Well I took the plunge and got a new dvd player.I wanted a progressive scan player with(newer FL2310 chip) Faroudja DCDi and a higher quality video DAC (13bit/108mhz vs 10bit/27mhz in my Sony DVPS7700).
I am very pleased with this machine.Even just running the interlaced output was an improvement over my old 7700.Color saturation has improved and color accuracy is also very good even greens and yellows look bang on.Shadow detail is also noticably increased.It makes my X1 look like a much more expensive projo than it is.
When I connected the 963 via the progressive output to my X1 I got a slight improvement in all areas.This player has numerous video adustments which some may find useful(gamma,saturation,Tru-life,sharpness etc.)
Audio performance is also excellent.I ran the player for over a week (non stop with standard and SACD's and with the upsampling on and off)before any critical listening.I was unable to use the 24/192 upsampling(my Rotel RSP-1066 apeared to choak on the signal and sounded scratchy)But the 24/94 upsampling works great(you can switch between 26/94 and 16/44.1 very quickly useing the audio button on the remote)and give off a open non glaring airy sound.Most but not all CD's benefit from the upsampling(I prefered HDCD's in HDCD mode).
Multi channel SACD's sound awesome.I only have 4 SACD's(a Sony sampler,Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon,Aerosmith-Toys in the Attic and 3 Doors Down-Away from the Sun).The multi channel SACD's just seem to draw you in to the performance.
Now for the downside.
1)I didn't like the fact that the 963 has no tray open button on the remote.
2)The display can be dimmed but not turned off.
3)Layer changes on some DVD's are slower than what I am used to.
Overall I would rate this player 8.5 out of 10.Value wise I would rate it a 10 out of 10.Considering I paid less than $400 Cdn. for this machine and that it can out perform pretty much any player in its price range(and many more expensive players)it is a excellent unit.
Did I mention it has upgradable firmware?Mine was shipped with ver 4.81.22/7.12 and I upgraded via a cd-rom to ver 4.81.25.
(I love stuff that has firmware upgradabillity like my RSP-1066 and X1)
I am very pleased with this machine.Even just running the interlaced output was an improvement over my old 7700.Color saturation has improved and color accuracy is also very good even greens and yellows look bang on.Shadow detail is also noticably increased.It makes my X1 look like a much more expensive projo than it is.
When I connected the 963 via the progressive output to my X1 I got a slight improvement in all areas.This player has numerous video adustments which some may find useful(gamma,saturation,Tru-life,sharpness etc.)
Audio performance is also excellent.I ran the player for over a week (non stop with standard and SACD's and with the upsampling on and off)before any critical listening.I was unable to use the 24/192 upsampling(my Rotel RSP-1066 apeared to choak on the signal and sounded scratchy)But the 24/94 upsampling works great(you can switch between 26/94 and 16/44.1 very quickly useing the audio button on the remote)and give off a open non glaring airy sound.Most but not all CD's benefit from the upsampling(I prefered HDCD's in HDCD mode).
Multi channel SACD's sound awesome.I only have 4 SACD's(a Sony sampler,Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon,Aerosmith-Toys in the Attic and 3 Doors Down-Away from the Sun).The multi channel SACD's just seem to draw you in to the performance.
Now for the downside.
1)I didn't like the fact that the 963 has no tray open button on the remote.
2)The display can be dimmed but not turned off.
3)Layer changes on some DVD's are slower than what I am used to.
Overall I would rate this player 8.5 out of 10.Value wise I would rate it a 10 out of 10.Considering I paid less than $400 Cdn. for this machine and that it can out perform pretty much any player in its price range(and many more expensive players)it is a excellent unit.
Did I mention it has upgradable firmware?Mine was shipped with ver 4.81.22/7.12 and I upgraded via a cd-rom to ver 4.81.25.
(I love stuff that has firmware upgradabillity like my RSP-1066 and X1)
. So for now I'm using the 963SA a two channel CD player on the main floor.
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