Best Blu-ray player up to £400. Only film sound and picture quality important.

[strapped for cash]

I'm looking for the best Blu-ray player for up to £400. To justify the expense it needs to noticeably outperform the Sony BDP-S370 in terms of sound and picture quality and upscale DVDs to a comparable or better standard.

Other features are of no importance to me (I don't use BD-Live, I don't browse the net using my Blu-ray player, and I don't need golf tips, which for some reason seem very important to Sony).

I'm not even that excited about disc loading times, within reason; and I don't need the player to be 3D ready, either. I don't object to these bells and whistles being present, I'm just unlikely to use them.

It would be nice if the player was a reasonable stereo performer, but even that's not essential. All I really want is to slip a Blu-ray or DVD disc into the player and be astonished by quality of the picture and sound.

Suggestions are most welcome. I considered the Cambridge Audio BD650, but I'm not sure if this is a noticeably better Blu-ray player than the Sony I already own (though I appreciate it's appeal as a universal player). Besides, it seems almost impossible to get hold of one now...

 

[strapped for cash]

And it's a shame you can't edit your original post if you spot a typing error!

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

Strapped For Cash,

IMO - For pure picture and sound quality, nothing will beat the Denon DVD-2500BT (yes, still!) for under £400.00

You will be astounded by it's performance!

Ronald

 

[strapped for cash]

I have to admit, I hadn't considered a player (or transport!) as old as that, but it's tempting.

Having read a review that described the 2500BT as a "significant upgrade" over the PS3, it may well offer exactly the performance without frills I'm looking for. The PS3 is my only real point of comparison, and while the S-370 offers an improvement over the PS3 with Blu-ray playback, I wouldn't describe it as "significant."

My concerns are 1) I can't audition the 2500BT; and 2) the player is only available as "b-stock" or "ex-display" (hardly surprising, given its age). It's definitely an option I'm pondering now, so thanks for the suggestion!

 

[f1only]

How about The Pioneer LX52?

The only downside of the older players is the slower load times.

My step son has got an LG-BX580 it was a couple of hundred £ a few months ago & is 3D, it still doesn't beat my Pioneer BDP320 for sound & picture quality of 2D, although the load times are a lot faster.

 

[strapped for cash]

Cheers f1only.

I've been considering the LX-52 as well. Ronald claims the older Denon trumps the Pioneer for sound and picture quality.

Can any other owners comment on the performance of these two players simply for sound and picture quality compared with newer, feature-packed machines?

I should have added: I'd love multi-region Blu-ray. In fact this is what prompted my search in the first place. An older modded Oppo may also be worth contemplating...

 

[Anonymous]

strapped, i guarantee you that if you put a bdp-s370 next to a denon 2500 you will find no difference..

digital data doesn't differ...

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

Maxflinn,

.....I guarantee he will! Hahahaha....had your eyes checked lately, Max?

Ronald

 

[Anonymous]

DDDD ron.

 

[sheehanjuk]

Ronald Archiebald wrote:

Strapped For Cash,

The stereo performance of the LX-52 is reasonable although I have a dedicated system for music.

A blu-ray player is primarily for movies, where it's sonic qualities are appreciated, and that the LX-52 does very competently.

My DVD-2500BT though is still the best among the three for picture and sound quality.

Ronald

Ronald does the Denon have analogue hifi interconnect ports for a hifi amp to connect? Can you expand on the sound quality of the denon compared to the other models you have. This player actual sounds like what ive been looking for. Im looking to upgrade and currently got a Sony S360.

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

I've been considering the LX-52 as well. Ronald claims the older Denon trumps the Pioneer for sound and picture quality.

Yes, I did. I have a S370, LX-52 and a 2500BT at home as my permanent players so I compare the quality with a wide variety of blu-rays very often and I can certainly appreciate differences that may not appear immediately to most people who view comparisons during a short audition.

