5 disc/carousel DVD player advice?

hey, I'm looking at finally getting a DVD player


I really liked the 5 disc tray on my old CD player because you could throw 5 different CD's on & shuffle through randomly, as well as sequential listening


I think I'll be better off just getting a 5 disc DVD player though...since I need DVD anyway, & they are great at CD playback as well.


any recommendations?


I know Sony makes one, but I haven't heard much good about their customer support if something goes wrong. A friend suggested Hitachi because they have an "auto-self power off disable" option.

but I'm interested in what anyone here thinks, you guys live & breathe this stuff

thx!

 

Actually, if you compare a comparably priced CD-only player and DVD player, the CD-only player is usually the better CD player. Yes, DVD players play CDs, but they don't always do it well. In the end, do some comparisons.

What is "auto-self power off disable" mean? Does this mean that you can have the Hitachi changer turn itself off automatically after a pre-determined idle time or defeat the feature to leave it on indefinitely? Whatever it means, I would stay from any player with an auto shut-off feature. I find that CD and DVD players sound better when they have been warmed up for at least a half-hour, so the auto shut-off feature is frustrating. I had a Technics DVD-Audio player that shut down after being idle for 30 minutes or so, and I couldn't stand it. There was no way to defeat it.

Now, what is your price range for a changer? If you going to get a DVD changer, you should look at models that offer SACD or DVD-Audio. Unfortunately, there are no changers available at present that do both. Sony makes solid DVD changers over a fairly wide price range that play SACDs. For example, you could get a model for around $200-250 at Best Buy or a similar big-box retailer, or you could get the DVP-NC555ES for around $600 through Tweeter, Crutchfield, www.jandr.com, or www.oade.com. Sony also makes 400-disc "jukebox" DVD changers that play SACDs. Go to www.crutchfield.com to see all the Sony DVD/SACD changers.

Yamaha makes a DVD/SACD carousel changer, but I've read nothing about its performance. Denon makes a DVD-Audio changer, and I've found Denon DVD-Audio players to be very good components. Crutchfield has the Denon changer.

These are just a few examples of components to look at. If you are looking at inexpensive models, check out the Panasonic changers. The recently introduced DVD-F87S at $130 does DVD-Audio. Panasonic has a reputation for turning out DVD players with first-rate video quality.

 

I'm exceedingly brand-loyal to Panasonic for DVD players. After almost six years and literally thousands of DVDs viewed, I've never had a problem with one. I've owned my changer/carousel for three years and love it. I HIGHLY recommend Panny players - they're all I own and all my friends own, and they've worked flawlessly.

 

"auto-self power off disable" means you can leave it on indefinitely & you can set it to stay like that


that's the same advice my friend told me, they sound better warmed up & it's best to leave SS components on.


he also said any run-of-the-mill DVD player will blow away any moderately priced CD player for playing CD's, because of the way DVD's are read....they must have a better DAC and read the data into memory first, compared to CD players which usually read right off the disc & have more potential for jitter. or something along those lines...?


....I'm not looking to spend crazy money, just want something reliable & good sounding


I'll look at what Panasonic has, thx for the help!!


ps after reading the HDCD thread here, I might look at DVD-A compatibility instead. plus Neil Young is putting his stuff out in DVD-A now....if it's good enough for Neil it's good enough for me

 

It seems that Panasonic has done an excellent job with its DVD players. I rarely read negative comments about them regarding reliability or compatibility. Some folks complain about their audio quality, but all of their players are budget models nowadays, so I take that with a grain of salt.

I had a Technics DVD-A10 for a little over two years (also under the Matsu$hita banner), and it performed flawlessly. The only thing I didn't like about it was the auto shut-off feature that could not be defeated. Does Panasonic still incorporate this feature in its players, and if so, can you defeat it?

 

From what I have experienced, DVD players with the auto shut-off feature are in the minority. Over the years, I've had DVD players by Sony, Denon, Pioneer, and Technics, and only the Technics player had the auto shut-off feature. The major brands generally stay away from this feature. Panasonic players may still have it, though.

Regarding CD playback with DVD players, note that many DVD players use the same types of DACs used in standard CD players or SACD players. The problem with many DVD players is that compromises are made in the audio section (transport, analog output stage, etc.) in order to also include the video section at the given price point. Also, a DVD player may lack proper isolation of audio and video circuitry needed to minimize or eliminate interference caused by video circuitry during audio playback.

If you consider a $600 CD-only player and a $600 DVD player, the design engineer working on the DVD player has more things to cram in under the hood. He or she has more parts and more circuitry to implement at the price point. The person designing the CD player only has to worry about audio. As a result, compromises are often made in the design of the audio section of the DVD player.

Note that there is no absolute with regards to CD playback. A CD-only player can be poorly designed, and a DVD-only player can have a very well-implemented audio section. I was simply speaking about what is commonly observed with DVD players.