help with replacing my blu ray player

[gar1975]

hi.... i am currently using a pioneer bdp lx71 which has refused to play a couple of discs (player has been updated) so i have decided to buy a new player, but i have no idea what player would be a good replacement, the picture and sound from the 71 is great so will want something to at least match that. not overly bothered if it has wifi or a good range of web based stuff, youtube etc...

any help/advice in choosing a new player would be really appreciated

thanks in advance...

 

[bigboss]

What's your budget, & what's the rest of your system like?

 

[gar1975]

under £1000... sorry i thought my system showed up on my listings... i have a pioneer pdp lx 6090 plasma & a yamaha z11 not interested in 3d

 

[DandyCobalt]

Cambridge Audio BD751 is a good place to start looking. Great sound/image (very good upscaling) and hasn't rejected any of my discs yet (CD, BD, DVD, DVD-A, SACD).

 

[bigboss]

For superior audio, look at Cambridge Audio BD751, Oppo 95, Marantz UD7006 & Denon 2012.

 

[John Duncan]

+1 for the Cambridge, though it's the only top end player I know - Bigboss's alternatives would do just as well, undoubtedly.

 

[psurquhart]

For superior audio, look at Cambridge Audio BD751, Oppo 95, Marantz UD7006 & Denon 2012.

Hey Big Boss,

I know your always good for advice and I know you know your stuff.

But was wondering why you only purchased the Panasonic BD60 ? Nothing wrong with it of course, a fine player but quite a basic mid range machine. Was wondering why you have not gone for the usual hit list above and if you did what one would you go for ?

I have always fancied the Denon for an all over, do it all player.

Interested in your thoughts.

 

[bigboss]

For superior audio, look at Cambridge Audio BD751, Oppo 95, Marantz UD7006 & Denon 2012.

Hey Big Boss,

I know your always good for advice and I know you know your stuff.

But was wondering why you only purchased the Panasonic BD60 ? Nothing wrong with it of course, a fine player but quite a basic mid range machine. Was wondering why you have not gone for the usual hit list above and if you did what one would you go for ?

I have always fancied the Denon for an all over, do it all player.

Interested in your thoughts.

Basically I was interested in blu ray picture quality only. My Yamaha decodes audio & my Pioneer Kuro upscales DVDs which I'm happy with. So I wasn't interested in audio performance or DVD upscaling. Between different blu ray players, that's where the main difference lies.

For blu ray picture playback, I did not find any difference between my Panasonic BD60, PS3 & Denon 2500BT, so I found no reason to spend more on a blu ray player.

 

[bigboss]

if you did what one would you go for ?

I have a load of Video CDs which my Panasonic cannot play. My next player will likely be an Oppo which will play them. But increasingly, I'm thinking of going for a blu ray player with Google TV, like the Sony one coming this summer.

 

[DandyCobalt]

Big Boss's reply is very interesting, as I had a similar conversation with Jonathan when I was at the "Big Question" day at WHFSV.

In my case, the CA BD751 does a brilliant job of decoding audio and upscaling video - so I don't need these features in the a/v receiver.

A lot of the other features of the top a/v receivers (which obviously add to their cost) might already be well serviced by another piece of kit in the chain.

 

[gar1975]

thank you all for getting back to me... i think i am going to have a look at the marantz ud7006 & the denon 2012 as i have seen them locally with a good discount.

but one last question... as i have a good tv & a good amp that will be handling the sound, do i even need to go as high as either the marantz or the denon? could i get away with a cheaper player like the new pioneer LX 55

 

[BenLaw]

With your virtually reference level tv and amp, I don't see that you need a premium player, unless you need the additional multi- format capabilities.

 

[bigboss]

I agree with BenLaw. But you should demo the players yourself & decide. The LX55 is a brilliant player in itself.

Remember that the Marantz & Denon are basically the same players in different clothing. So if you want to decide between them, look at the cost & aesthetics.

 

[Anonymous]

but one last question... as i have a good tv & a good amp that will be handling the sound, do i even need to go as high as either the marantz or the denon? could i get away with a cheaper player like the new pioneer LX 55

That might depend on how (and if) you have the need to play multichannel SACD and DVD-Audio discs. The Oppo, Marantz, Denon and Cambridge Audio that bigboss mentioned all have 5.1 analogue outs from their players, and as your Yamaha has multi channel ins, you can either use these connections and have the blu-ray player doing the DAC work, or use the HDMI cable instead to transfer the audio digitally and let the Yamaha do the DAC work.

Crucially for multichannel SACD, both player and receiver need to output and input respectively DSD over the HDMI cable. All the four players above do and your receiver also supports it.

The Pioneer BDP-LX55 doesn't have multi channel outs, so you have to use the HDMI cable for multichannel audio. Again this supports DSD without issues.

 

[Dan Turner]

Really recommend the Cambridge Audio 751BD. The picture and sound quality are outstanding. Also plays a wide range of streamed video content without fuss.

 

[gar1975]

again, thanks for your input guys...

not interested in sacd or dvd-a.

i am going to demo the denon marantz & the pioneer, have excluded the cambridge audio as i cant find it for much less than rrp i have seen the denon for £479 & the marantz at a similar price & am sure i could get some £ knocked off the pioneer at my usual retailer =)

am looking forward to seeing if i can spot any differences with my current player! =)

 

[DandyCobalt]

am looking forward to seeing if i can spot any differences with my current player! =)

Take your own player with you, and get the shop to do an A vs B comparison - take DVDs and Blu-rays that you're familiar with to see the before/after difference (if any, hopefully).