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curtis
09-05-2003, 12:53 PM
I just hooked up the DVD-A capabilities of my Panasonic CP72, and I'm really enjoying the only two DVD-A's that I have, REM: Automatic for the People and Buena Vista Social Club. Right now I do not know if it is the higher resolution that makes the difference or the mix, all I know is they are very enjoyable. What I want is a universal player so I can enjoy both SACD's and DVD-A's.

-curtis

BradJudy
09-05-2003, 01:45 PM
I've got a universal, but only one disc of each and no time to listen to any more at the moment. In three weeks or so I'll try some more out.

subfree
09-06-2003, 02:21 AM
I'm using a Denon dvd-2900 universal player and the sound quality on both sacd/dvd-audio are fantastic. There are more selections in sacd than dvd-audio, especially jazz/smooth jazz, which I like.Not really interested in the video aspect of dvd-audio,just the music.There is nothing like listening to a well mastered sacd/dvd-audio disc.

curtis
09-06-2003, 03:35 AM
subfree,
eventhough they are both fantastic, do you have a preference of the two?

-curtis

Ben_Wood
09-06-2003, 05:05 AM
I would like to upgrade to the not-yet-released Denon DVD-2200 universal player. My current favorite DVD-As are: "The Nightfly", "Hotel California", "Magnification", and "Fragile". I do have "DSotM" on SACD but for whatever reason have been underwhelmed with it and SACD overall.

curtis
09-06-2003, 10:44 AM
From the 2900 to the 2200? Would that be an upgrade?

-curtis

Ben_Wood
09-06-2003, 12:51 PM
Curtis, Subfree has the 2900. I have a Sony DVP-NS500V (SACD capability, no DVD-A). I'd be happy to have a 2900! [:D]

curtis
09-06-2003, 12:53 PM
Oooops...sorry. [:D]

-curtis

subfree
09-06-2003, 02:02 PM
Curtice,
Out of the two formats, I have more of the sacd format.I would not say that one is better than the other,because its really how the particular discs have been mastered. I have some sacds that sound just a little better than red book cd. I have some dvd-audio discs that sound the same way. Then I have sacd discs like Hiroshima, "THE BRIDGE", that is outa site. Its all in the production.I have a "TAKE SIX" dvd-audio disc that blows my mind each time the sound of their acapela voices comes thru the cbm-170s mains and cmt-340 center/htm-200 surounds .For my musical preference sacd has more of a choice presently.

Ben_Wood
09-17-2003, 07:16 AM
The Oct. issue of Sound & Vision has a Denon ad on the back cover for universal players featuring the DVD-2200, 2900, and 5900. I guess this means that the new 2200 is now widely available.

curtis
09-17-2003, 08:14 AM
yeah...I heard Crutchfield is selling it, as are a few other places. I wonder how much of a step up it is from the Pioneer 563a.

-curtis

Ben_Wood
09-17-2003, 11:24 AM
Good question Curtis, they are my top two choices for a universal player. I'm sure the Denon is better, but is it worth the extra money?

Ben_Wood
10-29-2003, 06:11 PM
After spending some time listening to both SACD and DVD-A through my new Denon DVD-2200 universal player I am more impressed with the DVD-A format.

curtis
10-29-2003, 11:42 PM
Ben,

What titles do you have for each format? The Diana Krall SACD I have is pretty impressive.

-curtis

Ben_Wood
10-30-2003, 10:34 AM
Curtis,
Here are MOST of my SACDs and DVD-As:

SACD
1) DSotM
2) Police- Greatest Hits
3) a couple of Sony Samplers
4) Toto IV
5) Journey hits

DVD-A
1) Fragile
2) Magnification
3) Rumours
4) Say you Will
5) The Nightfly
6) Winelight
7) Hotel California
8) Harvest

It may well be my current selections, but so far, in my opinion DVD-A blows SACD away!

curtis
10-31-2003, 11:23 PM
OK....you have a better sampling than I do. Maybe the 2200 has better performance on DVD-A than SACD?

-curtis

Ben_Wood
11-01-2003, 03:16 AM
Could be Curtis, but it might be that I like the groups I have on DVD-A more than the groups I have on SACD. But, I'm not giving up on SACD by any means.

curtis
11-01-2003, 03:36 AM
I'll have to go spend some more money on hi-rez discs. There is a place in LA called Amoeba Records that has the biggest selection I have seen so far.

-curtis

Ben_Wood
11-01-2003, 08:04 AM
Curtis, I have bought most of my discs online from either www.deepdiscountcd.com for SACD or www.deepdiscountdvd.com for my DVD-As. They have a good selection, low prices, and free shipping. What discs do you currently have?

curtis
11-01-2003, 09:47 AM
Thanks Ben!

