Universal Player: Pioneer 563A vs Denon DVD2200

i'm looking to get a decent universal CD/SACD/DVD-A/DVD player soon. i've heard good things about the Pioneer 563A, but some people say it doesn't play the redbook cd's so well. i've also read good things about the Denon DVD-2200, but it is a little more expensive.

is it worth the extra $300 for the Denon? thanks for any input...

 

I haven't compared the two components, but I had the '2200 for a couple of weeks (before trading up to the '2900) and liked it. The '2900 is the better audio component and offers better build quality, but the '2200 is a very solid component. I would be very surprised if the '563A performed as well given the price disparity.

By the way, unless you are able to get a good deal on the '2200, the difference between it and the '563A is more like $450 than $300. The '2200 sells for $600.

 

i've seen places online selling the Denon 2200 new for $450. thanks for your info, Keith.

 

O.K. Just be careful because those aren't authorized dealers. The only authorized Denon mail-order dealer is Crutchfield, and they sell the '2200 for $600.

 

I have the Pioneer 563A and I don't any complaints on any disc playback at all.

 

Hiya Keith,

I didn't recall reading that you'd done a trade-up. Thought the 2200 was just for the second system DVD-A? Why the step up to DVD-2900?

 

Why? Because I'm a gear addict. I mentioned the trade-up in the '2200 thread I had started. When I bought the '2200, I didn't give the '2900 serious consideration. I looked at it at Tweeter, but figured that the '2200 was good enough. Although I liked the '2200, I started wondering what I was missing -- the classic grass-is-always-greener scenario. In the end, I decided that the better build quality and audio performance of the '2900 was worth the extra money, so I traded up. I've been very pleased with the '2900.

 

I know it doesn't matter to you now, but they just posted a review of DVD-2200 and it's video performance here:


http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-...pe=&manufacturer=15&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0

Looks like the DVD-2900 nudges the 2200 out on video performance as well as audio.

 

I own the 563a and I think it is very good on DVD-A playback, especially after burn-in, however, its CD and SACD playback are definitely lacking. It's much better at DVD-A and DAD/DVD-V playback. I use my Sony C555ES for CD/SACD playback and it is far superior to the 563a concerning those formats. One other note, the 563a seems to suffer from occasional sound drop-outs when playing back SACD's. I believe someone mentioned this in the 563a thread that mikey started, but I hadn't noticed it until I sent the Sony in for repair and started using the 563a in to listen to SACD's in the interim. On a better note (no pun intended) the drop-outs seem to become less and less frequent the more burned-in the unit gets playing back SACD's.

All in all, I still wouldn't deter anyone from picking up the unit as a first SACD player, but if you already own a stand-alone SACD player, or a more high-end universal player, you may want to look at another player.

 

My impression of the Pioneer is just the opposite: it sounds better on SACD than on DVD-A, even after thoroughly burning in both sections. Redbook CD playback sounds fine to me, too.

I found one simple way to improve the 563A's sound overall is to add a high quality bypass cap to the power supply. I bypassed the 86uF 250V cap in the power supply with a 6uF polyprop from North Creek Music Systems and was pleased with the improvement. Replacing the 86uF completely with a Panasonic cap, as well as replacing the analogue out caps with Black Gates, is next on my list of mods.

 

Perhaps I base my judgment on how it sounds playing back SACD's when compared to the C555ES, which, admittedly, is not fair to the 563a. However, in comparison to other DVD-A players, the 563a holds up much better, IMO, than it does against other SACD players.

 

The 563a is a helluva $150.00 universal player. Is there anything better at this point in time?

 

Not at the price point. However, I've read that Samsung is coming out with a couple universal player. I don't know what they will sell for, but I believe they will be in the budget area.

 

Thanks for the info. I thought that lyrics from DVD-Audio discs looked sharper on my 13" TV with the '2900 than the '2200.

Just kidding.

 

You got that right , and I paid $179!

Joe

 

Yes, the 563a is a great player at that price point. It even competes well with certain DVD-A players at higher price points, IMO.