I own the Onkyo and I think it's a great universal player. However, you should know that in a recent German comparison the top Denon unit came in above the Onkyo, including due to a lower jitter measurement on CD (200 vs 300 ps). Of course jitter on its own is not everything, and the remaining measurements provided were not that useful. BTW the Onkyo's 300 ps figure is a lot lower than what Stereophile measured on the Esoteric DV-50. The Denon BTW was about $2000 more expensive than the Onkyo.
For the price the Onkyo is a complete no-brainer. |
OK, I have seldom been so entertained by an internet message board. Kudos to some of your well written, and thought out, yet subtle to blantantly hostile posts. Wow, it's obvious to me that most Audiophile's went to college and paid close attention in English classes. But I digress....
OK, I own the Onkyo and love it. I almost bought Daltonlanny's I think, but got another a little later. I test drove a bunch of machines before I bought; McCormack, Denon 3910, Marantz dv9500 but not the Linn. That said, in all honesty having heard the Linn in a system simlar to mine, it is a much, much better machine. Is it 5 to 6 times better? That's subjective, but sonically, it is the best that I have heard in digital playback. I can't say if the video is a good as the other universal players, specifically the Onkyo and Marantz but who really cares?
If you guys decide to go after each other again I would appreciate someone sending me a heads up so that I can get a little voyeuristic enjoyment out of it.
PS - AudioGirl, great system. I miss my Maggies :(. |
EARS
I don't agree with your bashing of Audio_girl and the Linn.
I am not a newbie, or immature, and as you know, I used to own the Onkyo DV-SP1000, and I can state with absolute confidence that the Linn is simply in another league audio-wise.
I heard the Linn in my system as well as in hers, and the Linn was very CLEARLY sonically superior to the Onkyo on all formats. This was the most awesome player on any format that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, bar none.
Again, if I had the cash, I would buy it without any hesitation or regret whatsoever.
Audio_girl may be a newbie on Audiogon, but she has one hell of an OUTSTANDING audio system, and knows alot more about audio and internal component circuitry than I think I ever will. Her system is easily the best I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. And after hearing her system, I must say ANALOG RULES! Wow, I never dreamed vinyl could sound so darned good!
Yes, audio_girl is straight forward and loves to speak her mind, but she is extremely knowledgable on audio, and very intelligent. She does like to argue. We argued several times about audio gear, and the bad part is, she usually won the argument! Trust me, she is not jealous of the Onkyo in the least. She has no reason to be.
Happy listening. |
Audio Girl, go to videogon...do a search for the Linn Unidisk...there is only one so even you should be able to find it if you can see through all that anger.
Now look at the picture drama queen and notice the player that is hooked up behind the Linn, thats an Onkyo sp 1000 and is the unit that is replacing the Linn.
Don't take my word... just ask.
You see you drama queen newbie, that particular Linn owner prefers the SP1000....no matter what your inmature drama queen opinions are, they are obviously not shared by everyone.
BTW... both the owner of the Linn and the guy selling it for him like the SP1000 better than the Linn in direct comparison.
The rest of the audio world does not always share your imature newbie opinions or your terrible attitude either thank god. |
Posted by Q of BanditZ at AVS Forum today:
"2-21-05
"10 No Lip Synch whatsoever/Never
"13 "Intermiitent/random/unpredictable" synch issues. (May not even be consistent synch on the same disc at the same spots. Most of entrants here have had this problem.)
"3 "All the time synch every time disc is played back." These are two for Milo and RFogg said he has to use his Anthem delay feature on all movies he watches. He specified all the time."
In other words, only 10 out of 26 have had no A/V sync problem. That is 38 percent, any way you slice it.
Compare Q's tally with Ears comment of today:
"There are like 8 people at AVS in a poll that have or had a sync problem with a couple of them trying more than one player adding to the total."
The facts are the facts.
The speculation is as follows (as posted by Ears today): "There are how many thousands of the sp1000's sold around the world with zero sync problems."
How do we know this? Perhaps Ears is tapped into the global pipeline of Onkyo owners.
Is it not equally plausible, if not more so - look at Q's tally - that there are more Onkyo's sold with A/V sync problems that without? As noted before, Onkyo is aware of the problem. Reread rider's 2/14/05 posted at AVScience, which I quoted above and quote again:
"Latest update I got from Onkyo tech support:
"Japan is still working on problem. Tech said the problem is very "widespread".
The facts are that the problem is "widespread".
