DVD player suggestions?

[curtis]

I don't think an iLink or firewire enable universal player exists in that price range.

I wouldn't mix a Rocket RS750 in with a 5.1 Ascend setup......the timbre will be off. Would be much less expensive to get another CMT-340 with a stand.

I can tell you that the refurb Denon 2900 does everything better than my Pioneer 563a....it was also 5 times the cost. If you want to sample hi-rez/multi-channel audio, a Pioneer 578a is a good way to go....it can be found for less than $150.

[cestlavie]

Thanks for the reply

Yeah I guess I was just hoping something would come up but of course it didnt. But I already bought the rocket, probably goin to use it for movies, and if not for movies, probably try to sell it. The price I bought it at actually puts it cheaper than getting ascends, which is why I bought it in the first place, despite not really liking it all that much.

Thanks again for your help,
C'est

[curtis]

You were able to get one RS750 for under $400??

[cestlavie]

yessir

[jimsiff]

Anybody want to buy a used Pioneer 563a?

Curtis, I'm looking to jump into hi rez audio with a light hit on the wallet. I've got a Panny DVD-S97 for video, but since it doesn't support SACD I'm looking for a reasonably priced entry into the universal player realm for audio only.
If you've still got your 563a available for sale, and it's well cared for, PM me.

[curtis]

Jim...got your PM and replied.

I have decided to use the 563a in my bedroom for video.

[gr1m]

how does the 563a compare to the samsung hd-841? i saw the 841 earlier today for $99 @ costco

[jimsiff]

They're comparable as far as being a universal player. The 841 upconverts video over DVI but has black crush issues. Shadow detail and dark scenes look worse compared to other upconverting players. Black crush doesn't occur over component, but the 841 won't upconvert via component. I don't believe that the 841 is a true DSD playback machine for SACD. It always converts it to PCM before output. If I didn't care about upconverting, the 841 is the best bang for the buck universal player available new. There were playback issues with some DVD-A discs but I believe these issues have been fixed with a firmware update available on the website.

The 563a doesn't convert DSD to PCM if you turn bass management off and use an Outlaw ICBM or your receiver for bass management. Note that most receivers don't do bass management for the multichannel analog input. Whether or not this is a big deal is debatable, but the signal is not altered between the transport and the DAC. The 563 doesn't upconvert, but has nice progressive scan PQ over component. The 563 is no longer available new, but can be had refurbished from Pioneer on eBay. The going rate for a 563a refurb was around $90 + shipping about 3 weeks ago. There have been numerous firmware updates to the 563a and they're only available by dropping the player off with Pioneer service.

With either player, I'd recommend an Outlaw ICBM for bass management if you plan to use DVD-A or SACD. I recently bought a refurb 563a from Pioneer. The total price was $104 including shipping... just over the 841's cost through Costco. I'd almost rather have the 841 with Costco's return policy and Samsung's firmware availability, but my gut and research says the 563a is a slightly better player for audio. If you're looking for a cheap universal player that has good PQ on component, you can't go wrong with either. If you're looking for a cheap universal player that upconverts, move up to the Samsung 941, but only if you have HDMI on your display. The 941 has black crush issues if you run HDMI>DVI but works fine if you go HDMI>HDMI.

[gr1m]

thanks for the response jimsiff...yes i'm considering an inexpensive dvd-a player

[fastnee]

I had the 841 for a short while...returned it because the sound would cut out on a regular basis when I listened in DTS. FYI.