vrao81
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2002
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I saw some postings at Audio Asylum about the Panasonic F85 5 disc DVD changer and how it compared favorably against the Tosh 3960 for redbook playback. I got the F65 model, which is very similar except for lack of 5.1 outputs and a 2nd set of stereo outputs. But I think the innards are the same. I got a good deal and picked one up for $58 shipped off ebay. It came in today and I had a chance to do a little bit of burn in and listening.
First, the build quality is very good, the player feels sturdy and well built. I like the layout of the remote too. The player holds 5 discs and plays DVD's, DVD Audio discs, and CD's. There is also an optical output if you want to hook it up to an external DAC. I noticed that when I played CD's there is hardly any internal noise and I cannot hear the CD spinning. This is good since with the cheaper players I've had like the 3960 and Sony NS500V I can easily hear the cd spinning and making noise inside the chassis over the sound of music coming from my headphones.
After a couple hours of burn in and listening with my Senn HD580 and Marantz 2215B I find the sound quality to be very good. It's better than the stock Toshiba - smoother and warmer sounding with no loss of detail. Its presentation is slightly more laid back than the Tosh (I feel the Tosh is a bit too forward for my tastes). Where it really beats the Tosh is in bass and soundstage. The bass is noticeably fuller and deeper than the Tosh, and the soundstage is wonderful. It's quite wide with a good sense of depth. I think this is as good a soundstage as what the Sony NS500V gives you.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this player and consider it a solid bargain for what I paid. You get 5 disc capability with good build quality, a pretty solid transport, and a nice remote, all for less than $60. A lot of people shy away from changers due to poor sound quality compared to single disc machines but with this player its not the case!
I'll post more impressions as the player burns in.
First, the build quality is very good, the player feels sturdy and well built. I like the layout of the remote too. The player holds 5 discs and plays DVD's, DVD Audio discs, and CD's. There is also an optical output if you want to hook it up to an external DAC. I noticed that when I played CD's there is hardly any internal noise and I cannot hear the CD spinning. This is good since with the cheaper players I've had like the 3960 and Sony NS500V I can easily hear the cd spinning and making noise inside the chassis over the sound of music coming from my headphones.
After a couple hours of burn in and listening with my Senn HD580 and Marantz 2215B I find the sound quality to be very good. It's better than the stock Toshiba - smoother and warmer sounding with no loss of detail. Its presentation is slightly more laid back than the Tosh (I feel the Tosh is a bit too forward for my tastes). Where it really beats the Tosh is in bass and soundstage. The bass is noticeably fuller and deeper than the Tosh, and the soundstage is wonderful. It's quite wide with a good sense of depth. I think this is as good a soundstage as what the Sony NS500V gives you.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this player and consider it a solid bargain for what I paid. You get 5 disc capability with good build quality, a pretty solid transport, and a nice remote, all for less than $60. A lot of people shy away from changers due to poor sound quality compared to single disc machines but with this player its not the case!
I'll post more impressions as the player burns in.
