Which Blu Ray/CD player with SC-07

craigpsu

I am looking for some advise on selecting an Universal Player with my setup or should I just keep using the PS3. I currently use a PS3 for Blu Ray and CDs. I would like to find out what the best setup would be with the equipment I have or could purchase. I use the Pioneer Elite SC-07 as a Pre/Pro to my amps. I have been looking into the Oppo and other Universal players. Is there a distinct advantage with an Oppo 83 or higher end player? I have heard that CDs and other Audio media are better on high end players. Also, if I get the Oppo should I get the SE and use the Analog Outs or just get the regular version and use the DACs in the SC-07? Which do you think would sound better? Any advice would be appreciated

ikolbyi

for CD and movie viewing all players are pretty much generic so pick one that appeals to your wallet. I personally use a Samsung P1500. It is a no frills unit but again, you will not see any difference from a movie/cd viewing experience between that and a more expensive unit.

The more expensive units offer features such as WIFI and Internet Radio that the lower cost units do not offer. That is the main difference.

Slinger182

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160404617791&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263772_263802&UA=WXI6&GUID=a902ca221180a0aad4d2dbe2ff3d790c&mt_id=1069&prodrefid=73476553&itemid=160404617791&ff4=263772_263802

seems like a hell of a deal right there.

craigpsu

Unfortunately, I cannot view that particular webpage. I will be able to in two weeks when I get home from the Sandbox. Thanks for the advice so far, I have heard that as far as Blu Ray is concerned the PS3 is pretty much just as good as the rest. But when you get to upconverting DVDs and listening to CDs etc... that is when the other players come into play and can have better quality.

BAD ASP

craigpsu wrote: »

Unfortunately, I cannot view that particular webpage. I will be able to in two weeks when I get home from the Sandbox. Thanks for the advice so far, I have heard that as far as Blu Ray is concerned the PS3 is pretty much just as good as the rest. But when you get to upconverting DVDs and listening to CDs etc... that is when the other players come into play and can have better quality.

I bought the oppo about a month ago and it replaced an lg300 and a sony sc550. Both of the previous units were very satisfactory. The oppo, in my opinion, is in another league both in SQ and PQ. My son and daughter came home from school and I hadn't told them about the new player. Once they turned on the system and began watching 2012 they both commented on the improvement. I also have listened to music through it and it it fantastic for that as well. My recommendation is to give some serious thought to the Oppo. Have fun.

digitalvideo

I do believe the PS3 will be upgraded in a firmware update soon so that it's 3D compatible, so you won't need to go out and buy a new 3D player. Everyone seems to like the PS3, it's just dead reliable with very fast load times. I would wait for the 2010 bluray models to come out and see if they are HDMI 1.4. Anytime between May to July you'll seem them.

But if you want a kick **** player now and don't care about 3D, check this out:

http://www.nuforce.com/hi/

cnh

xcapri79 wrote: »

I have the Pioneer BDP-51FD and the BDP-23FD that I've used with an SC-07.
Both work well with it and I would recommend either one. I use the HDMI connections.
Both players and the SC-07 have the Pioneer PQLS technology to better synchronize the music between the bluray player and the receiver. It reduces the "jitter" during playback and results in better sound quality.
Both play CD's very well.

The 151 is discontinued but the 23 is still available.

If you want a player that does SACD as well as CD, DVD and Blu-ray..then consider the Oppo 83SE. But if you're only concerned with CD, DVD, blu-ray...a higher end Elite is a PERFECT match for your SC07...as Xcapri points out those models are 'specifically' designed to work with the SC series of Elite AVRs have Wolfson DACs and PQLS locks to the AVR which reduce clock jitter considerably over HDMI connections! Should give you a pretty good sounding CD. And of course, excellent Blu-ray performance!

cnh

craigpsu

I looked at the NUForce OPPO link, it does look really nice. Has anyone done any reviews on it versus the the SE or has anyone on here heard it to see how much of an upgrade it is? I also read about modwright modded OPPO. I will also look into the Pio Elite lineup to see what they have to offer. I can take my time on this purchase because I have a month or so before I get my house back from renters. The other products I am looking into is a music server/transport and the harmony remotes. I am trying to decide if I need the IR capability on the remote or not.
Thanks

apphd

No first hand experience with any of these, so take it for what it's worth. By most accounts the PS3 is a pretty solid unit. Most feel that all BR have equal performance on BR material. The big difference is in SD up conversion and load times. Again the PS3 gets good reviews on these two features, with the Oppo maybe having an edge with these. CD playback again I think the Oppo has a slight edge, if you didn't have the PS3 it would be an easier decision.

