[CaptBubba]

Ok, I have money for the first time in a while, and I am finally going to upgrade my source from a pcdp to a dvdp-DI/O combo.

I need to know what to look for in a dvd player. Selectable DTS on the coax output is a must, I know that much, but what else? Where should I buy? Off ebay, from an online store, or local?

Does the cable matter that much? Would I cripple the combo by using a generic digital cable?

help.....

 

[kelly]

I like my player a lot but it doesn't do DTS--mine is the Sony S7000. The newer equivalents that do DTS are the S7700 and the 9000ES.

The Pioneer 440 has gotten an excellent reputation as a budget player and is the one Nick is using with his ART DI/O. I think it sounds pretty good on its on and good with the ART. A number of people provide mods for this player as well.

If you'd like to spend more money, you may consider one of the newer Pioneer players such as the 47A that do DVD-A and SACD, but then we're probably out of ART DI/O league by that point.

 

[chych]

I'd go (and do) with a Pioneer unit, as they apparantely are the only players with pure PCM output or something like that. In my experience, the digital cable matters not, so a paperclip would do just fine

 

[CaptBubba]

Would it be a dumb idea to just buy a cheap regular cdp with a digital out?

 

[kelly]

Quote:

Originally posted by CaptBubba Would it be a dumb idea to just buy a cheap regular cdp with a digital out?

I actually side with popular opinion on this one and think that in the low end of the market, a DVD player will serve you better than a dedicated CD player--although the CD player might have more desirable features (repeat, program, etc.). There's discussion elsewhere (forgot where) that alludes to the synching between video and audio as being something that requires buffering and may somehow result in better sound. It sounds like conjecture, but the point is that we're only looking for explanations because we've all subjectively noticed a trend that low end DVD players tend to sound better than low end CD players, when used either as a CD player or as a transport.