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audioholics has a great review on the Denon, check it out |
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Marantz 9600
Nice! This is what I use and I love it. |
Oppo....$149....US company...you can't lose. |
Oppo 970HD....$149 plus shipping....American made.
Larry |
Denon 3930Ci or Marantz 9600. I am looking at both, will get one this week. Have heard Oppo is good. |
Is Oppo well rated for 2-channel audio as well? Read the review of the Denon and it seems nicely priced for what you get. |
Bought the Denon 3930Ci, kind of a toss up between similar units but I don't have the most high end system on the planet. Just bought the M&K 1611P active fronts, K4 passive rears and an MX7000 sub so I have yet to give you any feedback. Plan on setting up within two weeks, then will post my impression. |
Oppo....$149....US company...you can't lose.
I too own the Oppo. Very good video if using DVI. Two-channel audio? No wait, "nice two channel audio component..."? Fagedabouit. |
The Oppo is apparently good with HDMI, but doesn't have a DVI output. |
According to Teac/ Esoteric they have two (2) models that do what you are asking-
www.teac.com/esoteric/ComponentSeries.html
I just bought the DV60 but have not had a chance to evaluate it yet |
Honestly speaking the 2 channel of Denon & Marantz is quite disappointing. I compare them together recently.
I think you ought to give the Rotel & Arcam an audition before deciding. The Arcam should by far the best sounding 2channel followed by Rotel, Denon then Marantz. This is according to my listening preference for 2 channel. For video performance, I don't really care since all of the players mentioned are very good in that aspect.
God luck. |
The Onkyo SP1000 has significantly better build quality, sound, and UI/interface than the Marantz universal. Only thing it's missing is 480i over HDMI, but it sounds like you don't need that anyway if you're planning on upconverting at the player level. |
I'd go a different route: Toshiba 2d gen HD-DVD player, for superb HD, great (better than Oppo) upconverting, and very good sound [note that this is a projection of 2d gen performance, based on current models]...and then get a Rega Apollo, modded Jolida, or other really good dedicated CD player for two channel music. Total cost c. $2K.
This approach optimizes the performance demands for each device. All-in-ones, unless you're spending significantly more than your apparent budget, tend to suffer in the same way all-season tires do -- they're decent at most things, but not truly excellent at anything.
Just my two cents. |
If you're still interested, I just purchased the Rotel RDV-1092, which actually converts to 1080p (as well as 1080i). For superior video output, one might want to consider the Denon 3930. However, when it comes to 2-channel analog playback, the 1092 is, from my perspective, the hands-down the best performer (I did compare it with the Denon and Arcam DV-137 in my own home, but separately - not A/B - side-by-side). The Arcam was also excellent at 2-channel playback, but at nearly $700 less (I got a great deal from my dealer), it was a no-brainer to go with the Rotel. I did do a serious side-by-side A/B comparison with the Rotel and my ARC DAC-II / EAD T-7000 transport (which is older gear by today's standards - but, at $6,000 ten years ago, was among the top of the heap). The Rotel was so good; I could not really distinguish any noticeable differences in performance. I went with the 1092 because of the audio performance, not because of the video. However, the video is outstanding. My plasma does not do 1080p, but at 720p the video is incredible (much better than the 1080i- I believe progressive is better than interlaced). Hope this is helpful.
Note: the Rotel does an outstanding job with red book CD playback. Also note, I believe Arcam did away with the SACD playback option for the DV-137 (the Rotel does not play SACD either). I am very satisfied with the Rotel.
Ben |
Yup, I have the same conclusion. If you do not need SACD playback, go with the Rotels. The good thing about Rotel gears is that they pay a lot of attention to power supply design which is a big plus compare to the main stream Denon and Marantz. |
Congrats 2chnlben, enjoy the rotel. BTW, how much did you pay? I am pretty set on the Rotel for source. |
Thanks for the advice. I am not interested in SACD anyways, so I would probably lean to the Rotel. I have a dealer nearby that sells both the Denon and the Rotel, so hopefully I can demo both. |
Rs691919, I paid $1,350 for a new unit. I actually traded in my separate transport/converter and Pioneer Elite DVD player, along with several greenbacks. For the money, I'm very impressed with the Rotel. Again, my priority is the audio. I do believe there are other players in the same price range that offer better video playback. However, you'd need a TV with true 1080p to take advantage of these fine details. Of course you can find more refined audio in a universal player too, but you'd probably have to spend at least a grand or more to compete with the Rotel (imho).
Good luck,
Ben |
ok... tested all those mentioned. I think the Rotel holds itself very well against the likes of Marantz & Arcam. I decided to take the Rotel for its very good 2 channel audio playback.
The player has good details, dynamics & excellent soundstage. I audition it with full Rotel set up together with the other players which could be the reason why it sounded better.
The players on audition are Arcam DV137, Rotel RDV1092, Marantz 9600 & Denon 3930. All 4 do not have significant difference in 2 channel or 5 channel audio. For video, I would rate Denon, Arcam & Marantz, Rotel in order of preference to my eyes but still very insignificant base on 720P upconversion. In the end, I am indifferent to all 4 except on price & design. |
"The players on audition are Arcam DV137, Rotel RDV1092, Marantz 9600 & Denon 3930. All 4 do not have significant difference in 2 channel or 5 channel audio."
??? Is your stereo up for the challenge of resolving the sonic differences between these players? |
Not sure what do you mean. But the problem is that I cannot bring these home for trial bec we do not get that type of service in my country. If I am able to bring them home, the outcome could be different. So I am listening to it now and have no complains about the audio playback. In fact, I have also traded in my cdp and uses the 1092 solely as source for CDP & DVD. Maybe I am not that fussy....
Cheers |
I brought home the Rotel 1092 to compare with the Marantz 9600 and lo and behold, the HDMI out on the Rotel does not work! I'm quite surprised and disappointed. It is the demo unit at the dealer and he mentioned that they were having some trouble "playing some movies", but that worries me about Rotel's reliability overall. |
