Calling all Slim PS3 adopters!

[AndyWright]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question to anyone who has a new PS3 slim, I am thinking of upgrading my two year old fat PS3 for a shiny(or not so shiny anymore) new one, reason being I need the extra storage space, like the idea of it being smaller and quieter etc.

Well my question is: have you noticed a difference in sound quality if using the bitstream HD sound over the LPCM if so what receiver are you using? I own the Sony STRDH800 so dont know if that will make a difference?

Any help will be appreciated

thanks guys

 

[Anonymous]

hi mate,iv just swapped my launch 60gig for a slim! i cant say iv noticed a differance at all using bitstream! the only thing differant is the hd badge lights up on my denon 2809. im happy i swapped though less power consumption, quieter, more storage! looks cheap compared to the original though.

 

[VoodooDoctor]

If you want more HD space it may be worth holding on for a bit longer as there may be a limited edition with an even bigger HD on its way very shortly.

 

[AndyWright]

Thanks guys for your advice, oooh a bigger hard drive PS3? Im looking forward to it!

Ideally I know I'd need a standalone BluRay player to experience better HD sound but alas that will come in time, i.e. when the prices drop and the quality goes up!

 

[professorhat]

Just put a 500GB disk in your existing PS3 - job's a good'un (and a hell of a lot cheaper).

 

[Oldboy]

Hi,

I upgraded to a slim on launch day and the bitsteamed sound is slightly better in my set up but not by much. I wish i had kept my old fat ps3 now as there are a few probs with the slim. You can't use it on it's side unless you get a stand which have not been released yet, it's ALOT louder than my old fat ps3 to the extent that i can hear the disc spinning (my old fat version was almost silent!) so don't be fooled by Sony's claims of it being quieter, its smoke and mirrors! It feels less substantial in the hand and feels like a 'budget' version plus the ps3 slim has an annoying habit of moving when you put a disc in or put a usb into the front (no doubt because of the smaller footprint compared to the older version).

They may seem like small grumbles but all those issues were not present in the old version so why are they issues in a supposedly superior redesigned machine? I'm now going to buy a seperate bluray player and use the ps3 just for games as i'm just not impressed with the slim, i wouldn't buy one had i known these issues before i purchased but i'm stuck with it now as i put my 320gb hard drive in it....doh!!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not being funny, but it seems a bit risky replacing the HDD before your guarantee has run out.

Changed my fat for a slim last week, mainly because I can now fit the thing in my rack, and partly so I can see 'HD' light up on my amp (sad, I know). It's definitely a lot quieter than the fat boy. Oldboy, you may have a problem if yours is louder.

As for the design, i thought the old one looked, franky, rediculous. I mean, It's huge, for goodness sake! It was as though they couldn't make it any smaller so they just plonked the case around the internals. I must say though, that the slim's matte finish does cheapen the look a little.

Don't get the problem of moving when inserting a disc or USB device/ cable. Maybe your rack is a bit dusty

. Or stick it down with some blu-tack. Some would argue (WHF too, if I remember correctly) that this can improve sound and possibly video as well. Or try half squash balls at each corner. This is another WHF budget DIY tweak!

 

[professorhat]

Arepeebee:I'm not being funny, but it seems a bit risky replacing the HDD before your guarantee has run out.

Not at all, replacing the hard drive is fully guaranteed by Sony (it's even mentioned that it's possible to do in the manual). The only thing to do is to ensure you keep the original hard disk as apparently if you send the PS3 back to Sony with an issue and they send you a replacement model, they won't swap the hard disks over. So, by swapping back to the original drive that came with the PS3 if you need you return it for repair, you can ensure (a) you won't lose your larger drive if they do replace the unit and (b) you won't lose any data.

See my guide for more details

 

[Anonymous]

i'm slightly disappointed that the v3 firmware doesn't seem to allow bitstream of hd on my fat ps3.i feel a bit short changed!

