Improving HT by new DVD player or Blu ray player

[simonc]

Hi all,

My system consists of:

Plasma TV: Pioneer PDP-427XG - XGA Resolution (1024 X 768 ) with 2 x HDMI

DVD player: Pioneer DV-696AV - (video out HDMI conversion to 720P/1080i).

CD player: Cambridge Audio Azur 640C

AV receiver - Cambridge Audio Azur 640R

Speaker: Sonus Faber Domus Concerto fronts x 2, Sonus Faber Domus Centre x 1, Sonus Faber Domus Concertino rears x 2, and Sub -M&K V-125.

Speaker cable - Belden 10-gauge 5T00UP

Interconnects - Blue Jeans Cable LC-1

HDMI - BJC Belden Series-F2

Coaxial - Belden 1694A

My issue is plotting an upgrade path for improved HT as I'm currently disappointed with the video/surround performance. I'm thinking that the DVD player is the weak link as the upscaling is jagged and the surround field lack low/mid-volume presence. I was thinking of getting the Marantz DV7001, but am confused as to whether to go straight for Blu ray (Sony BDP-550) and run 5.1 analog to my CA receiver. Would the Sony Blu ray be a better upscaler than the Marantz DVD player?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

[bigburner]

Hi simonc,

If you have a large DVD collection then it makes sense to maximise your investment by upgrading your DVD player. My recommendation is the OPPO DV-983H. I have an earlier model OPPO and it is excellent. The DV-983H is supposed to be better than mine. I own about 250 music DVDs and the majority of these are not available on Blu-ray. Blu-ray therefore makes no sense in my situation. If you have a minimal investment in DVDs then it makes a lot of sense to consider moving to Blu-ray now. If money is no object then go for both! If you want to go for both then I would consider buying the new OPPO BDP-83 which will play Blu-ray and standard DVDs. Standard DVDs will play back to the same quality as the DV-983H. The BDP-83 will be available for sale in the next month or so.

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/default.asp

Nigel.

[John Holmes]

Welcome to the Guide, simnoc!

As Nigel has given you an option for the video, I'll touch on the audio.

There could be several reasons and/or any combination of factors, for the lack of presence in certain freqs in your setup.

You have very nice equipment, have you properly calibrated it using a SPL meter? How are your speakers setup in relation to room boundries? Is the listening position in a null? Have you considered the room and the issues it will play with sound?

It maybe as simple as moving your seat a foot forward or backwards, to achieve the proper balance of sound. You might even try adjusting the vertical and horizontal angle of the speakers, to ensure that they are in proper alignment with your ears ( a bigger deal than most may think). It could also be a crossover issue. Are your speakers set to Large or Small?

These are a few things to look at. Let us know. We will be happy to assist as we can.

[simonc]

Dear John and Nigel,

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. Regarding the audio - yes I calibrated the sound levels using a Radioshack SPL meter. The speakers are setup in a traditional manner with the fronts 3 meters apart either side of the plasma and the centre channel directly under the plasma (centered). The fronts are half a meter from the front wall with reasonable space around them. The sub is near the front left speaker. The rears are behind and to the side of the listening position but in line with the fronts. The listening position is 4 meters from the plasma.

Cross over is 60 hz and the speakers are set to small. Speakers are "toed in" slightly.

I've paid reasonable attention to room boundaries and the listening position.

Any other advice?

Thanks,

SimonC

[flyboylr45]

Those are fine uptions. If you still want the DV-7001, MusicDirect has them for $399.00 because they have too many. I just received mine 3 weeks ago and love it.

My equipment:
Plasma Smsung 42"
Rotel RSP-1068 surround processor
Rotel RMB-1075 5 channel amplifier
Marantz DV-7001 dvd player
Adcom GCD-750 cd player
Monitor Audio S6 fronts, S2 center, and SFX rears.
Sub will be the next purchase and strongly looking at ACI Titan XL
I also have GIK acoustical panels throughout the room.
Monster Power line conditioner/ surge protector

[simonc]

I live in Singaore and by the time a pay for shipping and currency exchange rates it's cheaper to by the DV7001 here - @$700 SGD.

My dilemma concerns DVD upscaling and whether the Marantz DV7001 is better than those found in blu ray players (OPPO BDP-83)? Also, which is better for DVD surround.

[John Holmes]

Dear John and Nigel,

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. Regarding the audio - yes I calibrated the sound levels using a Radioshack SPL meter. The speakers are setup in a traditional manner with the fronts 3 meters apart either side of the plasma and the centre channel directly under the plasma (centered). The fronts are half a meter from the front wall with reasonable space around them. The sub is near the front left speaker. The rears are behind and to the side of the listening position but in line with the fronts. The listening position is 4 meters from the plasma.

