equipment info requested

[david johnson]

My old cd player is kaput.
Please share any experince you've had with a single component that plays both cd & dvd.
I've been viewing a denon product online for that.

thanx
dj

[JackC]

http://www.oppodigital.com/

I don''t know what your primary interest is or how high quality equipment you seek.

But Oppo has developed a very good reputation for good quality universal players at low cost. (All units are sold by and shipped diorectly fromm the manufacturer.) These units can play CD and DVD but also SACD, for which there is a fairly decent selection available.

Oppo is even coming out with a new universal player that will handle all of the above and also Blu-ray discs.

I have a fairly decent home theatre system and occassional use the Oppo to play sorround sound SACDs. They also play in stereo of course.

You might visit their site and read some of the reviews. Again, not the state of the art, but very good quality and terrific value.

[david johnson]

I will do so.

thanx
dj

[DavidRoss]

Based on all the praise I've seen for their players over the past couple of years, I'd go for Oppo, too, if I were seeking the same. As is I'm waiting for their deck before purchasing a Blu-Ray player. Since the TV gear doubles as a second sound system, it would be nice to get decent CD/SACD playback as well and at a comparatively low price.

[some guy]

My old CD player has also gone kaput. It was a Denon, which had given good service for twenty-seven years.

If the Denon you've been looking at is the DVD-1940CI, then buy it! It'll be one of the best ninety bucks you'll ever spend.* I can't say anything about its picture quality, as I've only an old monitor with no RCA inputs, and in the absence of an RF modulator, I still only have it hooked up to output audio. But the audio is fine. It plays CDs, of course, but it also plays DVD-audio and mp3s and SACD and mpeg and jpeg and wma and DivX. I doubt there's another 27 years for any of these storage technologies, but as long as they're around, I'm sure this machine will play them beautifully.

It's also easy to program, without any onscreen menus, too. Just follow the instructions in the booklet for using the onscreen menus--click blindly and it works!

Anyway, gotta go. I've got one more three year old DVD-audio disc I've never heard to give a listen to.

*89 was the lowest price I found online. You can spend considerably more than that, if you want.

[DavidRoss]

My old CD player has also gone kaput. It was a Denon, which had given good service for twenty-seven years.

Omigod! How could you stand listening to such early CD playback technology, even in the early '80s, much less for the past 27 years? Does your high frequency hearing cut off at 12kHz?

[david johnson]

I've been spinning vinyl since mine croaked, and loving every second of it.
Not a thing wrong with my hearing...nor the amp, speakers, and turntable.

dj

[Chalkperson]

Definitely the Oppo, plays everything including CD, DVD, SACD, DVD-A...if you want BluRay too, they have one coming out soon, I have one in my bedroom and love it, and, my ears are very difficult to please...

You can only buy online, direct from them and that keeps the price down...

http://www.oppodigital.com/

[david johnson]

update-

I purchased a Harman/Kardon DVD48. Sounds great with my Cerwin-Vegas.
everybody come over for a listenin' session!!

dj

[Holden Fourth]

Definitely the Oppo, plays everything including CD, DVD, SACD, DVD-A...if you want BluRay too, they have one coming out soon, I have one in my bedroom and love it, and, my ears are very difficult to please...

You can only buy online, direct from them and that keeps the price down...

http://www.oppodigital.com/

What about CD sound quality? How do you think it would it compare to an audiophile CD player like my Marantz CD67 MkII SE. This is over 10 years old now but at $1000 brand new still produces great sound though I realise that it's days may now be limited.

[Corlyss_D]

update-

I purchased a Harman/Kardon DVD48. Sounds great with my Cerwin-Vegas.
everybody come over for a listenin' session!!

dj

Are edibles and potables involved?

[david johnson]

yep!
I've got a Russian Funeral Music disc that will really kick things off on a thrilling note!
Then we'll all have jelly doughnuts and gravy (Elvis will be there).

dj

[Chalkperson]

Definitely the Oppo, plays everything including CD, DVD, SACD, DVD-A...if you want BluRay too, they have one coming out soon, I have one in my bedroom and love it, and, my ears are very difficult to please...

You can only buy online, direct from them and that keeps the price down...

http://www.oppodigital.com/

What about CD sound quality? How do you think it would it compare to an audiophile CD player like my Marantz CD67 MkII SE. This is over 10 years old now but at $1000 brand new still produces great sound though I realise that it's days may now be limited.

I have never played CD's on it but for SACD's it's very good...I'm not sure about Australia but here in the US you can audition Oppo players for thirty days...CD transports have come along way in the last ten years, wait for the Blu Ray player though...

[Muniini K. Mulera]

My old cd player is kaput.
Please share any experince you've had with a single component that plays both cd & dvd.
I've been viewing a denon product online for that.

thanx
dj

Hi David:

Next to music and photography, audio equipment is my third great hobby. The lesson I have learnt over the years is that the key to buying a satisfying audio component is to seek one that has synergy with the rest of your system. The source, the amplifier[s] and the speakers must work together. And this has nothing to do with the price.

I have listened to many excellent turntables and CD/SACD players which sounded terrible or suboptimal when hooked up to non-compatible amplifiers and/or speakers. I have listened to systems worth tens of thousands of dollars that sounded no better than or even worse than more modest but well matched systems. I have also listened to very expensive equipment that tempted me to sell my car in order to buy the stuff. [I always got over it before listing the car. ] Then there are many inexpensive components that reproduce music so wonderfully that one wonders why we throw money at more expensive stuff. SYNERGY is the key.

Questions:

1. What are the other components?
2. What is your budget range?
3. What, besides classical music, do you listen to?

If you have not done so already, I would suggest that you pick up a copy of the April or October issues of STEREOPHILE magazine. Three other useful magazines are The Absolute Sound, HiFi +, and UHF [as in Ultra HiFi]. Their "Recommended Components" reports are very helpful, though nothing substitutes for a visit to your friendly dedicated audio store, where you can actually listen to a component with the help of a knowledgeable sales person. http://www.soundstage.com is another good source of advice.

Meanwhile, I would look at American, Canadian, British and Chinese made products for really good quality players. The Chinese have taken the high-end audio world by storm and the reviews and my personal [limited] experience suggest that they deserve a very good listen.
Regards,

Muniini

[david johnson]

Muniini:

i aree with you. i'm already using the harman/kardon dvd48 and am very pleased with how it fits with my other equipment.

thanx
dj