I've also had a BDP-320, BDP-S760, DMP-BD35, 55, 80 & 85 and most recently, a BDT-110.

I now have a BDT-310 which I'm testing and hope to get my hands on a S5000ES very soon.

So, yes - IMO, the DVD-2500BT in my books, still produces the best picture and sound quality.

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

Ronald Archiebald wrote:

Strapped For Cash,

The stereo performance of the LX-52 is reasonable although I have a dedicated system for music.

A blu-ray player is primarily for movies, where it's sonic qualities are appreciated, and that the LX-52 does very competently.

My DVD-2500BT though is still the best among the three for picture and sound quality.

Ronald

Ronald does the Denon have analogue hifi interconnect ports for a hifi amp to connect? Can you expand on the sound quality of the denon compared to the other models you have. This player actual sounds like what ive been looking for. Im looking to upgrade and currently got a Sony S360.

No, it does not. It is a Transport and so only has 1 HDMI out. All decoding of HD codecs is done by your amp.

For further info ---> http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4553

 

[strapped for cash]

strapped, i guarantee you that if you put a bdp-s370 next to a denon 2500 you will find no difference..

digital data doesn't differ...

I can almost buy that argument when it comes to cables, Max, though I'm not looking to light that particular strand of touch paper!

I can't accept this being the case with Blu-ray players. I can tell the difference between images output from my PS3 and the S-370, for example, and these are hardly a gulf apart in terms of price and spec...

I can see a budget/mid-to-high-end Blu-ray player shootout on the horizon, that's if I can find anywhere nearby that still stocks the players mentioned for audition purposes!

 

[strapped for cash]

I've been considering the LX-52 as well. Ronald claims the older Denon trumps the Pioneer for sound and picture quality.

Yes, I did. I have a S370, LX-52 and a 2500BT at home as my permanent players so I compare the quality with a wide variety of blu-rays very often and I can certainly appreciate differences that may not appear immediately to most people who view comparisons during a short audition.

I've also had a BDP-320, BDP-S760, DMP-BD35, 55, 80 & 85 and most recently, a BDT-110.

I now have a BDT-310 which I'm testing and hope to get my hands on a S5000ES very soon.

So, yes - IMO, the DVD-2500BT in my books, still produces the best picture and sound quality.

That's an extensive list of kit you've got your hands on, Ronald. Presumably you're trade? The S5000ES is also a player on my shortlist. I'd be intrigued to know how this compares with the Denon.

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

I've been considering the LX-52 as well. Ronald claims the older Denon trumps the Pioneer for sound and picture quality.

Yes, I did. I have a S370, LX-52 and a 2500BT at home as my permanent players so I compare the quality with a wide variety of blu-rays very often and I can certainly appreciate differences that may not appear immediately to most people who view comparisons during a short audition.

I've also had a BDP-320, BDP-S760, DMP-BD35, 55, 80 & 85 and most recently, a BDT-110.

I now have a BDT-310 which I'm testing and hope to get my hands on a S5000ES very soon.

So, yes - IMO, the DVD-2500BT in my books, still produces the best picture and sound quality.

That's an extensive list of kit you've got your hands on, Ronald. Presumably you're trade? The S5000ES is also a player on my shortlist. I'd be intrigued to know how this compares with the Denon.

No, it actually is a hobby of mine. I also test amps and surround sound speakers. I buy these mostly on E-bay, listen to them and then sell them off again.

I like to be able to speak from my own experience of personally testing these equipments on a rather long-term basis than to rely solely on reviews or hearsay. It's just something that I really love doing, that's all.

I need to add 2 others to that list - 51FD and LX-71 as well.

 

[strapped for cash]

Sounds a fun, but expensive hobby; and if you're passing that experience on to others, a helpful one, too!

I can get a b-stock 2500BT for £300, with a 12 month manufacturer's warranty. I'll have a chat with the retailer on Monday about their returns policy. I should be covered by distance selling regs, but it's better to establish there will be no arguments, in case I'm not happy.

