Worthy BDP upgrade

[v1c]

What is a worthy upgrade to replace my trusty Pioneer FD51 or is there no point. Not Bothered about networking or 3D just picture and sound quality.

I would be prepared to spend 1K max so i was thinking of the Arcam BDP100 here but have read a few things and not really inspiring me to want to buy it so i'm also thinking of the new OPPO 93 here or waiting for a so say OPPO 95 (bit like a special edition 93 no info only speculation due in the new year.).

What would be the preferred choice or isn't it worth bothering ?

 

[grdunn123]

v1c, I think that Professor Hat has recently upgraded his BD player to something approaching your budget. He went for a Marantz player if my menory serves me, BD7004??

 

[Anonymous]

Unless you care too much for music and you have a big screen 90"inch+ i would say it,s not worth the bother at all, because the differences in picture quality are going to be very minor and subtle and i doubt it very much that u will ever see them on a small screen up to 50" inch, remember it,s not like the old days with the analog media -VHS & LASERDISC the differences in price vs qaulity was immediately noticable - Personally speaking -i will never spend morethan 500£ on a BD-Player.

 

[v1c]

Grdunn thanks i'm open to opinions but what i am looking for is a definite upgrade basically the best you can get for a Max 1K.

 

[v1c]

Marco_1

I was sort of thinking along the same lines i know exactly what you mean i did have laserdisc and a projector screen is in the thought process if i was to ever move on from my KRP500A (not anywhere near yet). As to not spending more than £500 this is why i was thinking of the OPPO as it seems to represents better value than the ARCAM. But at the end of the day if either are a worthy upgrade i'm interested. Just interested to know what others think really.

 

[professorhat]

I did indeed go for the Marantz BD7004 (and very happy I am too with it).

The key thing to do if you really want to upgrade is to audition. I took my older Sony BDP-S550 around a few dealers (kindly arranged by WHF as part of their Savvy Shopper article

), and auditioned it against a Sony BDP-S570, Panasonic DMP-BDT300, Cambridge Audio 650BD plus the Marantz BD5004 and BD7004. The Arcam wasn't available at the time.

All gave visible improvements over my older player, but it was the Marantz's ability with fast motion and the "chunkier" sound that convinced me it was worth the extra cash. However, these things are all relative and you might not think the same as me, especially since you are starting with a different player, so it's something you really need to look and decide for yourself.

 

[v1c]

What's interesting about your choice professorhat is you have gone with the most expensive option. For me at the moment i want to have the best player available up to 1K but i'm not totally convinced i need to have the the best player available as my current player does a great job with blu-ray and DVD. Ultimately if it is worth the upgrade then i'm interested in doing the upgrade i just don't want to give in to the snob in me that thinks he wants a better player.

 

[professorhat]

Agreed and I didn't just choose the most expensive player because it was the most expensive - it was based purely on performance during the auditions. For instance, I actually originally demoed the Marantz BD5004 and BD7004 in two different locations (though both against my older Sony player) and I realised they were the best when compared against the Sony. However, I couldn't be sure if there was much of a difference between the BD5004 and BD7004 so to further confirm this, I then went back to Sevenoaks and directly compared them. It was only when I could see the improvements the BD7004 provided that my choice was clear.

That's why you need to take your current player with you to directly compare it against a newer player - only then can you decide if it's worth spending the money to upgrade it.

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

V1c,

The BDP-51FD is a pretty good blu-ray player from a picture and sound point of view, especially with your Pioneer TV. I have always felt that Pioneer blu-ray players work best with Pioneer TV's in producing the best image possible.

To spend £1k on a blu-ray player is a LOT of money, as oppossed to spending that same amount on an amp or speakers which will bring greater sonic benefits.

Have you had a look at the Pioneer BDP-LX52? This was a £550 player that is widely available for under £250 now. Why don't you compare your 51FD with the LX52 in the first instance and see if you can detect any significant improvements in picture and sound quality.

I've had one and yes, it was good but not not great in any appreciable manner compared to my budget Sony S370, so I sold it. Neither did it have any of the other functions of the Sony, besides also being slow and quirky at times.

What I have found to be a superb blu-ray player (again, picture and sound quality only, besides the excellent build quality) is the Denon 2500BT. But would I have paid £900 for it when it was launched? No way, because to me, the improvement in picture and sound quality, while better than the Sony S370, did not justify the huge premium in price.

For the price it's going for now, i.e,. £300+ it's something to consider, if you can live with it being a Profile 1 machine etc etc. I would certainly buy one had the Sony S370 never been invented! This little player offers so much that it's here to stay.

The same will apply to the new Arcam blu-ray player that costs £1k. Will this player blow you out of your visual and sonic senses that you will readily part with £1k? Only you can decide that based on your own experience with it. Just make sure you compare it to a Denon 2500BT and a Sony BDP-S5000ES first and be convinced without a shadow of a doubt that the Arcam is superior to both these machines before you hand your cash over!!

