[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by scrypt I doubt you offended anyone here, Koui -- apparently, elrod-tom was more upset by my defense of him than by anything you've said.

Oh no no no no no no no!!! Why would I be uspet with your post? You were just making an effort to ensure that the tone remains pleasant around here. Frankly, I'd like to see more of that.

 

[Hiker]

Back on topic now . . .
Quote:

Originally posted by Koui Both Pioneers playback 96/24 Audio DVD's nearly identical to the original masters I recorded on a Technics RS-1500 (15ips 1/2 track) open reel deck. The same Burr Brown DAC's are used so DVDA and CD playback are comparable. There was no audible difference an engineer friend of mine and I could hear between my 563A and his 47Ai through Mackie studio monitors, Senn 580's, and Sony 7506 headphones. I actually prefered SACD playback from the 563A to the Elite because a newer Philips codec chip is used instead of a Sony. Video performance is superior on the new model since Pioneer finally got rid of the dreaded 'chroma bug'. In this instance, paying more doesn't get you anything but a 1 year longer warranty, a black case with gold details, and the snob appeal of owning something labeled Elite. Of course all this is IMHO, YMMV, blahda blahda blahda...

This seems very promising, especially for my wallet. I wonder how this holds up to the Denon 2900. I would really much rather spend less than what the 2900 sells for and it seems this Pioneer might actually fit the bill (contrary to my ignorant prejudice).

 

[Koui]

Hiker, I was curious too, thinking the new Pioneer was too good to be true for the price. That's why I bought it from Crutchfield. If it didn't satisfy me within 30 days...back it goes (and they pay the return shipping). The comparison with the 47Ai was quite an ear opener and from what I understand, Denon and a few other manufacturers use the same Pioneer transport, with a few tweaks of course.

 

[Koui]

563A processes DSD direct, no PCM conversion

This should be good news to folks who were wondering if Pioneer sacrificed SACD playback on the 563A to keep costs down.

 

[Hiker]

I wonder how this stacks up against the Philips 963SA despite the fact that it lacks DVD-A.

 

[Ben_Tech]

Quote:

Originally posted by Hiker I wonder how this stacks up against the Philips 963SA despite the fact that it lacks DVD-A.

It plays DVD-A.

 

[Hiker]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ben_Tech It plays DVD-A.

Yes I know it plays DVD-A. Let me clear that up: I wonder how this stacks up against the Philips 963SA despite the fact that the Philips lacks DVD-A.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm mostly interested in how it handles redbook. That would make it a true one-box solution. I've already heard from one of the British magazines that it's a really nice entry level player for SACD and DVD-A.

 

[Ben_Tech]

Quote:

Originally posted by Hiker Yes I know it plays DVD-A. Let me clear that up: I wonder how this stacks up against the Philips 963SA despite the fact that the Philips lacks DVD-A.

My bad. I thought the Phillips played DVD-A also...just checked again, and it does not! I suppose that makes sense as Phillips/Sony are the proponents of SACD.

I am curious about a comparo between these two players as well! I have a feeling the Phillips would excel on redbook, however.

 

[Jacobh]

I still haven't had time to do any a/b comparison or listening with different sets of phones, but the redbook seems pretty good so far. It's not as warm as my panasonic ct570 (which is a really good sounding portable and my primary source otherwise). It sounds pretty detailed and a bit on the bright side. That's not to say it's lacking in bass though. I like the way it pairs with my Senn 580s and XCansV2. I didn't listen to it and think wow! (but I haven't really heard any source that will do that for me yet). My guess is it sounds as good as any other player in this price range. A/Bing with my panasonic or another player that I can scrounge up will probably let me get a better idea as to the characteristics of its sounds. I'm thinking of returning it since I don't really need a stand alone dvd player right now and in a few months I could probably afford a better sacd player. I might keep it around just cause it can play nearly any format, and if I eventually get a better sacd player I might need a stand alone dvd player by then.

 

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk I'm mostly interested in how it handles redbook. That would make it a true one-box solution. I've already heard from one of the British magazines that it's a really nice entry level player for SACD and DVD-A.

I'm with Dusty...I am really interested in hearing how it is with redbook. Especially in comparison to the Philips 963SA.

John

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by JMedeiros I'm with Dusty...I am really interested in hearing how it is with redbook. Especially in comparison to the Philips 963SA. John

All I can speak to is the Elite 47Ai. It's not BAD for redbook, but it does not measure up to my MSB Gold Link DAC. I wouldn't expect that it would, however, so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

 

[Hiker]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk I'm mostly interested in how it handles redbook. That would make it a true one-box solution. I've already heard from one of the British magazines that it's a really nice entry level player for SACD and DVD-A.

Very good point. This would be most important to me since right now my entire collection is redbook.

 

[dudlew]

Quote:

I've already heard from one of the British magazines that it's a really nice entry level player for SACD and DVD-A.

Is it possible to list the mag? Dusty??


D

 

[Koui]

Quote:

Originally posted by Hiker Very good point. This would be most important to me since right now my entire collection is redbook.

If you don't care for the 563A's redbook performance you could always use the Pioneer as a transport from digital out to a stand-alone DAC of your choice and still come out ahead of the higher-priced universal players. Just a thought....