It just doesn't read SACD discs. I'm actually hoping to rip all my SACDs anyway. I'm trying to get away from disc based music.

I'd like to do that myself, but haven't really looked into how...

_Man_
 

ManW_TheUncool

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From what I am being told on a UK-based forum...

it will cost between 150 to 200 Euros more than the existing UBR-X100!

Honestly, I don't see why they're charging that much more just for adding SACD playback, especially just in digital domain w/out quality analog out.

IMHO, $800 for the X100 was too high already for what the player does (and its spartan build)...

It's not even like they can claim some esoteric audiophile buzz to drive the pricing that high, LOL...

_Man_
 

Kaskade1309

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$200 USD would put it at $999. At that point the reviews will have to be stellar in order to tempt me.
Yeah, it would put it precisely where the Panasonic UB9000 is, and I don't believe they have the same build quality (though the Reavons do offer more flexbility in terms of settings/functionality).
 

Kaskade1309

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Honestly, I don't see why they're charging that much more just for adding SACD playback, especially just in digital domain w/out quality analog out.

IMHO, $800 for the X100 was too high already for what the player does (and its spartan build)...

It's not even like they can claim some esoteric audiophile buzz to drive the pricing that high, LOL...

_Man_
I can agree with that to a point; for $700/$800, I thought the Cambridge CXUHD was a good choice and a great UDP-203 substitute when it was available (I own one).
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Yeah, it would put it precisely where the Panasonic UB9000 is, and I don't believe they have the same build quality (though the Reavons do offer more flexbility in terms of settings/functionality).

Except the Panny is probably waaay better at the most important function of such a player, ie. 4K/HDR disc playback w/ its best-in-class tonemapping...

The other extra bells and whistles are nice to have for sure, but doesn't replace actual quality playback/results though...

That's why I continue to think it's best to just get whichever Panny 4K player plus a used Oppo (non-4K) for everything else instead. There's really no need to be stuck on getting a universal player me thinks... especially one w/ suspect quality at such high price...

_Man_
 
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Bartman

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Except the Panny is probably waaay better at the most important function of such a player, ie. 4K/HDR disc playback w/ its best-in-class tonemapping...

The other extra bells and whistles are nice to have for sure, but doesn't replace actual quality playback/results though...

That's why I continue to think it's best to just get whichever Panny 4K player plus a used Oppo (non-4K) for everything else instead. There's really no need to be stuck on getting a universal player me thinks... especially one w/ suspect quality at such high price...

_Man_
Makes me wonder how many other crazy people, like me, have multiple players to cover all formats. This week I got a hankering to listen to FM on my HiFi. Trouble was there was no room for my circa 1980 home built tuner, so out went the Sony S360 that no longer plays Blu-rays but is fine for SACDs and MP3s and in came an old Sony DVP-NS710H that is only 1.5" tall and also plays SACDs and MP3s. It fit at the bottom of my HiFi stack along with my NAD amplifier and circa 1995 Panasonic DVD-A110 that no longer plays DVDs but has beautiful DVD audio DACs for CD playback.
I wonder how many people throw out their players once the laser becomes too weak to play their main format, not realizing that lesser formats often still play fine!
After a little experimentation with a Terk omni and horizontal and vertical dipoles, I found an FM folded dipole antenna mounted vertically behind a curtain next to the stack pulled in WCRB at 80% signal strength. A little experimentation goes a long way.
Now back to Reavon.
 
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ManW_TheUncool

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With so many formats to cover (on top of region-free BD/DVD playback, if that's desired/needed), not crazy at all to settle for a duo-player setup instead of insisting on single, universal player. IF anything, it may be crazy to insist the latter and still want top quality across the board, especially given the niche-within-niche market for such...