A DVD player, no matter how good it sounds, and no matter what its price point - it may be the greatest thing since sliced bread - is a nonstarter. When Onkyo comes up with a fix - or should I say "if" Onkyo comes up with a fix - then and only then is this player a player to be reckoned with. |
Ears,
I do not feel threatened in the least by any of the "GLOWING" reviews of the Onkyo DV-SP1000!
Everyone is just tired of reading your ignorance.
I just stated the facts.
Don't worry, you want here from me anymore on this thread.
I'm tired of arguing with you.
I'm outta here. |
Ok people,
There are like 8 people at AVS in a poll that have or had a sync problem with a couple of them trying more than one player adding to the total.
Again..... nobody on any audio based board has ever mentioned having sync problems until now to my knowledge.
There are how many thousands of the sp1000's sold around the world with zero sync problems, and in fact the creator of the sync thread has no problems at AVS.
None of the 7 pro reviews seem to have a sync problem either.
I use an all digital amped set up for H/T using both coaxial and optical in a bi amped set up with 110 inch plus screen, and no sync controls with zero sync problems.
Audio Girl, there are no reviews of the sp 1000 that are not glowing and I am a contractor whith plenty of documented experience whith other players....lol
I paid full list for the 1000 and feel its worth every penny.
The only real fact is that you were never involved in any 1000 thread over the last few months up until your player was mentioned....since then, you have been evidently threatened by a review, which in your own opinion, is just paid advertising any way.
The only thing I posted were reviews, and never did I state that they were facts based on my own comparisons.
I....again, have no problem at all believing that the Merdian player is sonically better than the 1000 as even the review says the merdian had the edge for audio as I already stated several times if you actually read the posts instead of reading more into them than needed.
The only thing I have ever personally posted as my own personal opinion about the 1000, was that it has the best video I have ever seen on any player, and the best audio from a 2.5k or less universal......thats it.
This info was posted at Audio Circle were nobody seems to disagree, and in fact the only personal audio comparisons I have seen posted at an audio based board up to now, had owners liking the 1000 better than there Marantz sa-14 and Sony xa777es for redbook and sa-cd.
Dave, if the Wolfson dacs are obsolete, I guess the top Accuphase players are obsolete also as they use the same dacs, and trying any player out for yourself goes without saying at any audio board imo. |
Ears (Greg) I wish you would just give this up. The SP1000 is good for the money, but not the giant killer that you claim.
For everyone else jumping on Ears's case, I am afraid it is a lost one. My guess is that he will never give up. That is why I said earlier I wouldn't post again, but I couldn't resist peeking. My fears were confirmed...this really is a stupid waist of time. The only thing going on here is that Ears is making many folks who have tried this machine, because of all the hype, angry over his opinions and the way he delivers them as facts. Let Ears live in his bliss. I just wish he would keep it to himself.
Ears, your post concerning the audio quality and lip-sync is flat out irresponsible. You clearly know very well how to play the semantics game. Why do you have to play this game here (rhetorical question
please do not answer)? Why would you write such a thing when you know so intimately what the problems are (another rhetorical question
please do not answer)?
These problems are not new, and Ears knows this. I communicated with Ears in the AVSForum regarding the audio not being up to my Lexicon RT-10s level back in October, as well as the lip-sync problem. In fact, I believe it was Ears who recommended RAM East for modifications (and someone else that I cant remember) to bring the audio up to a more acceptable level. I never pursued the mods because the lip-sync was so bad, and Ears knew this too. The only reason this is more recognized now is because there are more machines on the market with the problem.
The audio is good for a $2K machine, but that is all. Ears has had a lot of gear and doesnt feel this way, and that is just fine. I have too gone through a lot of demos in my system since returning my Integra DPS 10.5 (the Integra equivalent of the SP1000) and noticed quite large differences. My conclusion (and I really wanted the 10.5 to be the giant killer) was that the DPS 10.5 was only slightly better than the Denon 3910, but way off of Lexicon, Krell, Esoteric and Meridian. It is laughable to me that it could be compared to the Linn Unidisk 1.1. Ears and I even communicated in detail about the Wolfson DACs used in the Onkyo/Integra, and how they are no longer in production (Back in October, Wolfson considered it an obsolete part). Does planned obsolescence ring in your mind?