 

[cram]

kenda01:i'm slightly disappointed that the v3 firmware doesn't seem to allow bitstream of hd on my fat ps3.i feel a bit short changed!

why? don't think Sony said it would bitstream with the v3 firmware. The popular opinion is that the old style ps3 can't do this because of a hardware limitation.

 

[sonycentre]

Yep the ps3 slim does not push any of my buttons when it comes to looks,I love my old 60 gig phat(cos it plays all my lovely sacd,s) card reader and so on,sony took on-board what the public wanted,and so you have the ps3 slim.remember folks.its all down to price.

 

[Pindi]

A 250gb PS3 has been confirmed for October...

 

[Anonymous]

cram:

kenda01:i'm slightly disappointed that the v3 firmware doesn't seem to allow bitstream of hd on my fat ps3.i feel a bit short changed!

why? don't think Sony said it would bitstream with the v3 firmware. The popular opinion is that the old style ps3 can't do this because of a hardware limitation.

exactly, i don't mind them making the thing smaller, lighter, cooler using die shrinks etc but they have obviously changed one of the parts to enable bitstream of hd audio so those with an older fat ps3 technically have an inferior machine, it's a fundamental change on the hardware design as far as i'm concerned.

 

[Petruchio]

I have a old "fat" 60gb PS3. Here's why I'd like to change to the slim one:

* More storage

* HD audio via bitstream

...and here's why I don't want to change:

* No more memory card slots ( I use this a lot)

* No SACD playback (why did they drop this?)

I think I'll stay as I am!

 

[Anonymous]

I have a doubt ever since I read the review of the old PS3 The review claimed:
The same could be said for the PlayStation3's sound quality. Decoded HD soundtracks are relatively clear and open, but you get the feeling that the PS3 is only scratching the surface.
It also has a tendency to sound quite bright and this lack of solidity and scale can make it sound rather lightweight compared to some of its rivals.
Now, when the ps3 is sending a soundtrack to an AV receiver, my understanding is that all it does is translate whichever codec to lpcm (lossless process) and then pass that digital data to the receiver. If the ps3 is just sending digital information, how can it be responsible of the sound quality when the whole D-to-A task, amplification, performance, etc is done somewhere else (ie AV receiver, speakers, wiring, etc.).
Shouldn't all the bluray players (connected to the AV through HDMI and ceteris paribus), sound the same?

 

[Anonymous]

So am i better off getting a Fat PS3 or a slim one ???

Been using my mates one for too long and about time i got my own. what do i do ?!?!

 

[Anonymous]

250GB versions out on Oct 1st for £284.99, with two platinum games or copy of Infamous.

On the 19th, a BD pack arrives with BD remote and Dark Knight and Wolverine on BD.

 

[mgillespie05]

i have a 60 gig and changad the hard drive to 500 gig for 80 euro .no hasle and works just fine alot. cheaper than a newby

 

[professorhat]

J.Seb:Now, when the ps3 is sending a soundtrack to an AV receiver, my understanding is that all it does is translate whichever codec to lpcm (lossless process) and then pass that digital data to the receiver. If the ps3 is just sending digital information, how can it be responsible of the sound quality when the whole D-to-A task, amplification, performance, etc is done somewhere else (ie AV receiver, speakers, wiring, etc.).

Shouldn't all the bluray players (connected to the AV through HDMI and ceteris paribus), sound the same?

The very fact that they don't kind of puts an onion in the ointment of that whole argument, n'est pas?

 

[lee37]

i got the fat ps3 on launch day (at the midnight opening, sad eh) and within a week upgraded to a 120gb hdd.

now i have a 500gb hdd and never had any problems

stick with the old one and put in a new hdd and get a seperate blu ray player

and as to the guy that wrote all blu ray play should sound the same well in theory maybe in practice definetly not

 

[Anonymous]

does the new one have analog outs to connect to my stereo amp

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
The very fact that they don't kind of puts an onion in the ointment of that whole argument, n'est pas?

Surely they don't sound the same, I know that but my question is why?

 

[professorhat]

one off:does the new one have analog outs to connect to my stereo amp

You can do this using the AV multi out socket.

 

[Anonymous]

tks prof