Toshiba 6915 vs. Pioneer 578?? (1 Viewer)

[Tim Hoover]

I'm in the market for a budget hi-rez player for my modest 2-channel office system and was wondering if anybody had compared these two players. Aside from the obvious fact that the Tosh is a changer and the Pioneer is a single-disc model, can anyone shed some light on any audio differences between the two? The player will be run through a Cambridge Audio A300 integrated feeding a pair of Alesis Monitor Ones...

 

[gene c]

The Nov issue of Home Theater Mag has a side by side of the 578 and the 4960 (single disc version of the 6915?) and the much more expensive Onkyo 802, which they still referred to as "entry level"(?). All three were given the same 91 final rating though in the commentary the 802 was the clear winner. Between the 578 and the 4960, I got the impression the 4960 was slightly favored. Now for my personal experiences. Six months ago I purchased and returned two 6915's which had the same problem. Both worked the first time I turned them on, but not the second time. I blamed it on early QC issues which hopefully have been corrected. Up till then, I had been using a four year old Philips. When the 6915's did work I noticed two things right away. The picture and sound were incredible for an inexpensive player. Sharp, bright colors and wonderful sound. The remote on the other hand was not user friendly. Can't remember why, though. Also, there wasn't any difference when switching to progressive mode. Maybe that switch wasn't working either? After returning the 6915's, I bought a Pioneer 563 which is close enough to the 578 that a comparison is worthy. When I turned on the 563 there wasn't any "wow" factor but I guess I was comparing it to the Toshiba and not the Philips. Picture and sound seem very good though. The remote is also easy to use and switching to progressive, via the remote, was an improvement. But the Toshiba's picture with s-video seemed as good as The Pioneer with component. Remote aside, the Toshiba's menu set-up was much better than the Pioneers. HTM felt the same. It takes more time to figure out the Pioneer. Overall, I think I would have liked the Toshiba a little bit more but that's a guess more than a conclusion. Now, my sites' and piggy bank are set on that Onkyo 802 . Hope all of this helps.

 

[Tim Hoover]

Thanks for the input, Gene. I have a Pioneer 563 in my main rig, so I'm quite familiar with its capabilities. That's an interesting tidbit regarding the 6915's QC issues. I wonder if that is the reason why BB is clearancing them out for $120...

BTW, video capabilities are a non-issue, as my office setup is audio-only...

 

[gene c]

I haven't heard of any QC problems lately so maybe it was start-up issues. I wouldn't hesitate to get another 6915, and HTM said the sound of the 4960 would hold it's own against others in the $400-500 bracket. I don't think I'd go that far, but I was more than happy with the way it sounded. They also were impressed with the quality of it's inside components. As for why they are so cheap right now ($99. on the internet) I'm not sure. Maybe QC, maybe lack of consumer interest. Either way, it's a heck of a bargain. If it works. Pioneer seems to have a better track record though. Only DVD-A software issues which have been addressed. Both represent a good value in it's own way.

 

[Chris Brunner]

I bit on a 6915 at Best Buy for $119 and have not had all the problems many people have reported.

MY particular problem is that the "Black" setting accessed via the set-up menu wont toggle to the "on" position.

Since my HDTV receiver tends to run a bit on the darker side, I used the Black setting on my previous Toshiba player to keep from having to adjust my RPTV's brightness each time I switched between the two sources.

The polite, but clearly non-technical CS rep at Toshiba said that if I send it in "at my expense", they'd send a new/repaired one. I think I'd rather take it back to BB for a refund.

I'd hate to have to take it back because of this. I was SO close to enjoying a universal player on my budget. Can anybody who still has one of these players confirm if the Black level setting under "Display" will toggle from "off" to "on"? I'm connected via component with the switch on the back set to 480p.

Thanks

C

 

[Tim Hoover]

Okay, I bought a 6915 yesterday and the damn thing is going back. This player is an absolute nightmare of UI issues. For instance, I cannot pause, stop, or play a disc via the dedicated buttons on the remote. I have to physically get down and press the appropriate button on the player itself. In addition, the changer mechanism itself is incredibly slow, and there are no direct disc-access buttons, which makes going from, say, disc 1 to disc 4 extremely time-consuming. This player might be okay in a system w/ video capability, but for my office system without a display it's a horrendous machine to use. I'm returning it for one of the two remaining Pioneer 578s at my local BB.

 

[Tim Hoover]

How odd...I finally got around to looking at the manual, and I have to hold the play/pause or stop buttons down for about 2 seconds to get them to work. Now I'll have to think about returning it, as opposed to definitely returning it...