Ears, think about what you are saying...might I suggest you at least tone it down some. It is obvious that folks do not share your opinions. My local Integra dealer had something like 6 of 8 DPS 10.5s returned because of the lip-sync, and Integra stopped shipping units because of this. If you are successful at swaying someone's purchasing decision, they may very well be disappointed and be forced to return their machine, incurring a lot of aggravation and wasting both time and money...maybe because of you. Let others be the judge too...and respect that
that is all
for real this time.
Jeeze this hobby takes up a lot of time! |
Ears,
The way it seems, you must either work for Onkyo, or they are paying you a healthy sum of money.
How much $ are u getting from them?
I agree with Rmaidenberg that trying to ignore, or trying to cover up deficiencies that are well documented by other owners, or former owners, of audio components is insane.
It seems that the only reviews or comments that you bother to read are the "glowing reviews" by audio publications that are being "paid off" to write rave reviews.
I have read on a couple of forums plenty of comments from several different owners or previous owners of the Onkyo DV-SP1000 and its lip-sync issues.
Go ahead and live in your Onkyo dream world and be happy! |
Ears, you need to read both of my posts again. I never wrote the Onkyo sounded terrible. I do not know how many times I have to repeat myself to make you understand. I did write that my DaViD II sounded better. I have heard far better than my DaViD II as well, which is, of course, one of the reasons why I hope to upgrade later this year. That does not mean that my DaViD II sounds terrible either. All of this is, of course, relative.
With respect to an audio based board, whatever that may be, neither AudiogoN nor AVS Forum are solely relegated to audio. Moreover, this thread, started by Rotabel, asked about the Onkyo as a "universal" player which of course includes its video performance.
There is a very well known and documented A/V sync issue with this unit. That is a fact. Anyone considering the purchase of this unit should know about this problem. To purposefully ignore it, to cite to "audio based" boards which apparently do not discuss this well known critical deficiency, and to implicitly discount the AV Science web site and all of the knowledgeable people there who have owned this exact player, is to do a disservice to the public. If someone wants to purchase this unit as an audio only player, and never use it for DVD video, then of course the A/V sync issue would be of no concern and the player would be judged solely on its audio performance. But do not pretend that the problem does not exist. And do not accuse someone of never even owning the player when that someone (me) did - you do not know me from a hole in the wall - because while you do have some fine points to make about this player, you also lose credibility when you stoop to such tactics. Don't shoot the messenger. Deal with the facts. |
Ears,
Sorry, but as a former Onkyo DV-SP1000 owner, I do have to to agree with Audio_girl about one thing: The Linn Unidisc is sonically in a different league than the Onkyo. I was totally shocked on how awesome the Linn sounded on all formats! Easily the best I have ever heard. If I had the cash, I would buy the Unidisc without hesitation...its that good. She let me borrow the Linn for a few days to try out in my system, and I almost cried when I had to give it back!
The video is alittle better on the Onkyo, however.
Just my 2 cents. |
Audio Girl,
I gaurantee your systym sounds better than mine at this time, thats not the point.
My 2 channel systym has been mostly sold and currently being changed and hopefully for the better.
Better = sonically pleasing to me and not to compete whith yours, or any other set up.
You obviously take exception to me posting about a favorable comparison of a normally mid fi brand to your player, when you should be directing your anger elsewhere.
I said to not shoot the messenger, and you have done anything but, ever since.
So enjoy your set up and maybe direct your anger at the reviewer instead of the messenger. |
Rmaidenburg, I said an audio based board...you know like this one, AA or Audiocircle were you will find zero mention of sync issues from any sp 1000 owner.
You will also not find any "troll like" comments about the sp 1000 sounding terrible. |
Originally posted by EARS:
"Rmaidenburg,
You are the very first person on any audio based board to ever mention having lip sync issues on an SP1000."
I will respond factually and without any adjectives.
Unless you (User Name "Ears" here at AudiogoN) are not the same person as EARZ (User Name at AVScience), who regularly posts in defense of, and with high praise for, the SP1000 in the AVS Forum on DVD Players, you know very well that many people have experienced lip sync issues on not only the SP1000 but also the Integra version of this player.
Heck, Q of BanditZ even started a thread at AVS to try to diagnose the problem in order to work with Onkyo on a fix: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=484072. Indeed, if you (Ears) are the same person as (Earz), you were the seventh poster to that thread and posted as recently as 2/15/05.
However, so that there is no doubt, and so that the readers of this thread here at AudiogoN can read the facts, I will quote from Q's very first post in the AVS Forum thread:
"It's taken several threads and failed polls, but our purpose here is to determine what, if any, common denominators exist as we try to troubleshoot down the lip synch issue that some owners of these units have experienced.