In the meantime, if you fancy passing along any of that exhaustive list of kit for a second opinion, I'm a more than willing volunteer!

 

[sheehanjuk]

Ronald Archiebald wrote:

Strapped For Cash,

The stereo performance of the LX-52 is reasonable although I have a dedicated system for music.

A blu-ray player is primarily for movies, where it's sonic qualities are appreciated, and that the LX-52 does very competently.

My DVD-2500BT though is still the best among the three for picture and sound quality.

Ronald

Ronald does the Denon have analogue hifi interconnect ports for a hifi amp to connect? Can you expand on the sound quality of the denon compared to the other models you have. This player actual sounds like what ive been looking for. Im looking to upgrade and currently got a Sony S360.

No, it does not. It is a Transport and so only has 1 HDMI out. All decoding of HD codecs is done by your amp.

For further info ---> http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4553

that's really disappointing, which of the bluray players you'd tested which has analogue interconnectors has the nearest PQ and sound quality to the Denon?

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

that's really disappointing, which of the bluray players you'd tested which has analogue interconnectors has the nearest PQ and sound quality to the Denon?

IMO, that would be the LX-71, although I have always found that Pioneer bluray players perform best with a Pioneer TV.

 

[richardw42]

Purely in terms of PQ & SQ, my MARANTZ BD5004 clearly outperforms my SONY S570.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Strapped For Cash, I've got the Sony S570 and the Pioneer LX54. The Pioneer IMO, represents a large jump in performance over the Sony in picture and especially sound. I've run them back to back on my system and even with some problems (now sorted except with one or two 3D discs) I've had with the Pioneer, I couldn't go back to the Sony. There are a couple of firmware fixes due end of this month/ beginning of next and I'm hoping these will be the last. So if your lucky it could all be sorted by the time you make your final decision. The Pioneer is going for about £320 at the minute, so could leave you some money for cables or discs.

 

[professorhat]

Purely in terms of PQ & SQ, my MARANTZ BD5004 clearly outperforms my SONY S570.

I'd agree with that.

 

[Clare Newsome]

We're doing a Group Test of higher end Blu-ray players for an issue coming out next month...

 

[strapped for cash]

Thanks for the input folks. I'm a confused fella at the moment.

I've always felt my BDP was the weak link in my home cinema set up, hence the desire to upgrade.

Clare, or members of the review team, can you possibly comment on the performance of older players like the 2500BT and LX-52 compared with newer, feature rich alternatives? Please bear in mind that extra functionality is unimportant to me. It's simply a 2D Blu-ray/DVD shoot out. Of course, if the best player happens to be a 3D-ready model with myriad internet features, it's hardly a problem.

I'll take a good look at the upcoming supertest when the mag lands on my doormat, but presumably these will be 2011 models, perhaps with a few 2010 players thrown into the mix.

Oh, and it would be great to get my hands on a BDP that can play Region A Criterion releases!

 

[bigboss]

Oh, and it would be great to get my hands on a BDP that can play Region A Criterion releases!

Oppo BDP-93EU

Cambridge Audio BD-650

Both can be easily modded to play multiregion blu-rays with this (Oppo) and this (CA).

 

[strapped for cash]

Oh, and it would be great to get my hands on a BDP that can play Region A Criterion releases!

Oppo BDP-93EU

Cambridge Audio BD-650

Both can be easily modded to play multiregion blu-rays with this (Oppo) and this (CA).

Indeed. Cheers, bb.

Unfortunately, the BD-650 seems near impossible to get hold of now (only limited stock in a few RS stores and unfortuantely none that are local to me).

The Oppo, while tempting, may not quite offer the audio and video performance I'm hoping for in an upgrade.

I appreciate what you're saying, however. If I want a player that's easily modded, these seem the obvious contenders. I'm even thinking about picking up an Oppo BDP-83. It would be nice to have an audition, though (I know, I'm difficult to please)!