SACD:
Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree
Oscar Peterson Quartet/The Michel Legrand Strings - Trail of a Dream, A Canadian Suite
Diana Krall - The Look of Love
The Police - Every Breath You Take, The Classics
YoYo Ma - Silk Road Journeys

DVD-A
R.E.M. - Document
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Buena Vista Social Club

-curtis

Ben_Wood
11-25-2003, 09:26 AM
Curtis, I'm getting the Police greatest hits SACD and the Alice Cooper "Welcome to My Nightmare" dvd-a for Christmas. I'm considering the R.E.M. greatest hits dvd-a and maybe the Norah Jones SACD. The 25th can't get here too soon! [:D]

curtis
12-03-2003, 02:02 PM
I am going to have to go get the REM Greatest Hits DVD-A.

-curtis

azanon
12-08-2003, 08:56 PM
I wonder how much of an improvement DVD-A/SACD is over DPLII - Music mode. I dont have a DVD-A/SACD player yet but DPLII - Music seems to do a good job of distributing the sound to all the speakers. I know DVD-A/SACD is higher quality, but as i understand it, a DVD-A CD will play in DD 5.1 anyway.

curtis
12-09-2003, 04:01 AM
azanon,

DVD-A and SACD are much different than DPLII. DPLII for music is a processing mode, and interprets a two channel source into surround mode. DVD-A and SACD offers higher resolution and has actually been recorded in to discrete multi-channel format.

Most DVD-A's also have a DD5.1 track, but remember, this is not hi-resolution.

-curtis

Ben_Wood
12-09-2003, 09:00 AM
Curtis is right, DPLII creates synthetic surround channels to simulate true discrete multi-channel audio. It does a great job doing what it was designed for, but it isn't Hi-Rez.

azanon
12-09-2003, 11:01 PM
Well i'm wanting to get a player (looking at the multipurpose pioneer 563a), but what makes me hesistate is that ive read that in some cases, the dvd-a/sacd can sound worse than the 2-channel variant. For example, i read a review recently on the new Faith Hill DVD-A (sorry, forgot where) and the reviewer said the 2-channel version sounded best and that her voice sounded distored on the 5.1 HD version.

Also, i'll have to admit its hard for me to think of dolby digital as being "low-definition" even though i do understand the bitrate or whathaveyou is higher on DVD-A/SACD.

curtis
12-09-2003, 11:38 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by azanon

......but what makes me hesistate is that ive read that in some cases, the dvd-a/sacd can sound worse than the 2-channel variant. For example, i read a review recently on the new Faith Hill DVD-A (sorry, forgot where) and the reviewer said the 2-channel version sounded best and that her voice sounded distored on the 5.1 HD version.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Most definitely. Just like a 2-channel mix can be recorded and mixed badly. Just think how much more difficult it would be to mix a 5-channel recording.

-curtis

azanon
12-10-2003, 03:05 AM
Well i can understand that, but I cant say that ive ever heard a bad Dolby Digital movie where i thought to myself - you know, that would sound much better in stereo. I've also have yet to see a true HDTV program where i though to myself, wish i could see that in single definition! I
guess what i'm getting at is if 5 channel sound is causing a significant amount of foulups in recordings, why bother. I really dont know if that Faith Hill SACD was an anomoly, or if bad recordings are happening a lot in these early years of DVD-A/SACD. Besides, DVD-A's will get you DD 5.1 output anyway on a regular DVD player, and the only thing one is lacking is the higher resolution output. So i guess i havent decided if there is compelling evidence to dive into it, or is it just a mild tweak that sometimes results in even worse sound.

curtis
12-10-2003, 03:20 AM
Movie is much different than music. For movies, you have specific places you want the sound to be. For music, how do you define what sound/instrument should come out of what channel and at what level? It is much more of an art form.

Checking out DVD-A and SACD is exactly why I got the 563a....inexpensive, and works fine as a CD/DVD player. Both formats are still in infancy. Not a lot of titles out there.

And remember...a DVD-A disc does not always have a DD5.1 track.

-curtis

Gregisme
12-11-2003, 09:36 AM
I was looking at a review of a couple DVD-A titles yesterday, the first time I've every read a review of that format. It was Aerosmiths 'Toys in the Attic' and a Led Zeppelin one too ('How the West was Won', I think).

In both cases, the reviewer said there were hits and misses on each disc. For example, he described imbalances where the vocal (Steven Tyler of Aersosmith) on one channel was dwarfed by the instrumentation coming from the others.

I guess there is an art to it, and it's not a cut and dried easy process.