"This is going to strictly be a hard information, data thread for interested parties and owners of both the Onkyo 1000 and Integra 10.5.
"For the sake of brevity, ease of reading and useage, wed ask you to keep conversation to one of the several other robust Onkyo threads. Please strictly post relevant data in this thread.
"This thread is for information and fact finding. Hard data.
"Hopefully, we wish to assemble objective data that we can submit to Onkyo themselves."
As recently as 2/14/05, rider at AVS posted the following:
"Latest update I got from Onkyo tech support:
"Japan is still working on problem. Tech said the problem is very "widespread," but random: some players have the problem, and others don't. He said the problem appears to be internal to the player, and unrelated to monitor/set-up/or anything external. He said Japan hasn't figured out (or if they have, Onkyo US hasn't been told yet) exactly what is causing it, but they believe it's longer video processing time than audio processing time (SiI504 chip probably (?)).
"He said they have "tons" of the SP1000 units there, and he's personally seen some that have the sync problem. He said Japan will "definitely" issue a fix, but couldn't give me a time frame; the only projected date given so far by Japan, back in Dec, was sometime Apr/May......."
Originally posted by Ears:
"You are also the very first person that EVER said the audio was anything but great...so this should tell everyone that you probably have never even heard or seen a SP1000."
Again, I will respond factually and without any adjectives.
I acquired my unit from Vann's back in December of '04, thanks to the tips from Q and others about the discount pricing they had at that time. Indeed, you will find my posts at AVS, if you care to search for them, confirming my ownership of the unit. To Vann's credit, they accepted the return of my unit and gave me a full refund.
With respect to the audio quality of the Onkyo, perhaps I could have been more clear, but you did not need to paraphrase my words to misconstrue what I posted. I never wrote that audio on the Onkyo was "anything but great". To be clear, I wrote that audio on my DaViD II was superior to audio from the Onkyo. The DaViD II plays only Redbook CD, and on Redbook CD the DaViD II was superior to the Onkyo. In my system, the DaViD II provided better bass, more coherence, and less coloration.
As I posted, I acquired the Onkyo for video, not for audio. I was and still am going to sell my DaViD II, because later this year I plan to acquire either the Theta Compli and GenVIII (once the proprietary link issues are resolved) or Meitner CDSD & DAC6e. I intended to keep the Onkyo until the HD DVD & Blue Ray wars are settled because the video on the Onkyo is at least as good, if not better, than any other DVD player on the market (at least in the under $5K range). But with the A/V sync issue, I could not watch more than 3 DVDs before I packed up the unit and returned it to Vann's. To be clear, had there been no A/V sync issue, I would have kept the Onkyo for sure. |
Ears,
There has been quite a bit of discussion on some users having lip synch issues with the player on the AVS forum.
Regards,
Will |
EARS,
I think you are the one who needs to grow up!
You cannot stand the thought of someone not agreeing with you on your overrated opinion of the Onkyo DV-SP1000.
I may be a newbie, but I think I have an excellent, and well choosen system with excellent resolution and detail.
I bet it would hold its own with yours on any day of the week!
Nuff said! |
Rmaidenburg,
You are the very first person on any audio based board to ever mention having lip sync issues on an SP1000.
You are also the very first person that EVER said the audio was anything but great...so this should tell everyone that you probably have never even heard or seen a SP1000.
Audio Girl, maybe when you grow up, you can change your name to audio Lady, until then, your name fits well newbie. |
Has the well documented A/V sync issue been resolved? I had the DV-SP1000 for about 1 week. My Theta DaViD II was noticeably better on audio, whereas the Onkyo clearly excelled in video. I bought the Onkyo for video, not audio, so it did not matter to me that the Onkyo was inferior on audio. However, sync was horrible. While my pre-pro allows for up to 110 milliseconds of delay, I needed considerably more. As such, I returned the unit. Unless and until the sync issue is resolved, this unit is a nonstarter. With the sync problem, it was like watching an old Godzilla movie in high definition - video was beautiful, but audio was absolutely horrible. |
Somethings in life are dependable day in and day out.