Personally, I'm perfectly satisfied so far w/ my Panny UB420 (only paid ~$150) paired w/ my 6-yo-plus Oppo 103 for my HT setup (w/ 120" FP). IF I was using an OLED display, I might've gone for the UB820 instead (whenever it goes on sale for ~$400), but can't really use the DV output for FP setup (and don't really need analog audio output from the 4K player, especially since it won't do SACD anyway... plus my Anthem AVM-60 prepro's DAC output is probably at least as good, if not better)...

_Man_
 
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David Norman

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The Panny 9000 looks like the most.solid build of the lot. Getting a region-free version of it is something like 1500US. That would put it over 2000 in Canadian monopoly bucks and would have to be ordered from the Statea.

I'm not sure what percentage of BD discs the stock 9000 can play via the top Menu trick, but it is a pretty high percentage of Region Locked discs. I've never actually found the information (or forgotten if I did) if the Top Menu works for DVDs.

OTOH, I think for $400-500 I'd rather have a region free Bluray player instead of mucking around with teh 4K player.
So far I've not tested a Locked Bluray disc in my new 820 that it wouldn't play, but I haven't really used it much for those discs yet -- it's sitting on top of my Oppo 103D which I bought used for less than $350 so not really much reason to honestly
 

Scott Merryfield

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With so many formats to cover (on top of region-free BD/DVD playback, if that's desired/needed), not crazy at all to settle for a duo-player setup instead of insisting on single, universal player. IF anything, it may be crazy to insist the latter and still want top quality across the board, especially given the niche-within-niche market for such...

Personally, I'm perfectly satisfied so far w/ my Panny UB420 (only paid ~$150) paired w/ my 6-yo-plus Oppo 103 for my HT setup (w/ 120" FP). IF I was using an OLED display, I might've gone for the UB820 instead (whenever it goes on sale for ~$400), but can't really use the DV output for FP setup (and don't really need analog audio output from the 4K player, especially since it won't do SACD anyway... plus my Anthem AVM-60 prepro's DAC output is probably at least as good, if not better)...

_Man_
I am doing something similar. My home theater rack has three disc players: (1) A Panny 820 UHD player, which is my primary player for movie playback, (2) a Sony X800 UHD player, which serves as a backup video player along with SACD playback, and (3) an old Opp 980H universal DVD player, which gets used primarily for SACD & DVD-Audio playback.

I had the money sunk into the Sony X800 (upgraded to the Panny for Dolby Vision support) and Oppo DVD player, so why not continue to use them instead of spending more money?

For setups in other rooms, plus our South Carolina condo, I have gone to just streaming. There is still an old Sony BD player installed in our master bedroom, but it hasn't been used in over a year -- and then it got used only because our family room where the main home theater is located was being remodeled, so the HT was disconnected for a couple of weeks.
 
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Kaskade1309

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Except the Panny is probably waaay better at the most important function of such a player, ie. 4K/HDR disc playback w/ its best-in-class tonemapping...

The other extra bells and whistles are nice to have for sure, but doesn't replace actual quality playback/results though...

That's why I continue to think it's best to just get whichever Panny 4K player plus a used Oppo (non-4K) for everything else instead. There's really no need to be stuck on getting a universal player me thinks... especially one w/ suspect quality at such high price...

_Man_
Outside of the HDR Optimizer -- which only works for HDR10 content anyway -- and the HCX processor's chroma upsampling multi-tap process (which richens colors), there isn't much I'd give up in the way of substituting the 9000 for the CXUHD in my system, given the CXUHD's myriad functionality benefits.

Some of us still hold on to certain functionalities that the Panasonics just cannot handle, including zooming of non-anamorphic DVD content, aspect ratio control via the player (the Oppos, Cambridge, Reavons, Pioneers and the new Pannde PD-6 all have a feature wherein you can set the unit so that 4:3 DVD content is automatically stretched to fit the screen, which I prefer), resume playback, source direct and no automatic power off.

I understand what you're saying about having a second player for everything non-4K, which I considered (fixing my otherwise excellent Oppo BDP-83 for DVD playback), but some of us would rather have everything in one player (seems to be a dying dream, though).
 

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