Hi end Blu-ray player, or mid range with DAC

admin_exported

New member
Aug 10, 2019
2,556
4
0
Visit site
At the moment i am using PS3 fat for blu-rays and CD's.running to Yamaha Z7 and Monitor Audio RX6. I am hoping to getting better picture and sound buy upgrading to a dedicated blu-ray player.

On the high end short list is

Cambridge Audio 650, Denon 1611, Oppo 83 or new lines from Pioneer and Marantz when realesed.

I do however have a lot of music on the PC i would like to access through the Hi-Fi. I thought it may be a better option to get a cheaper player like the Panasonic 85 (bitstream HD audio) and team it with the Cambridge Audio dacmagic for audio CD's. This way i can hopefully improve the sound from mp3 and lossless audio files on the PC also.

I have heard around here and other forums people suggest its hard to see a difference in picture quality between more blu-ray players. Any thoughts on which option would be the better preformer?

Thanks
 

chudleighpaul

New member
Jan 7, 2010
129
0
0
Visit site
If you read this months Big Question you will see the reviewers saw no diference between a budget player and a high end model. Save your money and go for the Panny BD85
 

AlmaataKZ

New member
Jan 7, 2009
295
1
0
Visit site
I think it is better to look at a DAC and/or speakers as next possible upgrades (rather than bluray players).

If you are leaning more and more towads computer playback, read aroundd about music formats/resolutions/availability and look at various DACs - curently there is more and more of them (CA DacMagic, the new Arcam DAC, Beresford Caiman are popular, many streaemers are DACs too, and many many others).
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I'm happy with the RX6, i got them for a bargin. My kit is still on the way to being complete. I need a new blu-ray to take advantage of the Yamaha HD audio decoding, PS3 fat does not bitstream hd audio.
 

professorhat

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2007
992
22
18,895
Visit site
Assuming it's the Yamaha DSP-Z7 receiver you have, this is a quality piece of kit and already has a decent built-in DAC (192kHz/24-Bit Burr-Brown according to the spec sheet). So you're going to have to spend a reasonable amount to better that.

My gut feeling is to take your PS3 along to a few dealerships and compare it with some entry level and mid to higher level players (like the CA and Denon you mention, as well as maybe the new Pioneer and Marantz players) and see what you think of the differences. If the higher end players don't seem to be that much better in your eyes, it makes sense to go with an entry level player like the Panny or the Sony BDP-S370 and then investigate some of the more expensive external DACs for your music playback instead.
 

strapped for cash

New member
Aug 17, 2009
417
0
0
Visit site
Speaking from experience, there is a definite advantage to upgrading from a PS3 to a dedicated Blu Ray player, particularly with regard to sound quality.

Granted, I only 'upgraded' to a Sony BDP S-370, but there's a noticable difference between having your PS3 decode DTS HDMA soundtracks internally and bitstreaming them to your receiver from a dedicated BDP.

I can't comment on how the 370 compares with high end players, though the feature in this month's mag is interesting in this respect, but I would certainly upgrade to a dedicated player to get the best out of your other kit.

Incidentally, I think the PS3 does a better job with DVDs than the 370 -- nothing in it in sound-wise, but you get a sharper picture from the PS3 (though this is only the case with with DVD playback).
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts