Best Blu Ray Picture for under £2K

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys, its been a while since I have been on these forums -luckily for work reasons I just havent had the time.

I
am in the market for a blu ray player - I did purchase a Denon 2500BT a
number of months ago but have given that to my father now.

I am
looking to get the best picture quality from BluRay discs from a unit
that costs under £2K. I have read the excellent £5K Marantz Blu Ray
player and that unfortunately isnt in my price bracket.

Obviously
reading the magazine in my spare time, I know the Pioneer BDP-LX91 or
the Sony BDP 5000ES are probably my only 2 options? But which one in
terms of Picture Quality is the BEST?

I have the 9G Pioneer 50" Kuro to view this on.
Any help is welcomed

 

[Anonymous]

I stand to be corrected but I would have thought the pioneer pips the sony for picture quality, and it may be a better match with your TV. But you will pay about £1600-£1700 for the pioneer and about £1000 for the Sony. Thats a lot of cash difference.

For that kind of money try and find someone who has both in stock and demo them both.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:

Hi Guys, its been a while since I have been on these forums -luckily for work reasons I just havent had the time.

I am in the market for a blu ray player - I did purchase a Denon 2500BT a number of months ago but have given that to my father now.

I am looking to get the best picture quality from BluRay discs from a unit that costs under £2K. I have read the excellent £5K Marantz Blu Ray player and that unfortunately isnt in my price bracket.

Obviously reading the magazine in my spare time, I know the Pioneer BDP-LX91 or the Sony BDP 5000ES are probably my only 2 options? But which one in terms of Picture Quality is the BEST?

I have the 9G Pioneer 50" Kuro to view this on.

Any help is welcomed

Hi Vinny7

Between these two the Sony BDP-S500ES is the best all rounder.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Tom Moreno]

There's also the new Denon BDP-4010UD and the Marantz UD8004 at £1899 and £1999 respectively that are universal players and look to be more high-end. They haven't been reviewed as yet but would be interesting to see how they perform.

 

[Anonymous]

Thx for your replies. Why is the Sony a better all rounder if you dont mind me asking Rick. Thanks

 

[NigelF]

If you are willing to spend 2K on a blu-ray then wondering what sort of display device you've got which will have the major impact in your seach to have the best blu-ray player.

 

[Sorreltiger]

Unless you're planning to show a lot of DVDs too, I'd also compare the expensive Blu-ray players with much cheaper ones. You might conclude you don't need to spend so much money!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:Thx for your replies. Why is the Sony a better all rounder if you dont mind me asking Rick. Thanks

Hi Vinny7

I have found the BDP-S5000ES slicker in it's operation, an audio performance that is tighter and dynamic and a picture that is sharper and more fluid in movement (and this is on a Kuro screen). It also offers better vfm.

Btw, having said all this i personally would not at the moment spend this much on a blu-ray player. If this is part of an AV system than i would instead spend the money on amps and speakers which are likely to give a bigger return on your investment.

For the last ten months i have mostly used a BD35 via a DSP-Z11 and on to Kuro screens.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thx Rick,

Very helpful. Anyone else experienced using these two machines?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:

Thx Rick,

Very helpful. Anyone else experienced using these two machines?

Hi Vinny7

Your welcome. However i had missed a couple of points from my earlier post which i was subsequently adding to while you posted this. Therefore please also look at my post again. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for you helpful advice Rick.

My local dealer have
offered me the Pioneer for £1050, whats your opinion at that price
point? I am thinking of taking it as I watch a lot of standard DVDs and
the Bluray performance isnt far off the Sony, if not identical.

My aim is just to extract the ultimate best bluray picture for my Pioneer 9G Kuro.

I
currently have the Denon AVR4308 as my AV amp with the Monitor Audio
GS60 Surround System- next year my AV amp will be upgrade to the
reference Denon AV integrated amp & at very slowly at the back end
of next year I shall start to introduce the Monitor Audio PL300
Surround package into my system. A long process, but hopefully going in
the right direction

I appreciate your feedback with the Sony Rick, very helpful.

 

[Anonymous]

What Hifi Team - I am slightly out of touch so hope this doesnt breach any rules or regulations

But Rick - I have tried to look on your website and cannot clearly see the products or services that Musicraft sell. Id love to know more about your demo facilities etc.

 

[bigboss]

Sorreltiger:Unless you're planning to show a lot of DVDs too, I'd also compare the expensive Blu-ray players with much cheaper ones. You might conclude you don't need to spend so much money!

I would second that. You'll get much better performance with better amp & speakers, than a blu-ray player. In fact, even for DVDs, the Kuro is the best upscaler. Why don't you demo a low end player like the Sony S360 with a high end player you're looking at, just to compare if there's any improvement in the PQ & AQ? You may just be pleasantly surprised....

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:

Thanks for you helpful advice Rick.

My local dealer have offered me the Pioneer for £1050, whats your opinion at that price point? I am thinking of taking it as I watch a lot of standard DVDs and the Bluray performance isnt far off the Sony, if not identical.

My aim is just to extract the ultimate best bluray picture for my Pioneer 9G Kuro.

I currently have the Denon AVR4308 as my AV amp with the Monitor Audio GS60 Surround System- next year my AV amp will be upgrade to the reference Denon AV integrated amp & at very slowly at the back end of next year I shall start to introduce the Monitor Audio PL300 Surround package into my system. A long process, but hopefully going in the right direction

I appreciate your feedback with the Sony Rick, very helpful.

Hi Vinny7

Thanks for your post.

£1050 for the Pioneer is great price however if you have got your heart set on spending this amount of money on a blu ray player than i would still recommed the Sony. The Pioneer (even at a price of £1050) is not going to perform any different to the Sony.

I can get hold of the Pioneer and when i was deciding whether to stock it or not i also compared it to the Sony. The Sony for me was superior and the price difference at RRP is also less.

However as i said earlier neither the Pioneer or Sony for me cannot fully justify their extra cost involved over lesser priced blu ray players (just as with the PD-91 v BDP-S500ES).

If your long term plan is a better AV amplifier and speakers than (i hope you will not mind me mentioning this again) i would rather put the extra money in this direction which is more than likey to give you a bigger return on your investment.

If you are looking at the Denon AVC-A1HDA than i will also suggest the Yamaha DSP-Z11. I also support Monitor Audio (including the Platinum Series) and as i have said many times before Monitor Audio speakers + Yamaha AV amplifiers = great match (time after time). Anyway this is something that i hope you will also consider at the time.

Btw, i have no dealings with Sony whatsoever.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Deleted member 2457]

who's your local dealer please?

 

[Anonymous]

Thx Rick, very helpful again. Its something I unfortunately dont have the time to go and demo at this current stage.

I have made up my mind however to purchase a Pioneer BDP-LX71 or Pioneer BDP-LX08. I can get either of these for £300 and as far as I know they are identical in terms of performance?

I think I shall wait for a time when the blu ray players can justify their outlay - which hopefully wont be too long.

In reference to your return on investment statement, just a story that might shed some light in agreeing with you:

I have currently my PS3 as my blu ray player. I used this on my Pioneer 50" Kuro 9th Generation Plasma - my friends were blown away when we watched The Dark Knight at how good the picture was. However the exact same setup, instead using a Pioneer 42" 7th Generation Plasma - showed a MASSIVE difference in the picture quality. It was uncomparable

Thanks for your advice Rick - I shall now wait until the time is right and invest elsewhere.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

So let me get this right you have decided upon the pioneer bdp-lx71.

Another great choice!

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Who offered you the pioeer bdp-lx91 for 1050?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:

What Hifi Team - I am slightly out of touch so hope this doesnt breach any rules or regulations

But Rick - I have tried to look on your website and cannot clearly see the products or services that Musicraft sell. Id love to know more about your demo facilities etc.

Hi Vinny7

Thanks for your post.

I fully accept the site is not up to scratch and i am sorry for this. However this is in hand and will be polished up in due course. In the mean time if you would like to know more than please feel free to visit or contact me. The details are available in my bio.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Hi gel, thanks for your feedback. I cannot give my contact away in the av trade unfortunately. Although you can get some really good deals struck with your local av supplier by just talking to them in my opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

MUSICRAFT:Vinny7:

What Hifi Team - I am slightly out of touch so hope this doesnt breach any rules or regulations

But Rick - I have tried to look on your website and cannot clearly see the products or services that Musicraft sell. Id love to know more about your demo facilities etc.

Hi Vinny7

Thanks for your post.

I fully accept the site is not up to scratch and i am sorry for this. However this is in hand and will be polished up in due course. In the mean time if you would like to know more than please feel free to visit or contact me. The details are available in my bio.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

Hi Rick,

I didnt mean any of my comments in a bad way. And I appreciate the time you have taken to speak to me. I think in the future I shall be paying a visit to Musicraft.

Thanks again

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Vinny7:

Thx Rick, very helpful again. Its something I unfortunately dont have the time to go and demo at this current stage.

I have made up my mind however to purchase a Pioneer BDP-LX71 or Pioneer BDP-LX08. I can get either of these for £300 and as far as I know they are identical in terms of performance?

I think I shall wait for a time when the blu ray players can justify their outlay - which hopefully wont be too long.

In reference to your return on investment statement, just a story that might shed some light in agreeing with you:

I have currently my PS3 as my blu ray player. I used this on my Pioneer 50" Kuro 9th Generation Plasma - my friends were blown away when we watched The Dark Knight at how good the picture was. However the exact same setup, instead using a Pioneer 42" 7th Generation Plasma - showed a MASSIVE difference in the picture quality.

Thanks for your advice Rick - I shall now wait until the time is right and invest elsewhere.

Hi Vinny 7

Thanks for post and for your kind words.

Apart from their designs the LX71 and LX08 have an identical performance.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

bigboss:
Sorreltiger:Unless you're planning to show a lot of DVDs too, I'd also compare the expensive Blu-ray players with much cheaper ones. You might conclude you don't need to spend so much money!

I would second that. You'll get much better performance with better amp & speakers, than a blu-ray player. In fact, even for DVDs, the Kuro is the best upscaler. Why don't you demo a low end player like the Sony S360 with a high end player you're looking at, just to compare if there's any improvement in the PQ & AQ? You may just be pleasantly surprised....

Thanks for your advice BigBoss - ive taken it on board and will just be getting a Pioneer BDP-LX71 to keep me going for the near future.

I also purchased the Ultimate Guide to Blu Ray and the Awards 2009 What HiFi issues which has helped me make my decision too.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Hi Vinny7 thanks for the reply and tips, I can't see my local shop being that generous know.

 

[bigboss]

Vinny7:bigboss:

Sorreltiger:Unless you're planning to show a lot of DVDs too, I'd also compare the expensive Blu-ray players with much cheaper ones. You might conclude you don't need to spend so much money!

I would second that. You'll get much better performance with better amp & speakers, than a blu-ray player. In fact, even for DVDs, the Kuro is the best upscaler. Why don't you demo a low end player like the Sony S360 with a high end player you're looking at, just to compare if there's any improvement in the PQ & AQ? You may just be pleasantly surprised....

Thanks for your advice BigBoss - ive taken it on board and will just be getting a Pioneer BDP-LX71 to keep me going for the near future.

I also purchased the Ultimate Guide to Blu Ray and the Awards 2009 What HiFi issues which has helped me make my decision too.

All the best & enjoy your movies!