[dcg]

My old dvd player is finally dying on me and it's time for a replacement. I know the 963sa has gotten great reviews, but I just took a look over at audioreview and there were a few people who had problems with these units going bad after a week or so and getting poor support from Philips. Is this a widespread problem with this unit or just a few unlucky individuals?

Also, any other recommendations for a dvd/cd player in teh $300 price range?

 

[john_jcb]

I got mine soon after they came out and it has worked perfectly. My experience though is based on a smple of one.

 

[dcg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb I got mine soon after they came out and it has worked perfectly. My experience though is based on a smple of one.

Thanks for the response, John. I guess what I'm getting at is, is this a known widespread problem with these players, or just a few unlucky guys taht happened to post on audioreview? I've been away from head-fi for a while so I haven;t seen what people have been saying lately. I'd do a search but it looks like it's currently unavailable.

 

[john_jcb]

I do not recall reading here about many problems with this player. From memory, there were a few comments early on about different noises with the drive mechanism. Mine nor the other one I listened to did not exhibit it though. I don't know what issues they brought up but mine has been doing service as a DVD player and I have really liked it. The only complaint that I had was that on a couple of very very loud bass passages it got a bit splashy and distorted the sound. I have not heard it though since I moved it over to DVD duty.

 

[ampgalore]

How is the sound quality with regards to redbook and SACD playback?

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampgalore How is the sound quality with regards to redbook and SACD playback?

IMO it is very good with the exception of the bass management issues I mentioned above for a couple very loud intense bass passages. I used it for CD/SACD for several months before I switched it over to primarily DVD duty downstairs. If I remember Tuberoller did a more comprehensive review which may be in the feature review forum.

 

[Gopher]

I had a few problems with my 963sa. Once in a while I would get a consistant clicking (from speakers) with cds (mostly CDRs). I had a problem with the drawer sticking occasionally as well.

Lastly, I had a problem with the analog outs. Apparantly the weight of my old acoustic zen cables took their toll in time and led to a flaky connection.

You will get next to no tech help from philips regarding the unit. What the will offer you is a trade in. For the broken unit and ~80 bucks they'll ship you out another one (which I suspect would have been refurbished).

Overall my expereince with the CDP was so/so, but it did sound nice for what I paid for it.

 

[Tuberoller]

It's a very good sounding player regardless of cost. I have four of them and I still have yet to find a nicer DVD picture. I finally had one go bad and the tech support is zero. Just about the worse I have ever seen and that's saying a bunch. I got the same offer of a replacement player(mine was brand,spanking new) and an extended warranty. I took the replacement player and it's still in the box as a back-up. My problem was a very noisey transport and constant clicking. I have no idea how common this is but as I said,only one of my four players has had any problems.

 

[spaceman]

No problems whatsoever with my unit. I used it for about a year as a dedicated source, and now it is serving as my primary DVD player.

 

[h3nG]

i think philips in coming with a new players (dvp900sa) that is based on the dvd963sa. also, it is rumored that the yamaha s1500 might actually be the dvd963sa with DVD-A and hopefully better consumer support.

might be worthwhile to wait for these two...that's what i am doing. someone correct if i am wrong.

 

[h3nG]

btw...here's a picture of the 900sa

sweet, huh?

 

[archosman]

Is that a replacement for the 963?

 

[tortie]

No problems encountered yet with my 963SA. During its burn-in period, I ran it virtually 24/7 for nearly 2 months straight, stopping it only to change CDs. Yes, it got pretty hot expecially when my airconditioner in the room is off, but it didn't have any problems. Mine was one of the last available batches of 963SA, so maybe Philips got it right with their later units. The CD reading after loading a new CD is kinda slow, but I second the unbeatable DVD video playback & its good music playing ability.

 

[chrisczarra]

My 963a had some ticking problems when I first got it, but went away after I installed the firmware program(can't remember the number of the firmware update offhand). Other than my cd's getting a bit toasty when in the player, I have had no other problems with the player.

 

[h3nG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by archosman Is that a replacement for the 963?

yeup, dont know when it's coming out though. hope it atleast sounds as good or better than the 963sa. it sure looks a lot cooler.