Cross over is 60 hz and the speakers are set to small. Speakers are "toed in" slightly.

I've paid reasonable attention to room boundaries and the listening position.

Any other advice?

Thanks,

SimonC

Sounds like you have most bases covered. As for the crossover, any reason you decided on 60 instead of 80 hz?

You may also want to try having the front speakers on-axis. You may like it better than the slight toe-in...doesn't hurt to try, and it's free.

I really don't know about the Marantz player. Though I've heard that many of the BR players on the market, only do an ok job of upconversion. I have not tested this for myself with any.

[simonc]

I have cross over set at 60 hz because my floor standing fronts are capable of managing bass down to 30 hz, but to play it safe I go for 60. I read somewhere in a HiFi mag that this was a good idea (and with full range fronts, set to small) to go for a lower cross over.

Regarding the issue of DVD upscaling:

Well, I bit the bullet yesterday and went and bought the Marantz DV7001 and have seen and immediate change in the performance of my HT. The upscaling is amazingly clean with no noticeable pixelation. The sound is much more lively too.

The improvement has been spectacular in all regards.

I'll hold off on Blu ray now until multisystem issues are worked out.

Thanks for all the advice.

[John Holmes]

simonc,

Glad to read, that everything worked out for you. The Marantz players are well regarded.

I must admit, I did not think the source player would fix the lack of mid-bass presence in your setup. I'm glad I was wrong.

Congrats on the new piece and enjoy the system!

[simonc]

One word of warning for those buying the Marantz DV7001 - check the firmware version and make sure you update to the latest version - http://www.marantz.com/download/e_dv7001_upg.zip

The HMDI upscaler has bugs otherwise!

Firmware update sorts it out quick smart.

[audioqueso]

You know, honestly... I would give Oppo 983 a chance. That's what I'm about to buy. I have the Marantz DV6001. Both the DV6001 and DV7001 use the same video Faroudja DCDi chip.

I had a Oppo 970H that could upscale to 720p. I was using that with my Sony 32" Bravia LCD. I bought the Marantz DV6001, and at 720p, I really couldn't tell a difference in video quality. I tested a LOT of DVDs. They both worked really great.

However, I recently purchased a Sony 52" Bravia LCD, and I really don't like the way DVD's look on my TV. They look like regular tv broadcast.

I downscaled the Marantz from 1080p to 720p so that I could compare it with the Oppo at 720p. Even though 720p sucked on my 52", the Oppo looks slightly cleaner compared to the Marantz. Because of this, I think I'm going to sell my DV6001 and buy the Oppo 983. If the 970 was able to surpass the Marantz DV6001 at 720p, I'm confident that the 983 will be able to surpass the 7001 at 1080p.

[audioqueso]

FYI.
Both the Oppo 970 and Marantz DV6001 takes just as long to load.

[JonMarsh]

Have the best of both worlds

Hi all,

My system consists of:

Plasma TV: Pioneer PDP-427XG - XGA Resolution (1024 X 768 ) with 2 x HDMI

DVD player: Pioneer DV-696AV - (video out HDMI conversion to 720P/1080i).

CD player: Cambridge Audio Azur 640C

AV receiver - Cambridge Audio Azur 640R

Speaker: Sonus Faber Domus Concerto fronts x 2, Sonus Faber Domus Centre x 1, Sonus Faber Domus Concertino rears x 2, and Sub -M&K V-125.

Speaker cable - Belden 10-gauge 5T00UP

Interconnects - Blue Jeans Cable LC-1

HDMI - BJC Belden Series-F2

Coaxial - Belden 1694A

My issue is plotting an upgrade path for improved HT as I'm currently disappointed with the video/surround performance. I'm thinking that the DVD player is the weak link as the upscaling is jagged and the surround field lack low/mid-volume presence. I was thinking of getting the Marantz DV7001, but am confused as to whether to go straight for Blu ray (Sony BDP-550) and run 5.1 analog to my CA receiver. Would the Sony Blu ray be a better upscaler than the Marantz DVD player?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Two new Panasonic Blu-ray players of modest price have excellent DVD scaling and de-interlacing, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55; I say this from both magazine technical reviews and personal experience. In that regard, they're comparable in performance to HQV Reon equipped players. The BD-35 has only stereo analog outputs; the BD-55 has full decode and surround analog built in. The video performance is comparable to the Toshiba HD-XA2, which is the best performing HD-DVD player in that regard, and does have the HQV Reon chip. (own two of them, as they're excellent DVD players, besides HD-DVD).

That said, for just DVD, my daughter loves the Oppo I got her for her Westinghouse 37" 1080P LCD monitor.

Regards,

Jon
Jon