Coming to the US: Pioneer Elite UDP-LX500 Hi-Res Disc Player with stereo analog outputs $999.00*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by soundboy, Jul 18, 2018.

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  1. Rocketstail

    Rocketstail Forum Resident

    Here in Canada the Cambridge Audio player is only $100 less than I paid for the LX-500.
     
  2. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
  3. Rocketstail

    Rocketstail Forum Resident

  4. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    The LX800 looks to be a very well built player. Be nice if it'll be available in the US.
     
  5. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Of most interest, from What HiFi: "The analogue audio section of the UDP-LX800 is directly derived from Pioneer’s flagship PD-70AE SACD/CD player, employing the same circuit layout and pair of 32-bit, 8-channel Parallel Drive ESS Sabre DACs. "

    The PD-70AE has received excellent reviews and makes me think this player "should" be an upgrade form any Oppo for stereo, analogue. This of course comes at a price and we'll have to wait and see if the promise is realised.

    Pioneer PD-70AE Super Audio CD Player Review
     
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  6. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in
    I’m curious just how hot these Pio players will get. The literature for both makes mention of the ventless top and side panels. The rear panels are also ventless.
    I’ve gotten used to those big transformers on the OPPO’s putting out the BTU’s. :)
     
  7. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    Actually, it will probably be a downgrade. The 205 has 2 ES9038PRO DACs, which are considered top of the line. The LX800 is using 2 ES9026PRO DAC’s which are considered lower tier with a lower S/N ratio and higher THD.
     
    Bill Mac likes this.
  8. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    If it were only a simple as the specific dac chip! Every player would use the "highest" grade chip and sound exactly the same however.....
     
  9. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in
    I’m not saying that at all. There’s more than the implementation of the DAC’s to judge AQ. The proof will be when someone does a direct comparison to see if the Pio can take the crown away from current king.

    :)
     
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  10. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    That's a good question. The right rear of the top cover on my 205 is the warmest. The toroidal power transformer is in the front left and that's not outputting much heat if any at all. Would it be the video processing board in the right rear of the 205?
     
  11. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    There is little proof because someone else does a comparison - the proof is when you do it and it only proves it to you.

    The DAC chips themselves are dirt cheap for audio manufacturers buying them in bulk. There is a reason that high end audiophile companies choose TD 1541 and AD 1865 DAC chips over Ess Sabre chips and it has nothing at all to do with cost - they have bought and tried them all - they make selections based on listening to them. Whether corporations bother to listen is another matter. Pioneer used to make respectable sounding equipment all the way back to the Legato Link conversion days. But it's a very different company today.
     
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  12. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    I think the SOC of the 205 is on that side as well as the bigger caps. It is a bit weird though. I’m sure the Onkyo engineers know what they’re doing, but heat does have to go some place. If nothing else a lack of ventilation would tend to shorten the life of the unit unless these things run really cool.

    Until there are some better pics of the Pio’s interior here’s a LX800 comparison with the 205.




    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]
     
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  13. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in
    Since we’re discussing DAC’s, whatever the cost.



    [​IMG]
     
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  14. ElevatorSkyMovie

    ElevatorSkyMovie Senior Member

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Free health care isn't free.
     
  15. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    So true

    Nothing is free in this world
     
  16. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    It's priceless!
     
  17. Rocketstail

    Rocketstail Forum Resident

    So is getting your prescriptions ... no matter what they may be for $4.11. As a citizen of our country it is an essential right and saves health care costs in the future.
     
    Brother_Rael likes this.
  18. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Just a friendly suggestion but could we steer the discussion back to the new Pioneer universal players :).
     
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  19. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    That was a nice range that Pioneer put out. Classy looking fascia too - very clean and minimalist.
     
  20. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Pricing is out here in Australia

    Blu-ray Players

    4k for the UDP-LX800
    and
    2k for the UDP-LX500

    The UDP-LX800 is going to have to be seriously good to justify that price. The PD-70AE is "only" $3.5k but I can't see a Universal player matching a dedicated player for sound? Maybe I'll be eating my words but if weight (I know this is a random stat to look at but...) is anything to go by the UDP-LX800 is nearly 5kg less than the PD-70AE!

    CD / SACD Players
     
  21. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I wouldn't get too eaten up on a TOTL DAC in a lower spec machine.

    Twenty years ago, Kenwood stuck 8 Burr-Brown PCM-1702s (I think they were) in their then DP7090 CD player. It was a very good player. I've owned two over the years.

    It retailed for £400 but you'd have found that chip on players by the likes of Accuphase costing a fortune more.

    So, the Pioneer, merely by using a "lesser" Sabre DAC isn't hampered.

    There's a reason they're still using the WM8740, what must be a good dozen years on from when it came in. It's still being used by Astell and Kern in their entry level DAPs.

    The DAC alone isn't the whole story, but more a part of the ensemble.
     
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  22. Rocketstail

    Rocketstail Forum Resident

    I've just been told by my audio dealer that the UDP-LX800 will not be available in North America at this time. All these foreign electronic products have to be certified CSA (Canadian Standards Association) to be sold. So unless Pioneer gets the CSA certification they can't be sold here. I've run into this before with a Pro-Ject product not being available. So I guess if they aren't brought into the US it won't happen. In the US I think it has to be certified UL.
     
  23. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Interesting information about the Panasonic DP-UB9000. It appears that the digital and analog outputs are not all active at the same time. If one wants to use the analog outputs you have to go into the setup menu and disable HDMI audio and enable analog. Seems like a serious PITA for a player that is focused on superior analog performance. I looked at the LX500's manual (page 20) and it appears that all audio outputs are active at all times.

    LX500 manual - https://intl.pioneer-audiovisual.com/manuals/docs/SN29403453_UDP-LX500_En_180703_web.pdf
    Panasonic 820 manual (same as the 9000 settings wise) -ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/bluray/om/dp-ub820_en_om.pdf

    Page 31 of the 820 manual:

    Analog Audio Output

    Set this when outputting audio from the Analogue AUDIO OUT terminal.

    If “7.1ch” or “2ch (Downmix)” is selected, audio will not be output from the HDMI OUT terminal.
     
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  24. Rocketstail

    Rocketstail Forum Resident

    Well, that Pioneer LX-500 came in yesterday and I'll have pick it up today or tomorrow morning. Seems Pioneer Canada sold their "allotment" of units and I had to wait till they got some from the US. Took over month since I ordered it! Funny, the audio guy said your 40 pound Blu-ray player is in!
     
    ti-triodes likes this.
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