[zoboomofo]

Harman Kardon hk dvd 25

I went into the local Future Shop (Best Buy), and scoped out the dvd players. Most were in the $100-200Cdn range, but then I saw a rather sharp looking one for $599Cdn. This was a large step up in apparent quality from the usual players available here, so I read the specs. The one remarkable thing about this player is that it advertises 192kHz 24 bit Wolfson DACs. I plan to return with my headphone gear to get a listen to the Harman Kardon dvd 25, later this week but I want to alert anyone here who's interested in a potential worthy budget component. I want to get Tubey's attention 'cuz he's had a taste of primo gear, and as the big advocate of the Phillips 963SA, he could make an insightful comparison between the two, unlike myself.

(edit for spelling mistake)

 

[Tuberoller]

I'll take a looksee and attempt to find one to audition.I don't know the HK rep for our area but I'll try to get in touch with him/her to find out about this player and maybe get one to review.I'll keep you posted.

 

[zoboomofo]

Wow groovy. I hope it's worth your while. I can't get down there today, but I'm itching to try this thing out. Thanks for responding. Cheers.

 

[BoardC3]

Wow these go refurbished for about $100 on ebay. i really hope this isnt that good because i just bought an ns500v for that price

 

[zoboomofo]

Wow, that's a steal of a price. I've seen them online for as low as $200US. They seem to offer more than the ns500v in terms of quality, but who knows? I've seen $200Cdn dvd players featuring 192 kHz dacs, but dacs don't entirely maketh the machine. It'd be nice to pop the hood on these hk units to see what I can see in the analog stage, and the power supply.

Wow, this is the 3rd straight post that starts off with "wow"!

 

[stymie miasma]

wow

 

[stymie miasma]

I came across these choice quotes from a review that appeared in Australian HiFi as they appear on the Tivoli HiFi webpage.

Quote:

"As h/k is better known for its audio gear than its DVD players, it isn't surprising to find the DVD25 has high-quality audio circuitry, including a 192kHz/24 bit Wolfson digital to analogue converter. It even has a video off function, to prevent the video circuits from adding noise and distortion to the sound. .... ....Playing back CDs, the audio quality of the DVD25 was very good. Channel separation was marvellous, giving real depth to the stereo image. Whereas most DVD players don't resolve low volume sounds properly, the DVD25's sound was clean and accurate right down to the limit of audibility. .... Harman hasn't missed a trick with this DVD player. It has great sound, a great picture and exceptionally good features. In short it's a stunner." Greg Borrowman - Australian Hi-Fi. March 2002.

Hopefully someone can have a listen soon!

wow!

 

[zoboomofo]

Thanks for the hype, stymie. I'm about to pee my pants. Wow. Its funny. It seemed that I only found a bunch of interesting source ideas only after I went and ordered one. I'm about to be a member of team Arcam (as in alpha 8se). The Wolfson dacs look enticing because they're, from what I gather, the focus of the new Arcam FMJ CD33. I don't expect a tight comparison between that and the H/K unit, but hey, it's a great development seeing manufacturers going the extra mile for the Joe six-pack consumer.

 

[lini]

We had the 25 in the lab, but while I'd think it could compete with something in the Marantz CD5000 to 6000 range, I don't think it could compete with a really decent redbook cdp (including sacdps with fine redbook playback). I only took a brief listen, though...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[zoboomofo]

I went to take a listen to this multiformat player, and I liked what I heard. I can't really do a proper comparison to my alpha 8se (which I'm pretty excited about btw), but I liked the way it handled ambient cues. The gear I used was my portable rig: a 47amp and my Grado SR-125s. The sound was warm, and sweet through this combo. Each track on the demo cd revealed its own personality through the machine which is definitely a step up from basic consumer stuff. I loved the tonal balance throught this setup. I can't really say much about imaging, though. The music was much less grainy than my (just dethroned Sony) cd player, too. I like it, but if it came at a lower price than the $599Cdn retail, I'd say its a good deal regardless of it's video playback

.

 

[anearfull]

You can get the DVD 25 MUCH cheaper than Future Shop's $599 CAD

Go to:
http://www.etronics.com/index.asp

Put the DVD 25 in your "shopping cart" ($224.95 USD) and then hit "Canadian Checkout" (it converts to $310.70 CAD). Proceeding will allow you to select (fairly cheap) shipping options and the GST/PST gets added to the order. Total price delivered to my door in Ottawa is just over $400 CAD.

Etronics also sell the 963SA for $389.99 USD. I'm waiting to hear reviews of the HK before deciding which one to buy.



Peter

 

[zoboomofo]

Nice find, Peter. I know the HK is overpriced at the Future Shop... for now. Maybe that's a sign that it's a new item there. The good thing about that store is that you can grab refurbs, and clearance and very good prices. Maybe I'll wait a few months for that

.

 

[blip]

Hope that this turns into a 963SA killer... It's cheaper

Seriously, if this thing turns out great I might have to pick it immediately instead of saving up for the 963SA.

 

[tracky]

DVD 25 sounds pretty good while playing CDs but Philips DVD963SA sounds better.
There is a big problem however: DVD 25 lacks DD and DTS decoders! That means you will get no sound while playing DVDs.

 

[anearfull]

Quote:

Originally posted by tracky DVD 25 sounds pretty good while playing CDs but Philips DVD963SA sounds better. There is a big problem however: DVD 25 lacks DD and DTS decoders! That means you will get no sound while playing DVDs.

I'm not sure what DD and DTS decoders are but I'm hard-pressed to see how they would sell a DVD player that can't give you the soundtrack.

Do they have some kind of new technology that generates on-screen subtitles.