For example:
The sun rises and sets, the earth revolves around the sun, the seasons change, its cold at the south pole, hot at the equator, we grow older, and EARS is blowing about some glowing review of the Onkyo DV-SP1000 on Audiogon!!! |
Make that eight glowing reviews as Home Theater Choice has also seen the light in there new issue. |
Kman0911,
I beleive the review comparison said the Merdian did have the edge for audio which is fairly easy to believe, but evidently they felt the Onkyo was so much better for video, they called it even overall.
Anyway, the latest DVD Ect just gave the SP1000 its seventh rave review giving it 98 out of 100. |
Dbld, I am not telling you anything except to not assume that none of the pro reviews used revealing systyms.
Also, the U.K. rags are a bit more honest than most U.S. rags imo.
I have been here since 2000 and should have known how posting this review might go over here.
Anyway, I personally don't care if the 1000 is only superior with video to the more expensive players as that is how it probably should be as far as cost goes.
But I absolutely dissagree that it has rolled off highs. this could not be further from the truth in my experience.
I do however agree that dvd-a is its weakest point , but its also my least used of the format by far. |
Ears-I would have to agree with Dbld.I have the sp1000 and love it(actually bought it because of your many great reviews).It replaced a denon 3910 which i tried for 30 days.I thought the stock 3910 was awful sounding in everyway.I played both of these thur my Theta Casablanca and feel the sp1000 sounds very good.But i got a chance to audition the G98 in my system thur the Theta and it blew me away.I do agree with you Ears that the SP1000 is ONE GREAT DEAL FOR THE MONEY with great video,but in my system the G98 has had the best sound yet.PS i am keeping the sp1000 because for the $$$ it's pretty darn good. |
Earz...So are you telling me I don't feel the way I feel about this player and that what I wrote is not my opinion?
What part of my note did you not understand?
We have crossed paths on this elsewhere. If anyone would like to bring a sp1000 or a DPS 10.5 over to my place for a listen/comparison, I guarantee it wouldn't take much time to draw a conclusion on its audio.
Enough for me
this is simply a stupid waste of time to argue about. |
EARS,
Sorry to break the bad news to you, but, regardless of what you may be reading, the Esoteric DV-50 and Linn Unidisc are a cut above the Onkyo DV-SP1000, sonically, on all formats.
I own the Linn Unidisc and my friend brought over his Onkyo DV-SP1000 to compare it to mine.
The Unidisc was clearly superior to it on all formats, and especially on DVD-AUDIO.
Another friend has an Esoteric DV-50 that we compared the Onkyo with. The Esoteric was also Clearly superior to the Onkyo on all formats, but the Onkyo was closer to the Esoteric on SACD than it was to the Linn.
The video on his Onkyo was slightly better than the Unidisc or Esoteric, but that was about it.
The Onkyo simply sounded too dark, distant, and rolled off in the highs, compared to the two others.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the Onkyo. It was a beautiful, VERY well built machine, with video to die for, and it had excellent audio especially compared to others in its price range and above.
But, in comparison to the Linn and Esoteric, it did have some pretty noticable shortcomings audiowise.
My friend has since sold his Onkyo and bought a used Esoteric DV-50. |
Dbld,
Are you saying that none of the 6 pro extensive reviews were using revealing systyms?
Also no sync issues on mine or any of the review samples.
I can only speak for my comparison of the SP1000/3910/5900/modded 963sa and Modwright Signature 9000 es with all options including the more expensive Jensen power supply caps and bybees.
Using my just sold here Ram modded Sim I-5 and my very revealing custom made all Scan speak speakers with revelators and all the best parts,dedicated lines,Audience and VH flavor 4 power chords, Ap oval 9's and Az matrix ic's.
Maybe not among the very best set ups in hi end, but certainly good enough to hear differences among dvd based players.
The onkyo was far more musical than the Denons, along with having better bass and a deeper soundstage with more inner detail.
When one player has your toes tapping, and the other has you just listening, this equates to a prat advantage on the Onkyo.
They love Prat in the U.K and the 1000 has it in spades.
One of the German reviews had the sa-cd playback rated higher than redbook and dvd-a on the 1000, so that also needs to be factored in imo as these are universal players...not dedicated redbook players.
That review had the redbook playback rated 87% dvd-a 90% and sa-cd 95% I beleive.
These players were judged for build, picture quality, redbook and hi rez playback...not just redbook.
I do agree whith placing the Denon and Pioneer players in a lower tier for lack of build,musicality and the difference in picture quality on my 110 inch screen using the 1000 as compared to the 5900 and 3910..