Ronald

 

[Anonymous]

v1c,

I have recently replaced my Pioneer bdp-lx52 with the Arcam BDP100. I have been waiting for this player since I got the AVR600 in June 09. The Pioneer was always intended to be a temperary buy untill the Arcam arrived. On comparison, picture not a great improvement, but more natural. Sound wise, a great improvement in stereo and a much bigger sound with movies. The loading time is far quicker, my only niggle is transport is a little noisy. On the whole I'm happy with it, but not over the moon. I feel I did the right thing as my system is now 'complete'. But was it worth a £1k upgrade?? Maybe not..................

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

TrevD,

While the improvement in picture quality between budget to midrange to high-end players will always be present - although not marked, you will always get a much better sound quality with higher-end players. No doubt about that.

There are lots of things that can be tweaked for a better sound, but with blu-ray, there's only so much you can do with the actual picture quality - better edge definition, better motion, less grain, less picture noise, a higher level of clarity and sharpness - which are not always as obvious to the eyes as they are to the ears, in terms of a discernible and certainly much less profound difference.

Ronald

 

[v1c]

Thanks TrevD that's interesting to hear.

 

[v1c]

Ronald LX-52 won't cut it as an upgrade i'm looking to move to the next level with my next player whatever that looks like. Law's of diminishing returns come to mind and i want the best.......within the 1K bracket. Fair comment on the Denon 2500BT and the Sony S5000ES but i'm just not interested in those particular players.

 

[v1c]

TrevD if i may could i ask your opinion around the worthiness of upgrading my 51FD to the ARCAM BDP100. I have what i would consider a mid market system bordering on high end. My TV and speakers i would class as high end my AMP and BDP player i would class as mid market. So at some stage my next upgrades would be the BDP and AMP. I would just like to go all out and get a pioneer LX90 and LX91 but unfortunately my budget won't stretch to that level of investment. I have been thinking an ARCAM combination like the AVR500 and BDP100 is attainable and would be an upgrade to what i have now. I say the AVR500 over the AVR600 because it's a stripped 600 with so say similar sound quality and it fits my needs. The problem is when i read comments about the current crop of ARCAM products there seems to be issues and i find myself being put off the investment.The AVR600 had/has issues with bugs , the What HIFI review of the AVR500 makes it sound like the worst AMP ever made !!!!! and as for buying it you would have to be an idiot !!!!. It obviously doesn't say this but that's how i felt when i read it.So as you own the AVR600 i can fully see why you would want to get the BDP100. I'm gradually slowly but surely being put off the ARCAM option which basically mean status quo for me as i don't think the Pioneer LX81,2 range is a significant enough difference over my LX71 although i am starting to think the LX83 maybe but that's a big maybe. So to cut to the chase so to speak would you recommend the ARCAM BDP100 over a current pioneer player to someone who doesn't own an ARCAM AMP ?. I realise this may put you on the spot a bit but i'm only interested in what you think it won't be taken as gospel i am capable of making my own mind up honest.

 

[Anonymous]

v1c: So to cut to the chase so to speak would you recommend the ARCAM BDP100 over a current pioneer player to someone who doesn't own an ARCAM AMP ?.

My answer to that would be, theres no harm in a demo!! As the Pioneer bdp lx-52 can be had for around 250 now, I felt the jump to the 1K Arcam wasn't fully justified in the improvements. But I believe the Pioneer was 650 at launch, and if you asked me is the Arcam worth the extra 350, I'd have said '' Hell yeah''!! If you plan to upgrade both your amp and player, I would upgrade the amp first. I personally wouldn't write off the AVR500, (for 1 I'm a big Arcam fan!), and secondly I wouldn't dismiss a 4* WHF rating, still got to be worth demo. If within your future budget, there are package deals around of the AVR500/ BDP100 for £2999!! So maybe wait a while?? As for issues with the AVR600, I'v been one of the lucky ones. I'v had no speaker pops or freezing, or other bugs I read about. The only issues I'v had has been with SkyHD, which are few and far between, and a quick on/off does the trick. Not ideal for a 3500 amp I know, but when watching a bluray in full swing, I forget all about missing 10 seconds of dialog while I wait patiently for Holby to finish!! So for me the good far out weighs the bad. Hope this helps a little, and happy demoing!!

 

[v1c]

Appreciate your reply TrevD thanks.

 

[v1c]

Arcam AVR500 + BDP100 ......... £2999

Pioneer LX83 + BDP LX91 ........£3328 (sourced separately)

Pioneer LX83 + Arcam BDP100 ......£ 2829 (sourced separately)

Hmmmmmmmmmm choices choices , try a new flavour , stick with the old favourite or mix and match...... I think this may take a while to solve.

Oppo 93 not a real contender against the BDP100 or LX91 ?

Pioneer LX83 + Oppo 93 ....... £2382

Pioneer LX71 + Pioneer FD51 ...... £0

MMMMMMM

What to do!!!! Inspector Clouseau on the case.

 

[v1c]

Think i've lost interest in the Arcam BDP100 so i'll wait and see what the new OPPO 95 brings to the table.

failing that wait for an updated LX91.