DCC Archive SACD/DVD/HDCD Players

Can anyone recommend an excellent CD player that supports the following formats (SACD/DVD A/HDCD). Price range up
to US$1500.

Any help appreciated, as we have very little
choice here in Australia.

 

Sorry James, there is no such animal.

 

wrong!

pioneer elite model #777 supports all these formats plus MP3.

later, chris

 

The new Sony XA777ES has retail of $3K but from what I read on AA a street price closer to $2K which is close to your budget. Comments indicate VERY good sonics on both redbook CD but especially on SACD with superb construction quality. I never cared too much for digital until getting a Sony SCD-1. Certainly SACD is amazing but playback of redbook is VERY good and musically involving as well.

 

I just bought a Sony DVP-NS500V off ebay for $242.50. Sony has donated a bunch of them as part of Auction for America, so all proceeds go to the Red Cross and you get a warm fuzzy for your participation.

I don't think you can beat the price, and shipping is a reasonable $12.50 (as opposed to $30 at one online merchant).

Worst case scenario: I have a decent DVD-V player. Best case scenario: I have a very good DVD-V player, SACD player, and standard CD player.

I don't like Sony and hate to be buying their hardware, but this seemed like too good a deal to pass on. No one else is doing what their hardware does at the price point. DVD-A and HDCD would be nice, but I'll live without them.

Now, for some software...

 

Hmmm, I have always liked my Sony CDP-X222ES CD player, it has served me well for many years, while many other CD players went broke. I have no reason to be a Sony hater.

Has anyone looked at the new Sony DVP-NS900, which can play DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD/Video, CD, CD-R/RW; it has a built-in DTS and Dolby-Digital decoder, it can play multichannel SACD and the video section can be turned off (pure audio). I am not sure if DVD audio can be played, though.

 

Are far as I know, there are currently no machines priced at under $1500 that play both DVD-A and SACD, and I'm pretty sure that the one or two machines out there that can actually handle both DVD-A and SACD (which cost significantly more than the combined cost of separate mid-level SACD and DVD-A players) do not have HDCD decoding. Denon has released one or two reasonable afforable player that appear to play everything (including HDCD) except for SACD.

Apex is supposed to be releasing a low cost universal player before the end of the year, although I wonder whether the quality of its components can really do justice to hi resolution audio.

Outlaw Audio is also supposed to be working on a DVD player that will handle both DVD-A and SACD, although from what I've heard, that project is not on a fast track.

A number of chip sets have been announced in the past few months that are supposed to be capable of decoding both DVD-Audio (i.e., hi resolution PCM) and SACD (i.e., DSD) audio. Hopefully we will see affordable universal players released next year, although it appears that the major electronics manufacturers backing each format are not inclined to give any support whatsoever to the competing formats, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Sony DVD/SACD player that also plays DVD-Audio or a Panasonic DVD-A player that also plays SACD.

So unless you're willing to gamble on the Apex player, you're going to have to buy two players in order to be able to listen to both SACD and DVD-Audio (at least at full resolution -- all DVD-Audio discs also contain a dolby digital track). And even then you might not have HDCD capability.

 

There are two platforms of DVD. DVD-V which is the movie platfom. Companies like Chesky and Classic Records use the disc space to store 24 bit, 96 khz musical information. When members post of DVDs from these companies and refer to them as DVD-A, they are mistaken. DVD-A was developed for music only but has a number of problems as a start-up format (see Audio Asylum hi-rez forum for all controversies).

 

Each DVD-A disc has two layers -- a DVD-V compatible layer (which can be read by any DVD player) that contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and/or a DTS mix and a separate layer that can only be read by DVD-Audio compatible players which contains one or both of the following: (a) a high resolution stereo mix (e.g., 88.2/24, 96/24 or 192/24 PCM audio) and (b)a high resolution surround mix (up to six channels of 96/24 PCM audio).

Unfortunately, even though a regular DVD player can read 96/24 PCM audio (although many players cannot output 96/24 PCM audio through their digital outputs), a 96/24 stereo mix contained on the DVD-Audio layer cannot be played on a regular (i.e., non DVD-Audio compatible) DVD player.

Personally, I wonder whether the industry would have been better off simply utilizing the existing DVD-V specs. A 96/24 PCM stereo track can sound pretty darn good, as can a DTS 5.1 mix.

 

Originally posted by christopher:
>> wrong! pioneer elite model #777 supports all these formats plus MP3. <<

Christopher, before you scream "wrong", read the question first. Is this 777 (that's a Sony model, not any Pioneer model I'm aware of) less than $1500? If not it's you who's wrong. I'm waiting to hear back on whether a Pioneer "777" even exists.

Actually I don't think any of the Pioneer DVD players decode HDCD. Am I wrong?

 

Greg, settle down. I think he's referring to the following:

Pioneer dv747

There's no mention of HDCD but it does everything else. Apparently it'll be available in Europe before the US.

Now, I just re-read your response Greg. That really is uncalled for.

 

I still like 24/96 DAD discs from Classic Recs. If one is to have the experience of a very high-bandwith listening experience without paying for a premium, doing a simple stereo master to 24/96 to DVD isn't a bad idea. Immediate production costs are sometimes higher, but the DVDs could also have DTS 5.1 which definately has been enlightening. There's a reason why DTS has peeked its head in some DVD-A's and homeade quad releases, and the reasons are pretty obvious. I still think D.D. is great for HT but little else. My "Blue Train" DAD is only 3 1/3 gig, with huge room to spare. Even if you leave the DAD disc alone, it's a winner on many fronts. Gawd knows I've possibly had that disc spinning for repeated listenings. Good also that I don't have a wife to put up with that!

The one thing DD has shown, it's a damn good compression from file size/sound quality. Still, it's a lot missing, folks.

I'm afraid in this economy, it's easier to give a "DAD" to someone who already has a "good" HIFI and DVD player. SACD, DVD-A (high) and to have something that encompasses all just isn't right.

Although I'm all for broad-market sucess with many sucessful formats, the madness is a bit hard for some to take starting out. Make it simpler. This can be achieved with the DVD player most people have. I've listened, listened more, and looked at the implications in what one would have to do to sell such a thing to a very "numb" buyer at large. Hell, trying to tell some people that vinyl is still very suprising at a very achievable price is tough. I wouldn't wish such a realistic desicion on anyone spearheading a project with respect to what format is best. I'm sure DCC is scratching their eyebrows occasionally too.

I'm giving up on SACD thoughts, period. Sorry fellas. Deal me out.

 

Sure thing, Sckott. Yer out.
Of course, I don't own a DVD player, so count me out of DAD.

Originally posted by jkerr:
>> Greg, settle down. I think he's referring to the following:
Pioneer dv747 <<

Thanks but I couldn't be any more "settled". The Pioneer you linked me to doesn't do HDCD and is a different model than the number given, as you yourself acknowledge. Also, it is probably in excess of $1500, though no list price is given.

>> Now, I just re-read your response Greg. That really is uncalled for. <<

Huh? What is uncalled for? Is it the fact that I take exception to being told that I'm "wrong" when in fact I'm not wrong? In that case, what's the point of even having a discussion? We can all just make misstatements and not be challenged.

I repeat, there is no machine that does SACD, DVD-A and HDCD for less than $1500. If I'm wrong--and I'd love to be--I'll be the first to admit it. But the fact is that such a machine doesn't yet exist.

[ November 26, 2001: Message edited by: GregM ]