At any rate, I believe any of the higher end dvd based players value will plummet once hi def dvd arrives this summer.
If not for this, I would consider one of the more expensive universals to at least compare for myself.
For now, I believe the DV-SP 1000 is by far, the best buy in a universal whith hi def dvd looming ever closer.
The next time you see a review comparing a Denon or Marantz ect player that sells for 1600.00 in the U.S. to an 11K Linn Unidisk or even the Merdian and DV-50.....please let me know. |
EARS,
I might read reviews from time to time, but I put absolutely no stock in them anymore whatsoever.
I have bought components that were top rated by the rags, and they absolutely sucked, or did not match up with my other gear. |
FWIW - I have had the Integra DPS 10.5 (very similar to the SP1000), the Meridian G98 and the DV-50 (as well as the DV-50S) all in my system at one time or another over a very short time period.
My observations were somewhat different. I firmly believe you must have a system capable of revealing the differences in order to realize them. I do not claim to understand what makes one system more revealing than another, but I could really tell differences between these three machines (this truly surprised me...especially with the Meridian), and the Integra ranked low for audio in my system. I tried it using all connections available too.
The Integra did have the best PQ though (albeit an A/V sync problem)...and that was quite clear...pun intended. And the build quality of the Integra was equal if not better than the Meridian and the Esoteric too.
Now - The Meridian is a transport only, so it is not really apples to apples. In my system, for CD playback, it was the best I had heard. A very close second was the DV-50 via its analog 2-channel output. Then third...and a distant third to me for audio...was the Integra. The Denon 3910 ranked below the Integra, but that difference was much smaller than the difference between the Integra and the Meridian and Esoteric.
I don't think you can beat the Integra/Onkyo for its price point. I really wanted to keep it, but it is just not in the same league as the Meridian or the Esoteric when it comes to audio.
This is just my observation/opinion in my system. |
Actually, What HiFi october 04 said that the Onkyo SP1000 and the Merdian G-98 both passed up the DV-50.
It says the Merdian had a slight edge for audio, and the SP1000 had an edge for video and ranked them as so.
Onkyo SP1000 5 and the "real star" of the 3
Merdian G98 5
DV-50 4.5
Basically...they were shocked at how well the Onkyo did for both audio and video.
The Pioneer 59avi and Denon 3910 were placed in a lower tier than the above three players. |
Tony,
Back when I bought a 5900, I also bought a 8k pre/pro amp combo to try out multi channel hi rez and made 3 more custom speakers whith Scan speak drivers and all the best parts.
It turned out that after spending over 14k, I preffered most hi rez in 2 channel and ended up with overkill surround H/T speakers.
As far as the hi rez surround control goes, I am probably not the best person to answer this, but you can control over analog, speaker size and distance, and if you use the small setting, your stuck whith 80hz.
Don't know anything about how these settings work whith I link either. |
Yes, I think in Lanny's case he did not have an opportunity to listen to both at the same time. But I did momentarily forget that he had at least a chance to hear both in some fashion.
It's a strong case for the Onkyo. As I still have a dedicated 2 channel rig it makes it almost a no brainer, as for MC listening there appear to be very few rivals. How does the SP1000 handle levels, distance, and crossover for both DVD-A and SACD? |
Tony, I looked again at the rankings and its the 8400.
The only two personal audio comparisons I have seen on the 1000 and 9500 are Daltonlannys above and some poster on a UK board (Don't remeber which) that said he had both in home and kept the 1000.
I agree there is a lack of 1000 vs 9500 personal comparisons available anywhere that I can find.
I know Crutchfield is were I bought my 1000 and they have a 30 day return policy.
I beleive Music Direct has the 9500 with a 30 day return policy also if your interested in comparing the two personally.
There was a member at the Asylum that liked the 1000 better than his sa-14 for both redbook and sa-cd but I have no idea how the 9500 and sa-14 compare either.
For the record the other models were the Arcam DV79 and Denon 3910.
Also for the record the What HiFi October 04 comparison actually says that the Estoric was passed up by both the 1000 and Meridian player.
Although the Merdian was the overall winner, the reviewer felt the Onkyo edged it out videowise, and that the Onkyo was the "real star" of the three.
I don't buy on pro reviews either, but whens the last time you saw any rag pick a usually mid fi brand over the Estoric?
Greg |
Ears, one other thing: I can't find any reference in HCC that they ever reviewed the DV9500. |
Well, I can't answer that, but for me it's a matter of reviewing all the published material, but more importatntly hearing from real users and then listening for myself. That takes a little time for me, anyway.
