[mail4u]

I'm looking for a DVD player under $600 that can also play ordinary CDs reasonable well. I've done quite a bit of searching and reading reviews but every one pans the CD playing capability although the DVD playback is generally regarded as good. Is the CD playback on these machines just thrown in as an inducement to buy the DVD brand? Then if that is the case what brand has the best CD playback of the poor lot? My investigation shows the Sony DVD 900V being the best - am I right? This machine is presently being discounted $300 to attract people to SACD but it's not the SACD I'm interested in - just CD.

Appreciate any suggestions.

 

[jibra]

If you don't need a progressive scan features, pioneer DV-05 or DV-09 might work for you. I recently got DV-05 and pleasantly surprised about its CD playback. Very noticeable improvement from my ex-Pioneer DV-414.

Jibra

 

[kelly]

If you want one of the best transports (much better than any other cheap DVD player), get a Sony S7000 or S7700 (S7000 may be slightly better but since the S7700 puts out true 24/96 and recognizes DTS it's probably worth it). These sold for over your budget new but are widely available used.

The S7000's CD playback is equivalent to Sony ES circa 1998. Since the S7000 can be had for ~$300, you may also consider obtaining an ART DI/O DAC. This can be had for $125+shipping from fullcompass.com. You'll need to pay for a couple of mods if you want to reduce the output and can get those from Bolder. This combination will easily rival competing $1000-2000 CD players and is what I'm using now. I'm looking to upgrade again but what I'm looking to upgrade to is well beyond your $600 budget. In that budget, nothing beats this. And, oh yeah, it plays DVDs pretty well too. It was the reference DVD player for a long time.

 

[Old Pa]

Denon DVM-3700 works well and has a street price under $600

 

[Audio-Me]

Nad T550

 

[dcg]

I believe a lot of people like the Pioneer DV-343 , as a transport, $150 at amazon (not sure if they're cheapest or not). You could add the DI/O and have a pretty good setup for $275.

 

[mail4u]

Much appreciated these innovative suggestions. The DVD part is for the wife and the CD is for me. Looks like it's possible we both can be satisfied. This forum and Headwizer.org are invaluable for any kind of audio/video help.

 

[markl]

Decide whether you want DVD-Audio capability or SACD capability. In general, machines that have DVD-A or SACD capability will have chip sets in them that let them play regular CDs better than a similarly-priced conventional CD player.

markl

 

[Ctn]

You know what would cream all those?

The Redgum RGDVD1 it has the same audio circuitry as the RGCD5ENR. (audio quality is said to be slightly below the RGCD5ENR but still very good, alot better than the RGCD2)

But it costs 750.

Its ugly but if you want good dvd and cd audio...its the only way

Too bad that its not a very known brand in the states (atleast those that havent heard it). You guys dont know what your are missing out on. Cheap and awesome !!

 

[shivohum]

Id check into Stan Warren modified DVD players if I were looking for excellent sounding digital. Check the Audiogon references in the post I referenced -- the players might still be there. Stan's superb modifications to equipment of any level are a steal.

 

[mail4u]

I'm going the Art DI/O route - it'll will give me more flexibility. Just ordered the unit from Fullcompass for $121.21 + $9.50 shipping. What mods and cables? - I'm still pouring through all the posts here and Audioasylum - trying to get a handle on what's involved and costs. There is some disagreement and disparity about what it sounds like and how to best optimize it. By and large most think it's a great buy.

Still looking for best prices on the DVD player.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by mail4u I'm going the Art DI/O route - it'll will give me more flexibility. Just ordered the unit from Fullcompass for $121.21 + $9.50 shipping. What mods and cables? - I'm still pouring through all the posts here and Audioasylum - trying to get a handle on what's involved and costs. There is some disagreement and disparity about what it sounds like and how to best optimize it. By and large most think it's a great buy.

I've got three of them. One uses different parts in many places, and sounds different than the other two (not a shock, with different parts). I can see why people would tend to disagree on the sound, as it may not be the same from unit to unit. A good place to look for mods is the diomods group at www.yahoogroups.com. Also useful is cfraser's DI/O FAQ. I don't remember the url offhand, but you should be able to get it at audioasylum or the diomods group.

 

[Audio-Me]

NAD DVD players are about the best deals you can get. You not only get among the best video quality, but their rock solid redbook playback as well.

If the Art DIO sounds as good as many people says it does, it must really be a versatile kick ass product. kelly even considered spending more money modding it than he paid for the damn thing, heh.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

I wouldn't spend much money on a DVD player, since they're invariably used as transports only in HT setups. What I mean is this: Assuming you have a Dolby Digital and DTS-capable receiver, you're not actually going to be using the DAC or analog output stage of the DVD player. You'll be feeding the digital bitstream from the DVD player to whatever DAC your HT receiver/preamp/whatever uses.

Just buy a DVD player that works okay and doesn't cost much. Then make sure the DAC it's feeding is a good one and has a good analog output stage.

 

[grinch]

if you've got the art di/o, i'd get a pioneer dvd player and send the both of them to www.modwright.com and get them both modded to the extreme. supposed to make an amazing difference.. for the pioneer, you can get transport mods or standalone mods (if you're not using a dac). i've been quite tempted to do the exact thing myself, only i have an msb link iii dac..