What is the best sounding DVD-A player (1 Viewer)

[Greg Johnson]

Hello to all.

Im seeking others opinions on what is the best sounding DVD-A player. I am currently using a Toshiba SD-5700 to play my DVD-A titles. I do not use this player to view movies. I am using the Tosh. exclusivley to play DVD-A discs. Therefore I am not interested in the video performance at all. Just the DVD-A sound quality.

I have come accross the following players that seem to be pretty good deals.

Toshiba SD9200 $500-600

Denon DVD3300 $300-400

Denon DVD1600 $400-500

What I am wondering is would any of these players or other players I haven't mentioned give me an obvious upgrade in sound quality. I know the Denons have the burr brown DACs which are supposed to give great sound. The 9200 has received a lot of good reviews for it's audio performance.

So im kind of on the fence here as to whether or not this would be a worthy upgrade. I can sell my brother my 5700 so we're not talking about a lot of money here. But my main reason for posting is I am very interested in others opinions and experiences as to what is the best sounding DVD-A player.

Thanks,

Greg Johnson

 

[ManojM]

From the lot that you have, probably the Toshiba 9200, which is actually one of the better DVD-A players out there. I have also seen new ones going on ubid for even less than the price range you have.

 

[KeithH]

The Toshiba SD-9200 is a very nice component, though it is not the most user friendly among DVD-Audio players. It is not very easy to play DVD-Audio discs on the '9200 without a TV, for example. Still, it is a very nice component. Good deals abound on it now, as Toshiba will be replacing it with the SD-9500 later this year.
I would be wary of buying anything from Ubid. They don't have the greatest reputation out there for customer service or product quality. I noticed that they have one new '9200 available, but one thing I read didn't sit well with me, which is highlighted in bold in the following statement from their web site:

, and may also be eligible for an Extended Warranty. For questions, please contact uBid Customer Care.

May? This particular '9200 is said to be new, but what does that mean? It should mean that the '9200 is in a sealed Toshiba box, and therefore, it should have all relevant paperwork, including a warranty card. However, I wouldn't make that assumption here. These are the kinds of concerns you should have when you buy from an unauthorized dealer.

 

[DEAN DE FURIA]

I purchased my 9200 from Ubid and had it on my doorstep in three days. Factory sealed box with all warranty info iside. No problems, GREAT sound.

 

[KeithH]

Dean, that's good to know.

 

[Travis Olson]

Wanna really enhance your DVD-Audio sound? Invest in an ICMB, Outlaw makes a good one. I don't think there is a player on the market yet that lets you manage bass effectively, so an ICBM is a must. Here's a link to Outlaw's ICMB page.

 

[Greg Johnson]

Thanks for the replies. It's kind of funny how mixed peoples opinions of ubid are. I have never dealt with them myself but I have purchased quite a few items off of ebay before. So far so good there.

I can buy the 9200 from Tweeter or Abt in the Chicago area for 499. That is less than what they have been going for on ebay lately. Most of those are refurbished as well. The Denon 3300 have been going for a little less than 400 lately on ebay. But of course no warranty. Thats a roll of the dice I guess I can live with.

But do you guys think this is a worthy or frivolous upgrade. I really enjoy listening to high rez audio. I haven't been listening to music much in the last few years. Both DVD audio and SACD have rekindled my interest in music. I think that is a good thing. In the last few months I have added an ATI1505 amp, Sony P9000ES preamp, Outlaw ICBM, Sony NS900V DVD/SACD player and the Tosh 5700 to my system. It has never sounded so good to me. I have to admit the sound quality from the 5700 is very good. What Im not sure about is will I hear a significant improvement in sound quality getting one of these players. I would also love to hear more opinions on what are the better sounding DVD audio players on the market now.

Greg Johnson

 

[KeithH]

Greg, my recommendation is that you check out the Toshiba '9200 and Denon '1600 at local dealers. The Denon '3300 will likely be tough to find new since it was discontinued awhile back. Tweeter should have both the Toshiba '9200 and Denon '1600 and also has your '5700 for comparison. I am quite certain that the '9200 at $500 is a worthwhile upgrade from your '5700. Furthermore, $500 is a great price for the '9200. However, I am leery of the transport noise that many have observed with this model. Also, I can't help but wonder what Toshiba has in store for the forthcoming '9500. Of course, the '9500 will sell for much more than $500. In the end, give these other players a listen and let your ears decide.

Regarding Ubid, I must admit that I have not ordered anything through them. However, it is their reputation for poor customer service and items arriving DOA that has prevented me from doing so.

 

[Doug_B]

Greg,

Since you own the Sony NS900V, I'm wondering if you could tell me if you've had any problems with hybrid SACD discs. I was at a dealer this weekend, and I believe it was the 900V that couldn't read the multichannel SACD layer on my hybrid "In Modern Times" disc. It read the CD and 2 ch layers OK. The disc does work fine in a 555ES. If you don't have this disc, maybe a different hybrid with all three layers.

Thanks.

Doug

 

[Greg Johnson]

Keith, thanks for the very good advise. I will go to Tweeter today at lunch and audition the 9200 and the 1600. Hopefully they have some DVD-A discs because I forgot to bring mine to work with me. :frowning: Your right about the Denon 3300 being hard to find. That would be an Ebay purchase with of course no warranty. But the 3300 would be the least expensive. I read about the transport noise issue with the 9200 here as well. I wonder how wide spread the problem is.
On as side note, the Planet earth... under your name. Could it be that is from one of my favorite Devo songs? Thanks again for answering my post.
Doug, I only have two hybrid discs in my rather small but growing collection. "Bob Mintzer Homage to Count Basie" and "Jazz at the Pawnshop". Both discs play flawlessly on my 900V. I have only played the multi channel SACD layer though. I have to say that there is no doubt "Jazz at the Pawnshop" has the best sound quality of all my SACDs in my collection. If you even remotely like Jazz, buy this disc.
Greg Johnson