I don't put much stock in published reviews; had way too many instances where my own personal experience in how something sounded was not in agreement with somebody getting paid to say something. I do still read them, though. I have no doubt the SP1000 is a potentially great universal, but I place more weight into what people like you, and other owners, have to say as a guide in my own process of narrowing down the field. The one thing that is holding my actions at bay is a report from one or more well regarded AgoNers on a direct comparison between the SP1000 and the Marantz DV9500, primarily from an audio POV. I already know they are both great for video. I'm already an owner of a DV8400. It's a nice sounding player, but it does have the characteristic Marantz sound. I hear the 9500 is less so in that regard, but by comparison to that I'm not sure how the SP1000 sounds. I know that A+B does not necessarily = C, but I am frustrated with the lack of user experience with direct listening to both of these newer units.
I suppose I could just buy both and return the one I don't prefer, but I don't know that I could get them fully broken in for a fair comparison. |
Tony,
The ranking is in the February issue on page 174 but the actual reveiw was 12-04.
Whith What Hi Fi saying the 1000 compares to the Estoric and Meridian player and one of the three German rags that all raved about the 1000 saying it compares to the Linn unidisk, I don't understand why more audiophools aren't trying an SP1000. |
Ears, is the the February or March issue of HTC? |
What Hi Fi has said that the sp 1000 compares to the Estoric dv-50 and this months Home Cinema Choice has the best tested in order of preference.
1 Onkyo
2 Arcam
3 Marantz
4 Denon |
The Onkyo DV-SP1000 is a great sounding universal player.
I owned one a couple of months ago.
Very dynamic, energetic, warm, smooth, balanced, and sweet sounding. Build quality is second to none under $2,500.00.
This is the unit to own if your speakers, amp, or preamp lean slightly to the bright or forward side of neutral.
IMHO it lacks the slight brightness, thinness, and lack of absolute dynamics that the top Denons and Pioneers possess.
Even though I really loved the Onkyo, I sold it for two reasons: One, financial problems, and Two, it was just a tad too laid-back, sweet, and warm sounding in my already warm sounding system.
I also recently listened to a Marantz DV-9500 that a friend bought. Based on memory, the Onkyo was more refined dynamic, smoother, and has better bass. Build quality, user friendliness, and speed of operation was in a different league with the Onkyo! Video on the Onkyo is near state-of-the-art compared with all the above mentioned players.
I would highly recommend the Onkyo to anyone seeking a top-notch universal player at a reasonable price!
I am now in the process of getting a RAM fully modified Toshiba SD-4960 universal player, [$790.00 FULLY MODIFIED,including the player].
I will post the results after I receive it and fully break it in. |
Hi Rotabel,
Do you feel Cary Cinema 5 is a good match for the VR-4JRs? Can you please describe their combined traits? (Bright? Warm? Dynamic? Musical? Clinical?) What electronics have you finally settled-on?
I had VR-4JRs/LCR-15/TS-15 for 2 months and would like to upgrade my electronics. Id like to get your and other VR-4JRs owners opinions on the electronics/speaker match-up
Best regards,
Alex |
I have heard Cary will be coming out with an universal player but timing keeps getting pushed. I also heard that the MSRP will be in excess of $3k. To my knowledge even their dealers don't have much info on the unit. Maybe they will have one at CES. |
Demo the sp1000 before you purchase, and demo some others too for comparison. Judging from the rest of your system, you may want to test the field before deciding on the Onkyo. FYI - Since you already have a Cary, Cary will be coming out with two universals in January...maybe. They expected to have it by now, but had some "chip" procurement issues. Call them, they are small and would be happy to explain - especially to a current customer. |
Thanks. I understand. Some of these terms do get lost when you do not spend a lot of time on the forum. It looks like the onkyo is well liked. I am not clear if they incorporate time delay in their software to cure the lip sync curse. My pre/pro does not have it. Anyone know for sure? |
Redbook is regular cd (16bit/44.1khz), not sacd, dvd-a, etc. |
Ok. Now here is where I show my beginners lack of knowledge. What is redbook? I went to avsforum and did a search but could not find a definition. I am still looking for the audiogon search engine. |
If you like a musical and balanced sound,the sp 1000 is for you...especially whith redbook and sa-cd. |
You will find a few threads if you look under the digital forum and go to avsforum .com.
Good Luck |