I think I would keep the PS3 and get a good dedicated CDP, I know in your OP you are looking for a universal player, but that's the way I would go unless you really need to keep it to one source.

And if I interpreted your Sandbox comment correctly thanks for your service.

mantis

I had the Ps3 for Blu ray and some cd media stored playback and I also had/have the Pioneer Elite DV58av for cd / sacd / dvd audio and dvd playback. I wanted to create some space in my rack for future upgrades and decided it was time to move the Ps3 and Pioneer ELite dv58av. This will allow me to use one HDMI connection for all of the above playback. I also added a Apple Tv to my system awhile back and us it for all my CD playback VIA Apple Lossless.
I looked for months for the right player and the Oppo 83 was on my short list then Cambridge released a hell of a player in the Azur 650 BD and after a few Installs and playing around with it I purchased it. It is a high quality disc player for all it can do which is Blu ray , dvd , cd , sacd , dvd audio , HDCD , etc. I love it. The only problem I have with it is there is no discrete turn on and off yet. I use control so for now I had to build an anchor command to get it to turn on no matter what state it is in. I also had to build one for off. Not a big deal I just prefer Discrete commands. There DVD players have Discrete so I'm expecting these codes to be released.

HDMI is the only way to go when you own the SC-07 , I also own it and the internal DAC's are better then all other players I have owned. The SC-07 is such a fantastic sounding receiver and also makes for a killer preamp which is something I prefer to use a dedicated preamp but as good as the SC-07 sounds , I will make an exception to my own rule. On another note I do use the Internal amps as I find the ICE amps clear dynamic and very punchy. The best under 2k internal amps I have ever heard.

So I suggest looking at the Cambridge and Oppo , both are fine machines and you can't go wrong either way. The Ps3 was and still is a fine player if you also play games and such , I rarely ever played anything on it as I have a xbox360 for games.

craigpsu

I think I will take a closer look at the Cambridge and the Oppo. I am going to be acquiring some SACDs and DVD audio discs from a friend and I would really like to have a decent player for them. I might also look into a few discs to purchase on music that I really like or a few things that really show how good the setup is. Is there any recommendations on Hybrid SACDs or DVD audio discs?

wutadumsn23

digitalvideo wrote: »

I do believe the PS3 will be upgraded in a firmware update soon so that it's 3D compatible, so you won't need to go out and buy a new 3D player. Everyone seems to like the PS3, it's just dead reliable with very fast load times.

+1, for the money, the PS3 is hard to beat. Granted the new Slims do not have SACD capability, but if that isn't a show stopper for you, then I would just stick with what you have. I have a firts gen 80GB model that does everything, including SACD, but they are hard to come by, unless you get lucky on the used market. Sony will be releasing an update soon, so the PS3 will be able to do 3D, so that won't be an issue. Good luck.

-Jeff

craigpsu

I think I am going to stick to the PS3 for a few months while taking my time for looking a good universal or dedicated CD player. I might perform a few other upgrades in the meantime though. It is hard to resist the upgrade bug.
Thanks

dvran

Use the PS3 for the next couple of years till the 3D players come down in price and become the standard. No sense in spending $500 on an Oppo and then buy a 3D player again in 2 years.

ViperZ

I am in the same boat as most of the people. I'll keep my PS3, which is 3D-upgradable via firmware. Oppo BDP-83(SE), being one of the best players out there, is still not confirmed to have 3D support (or be firmware upgradable for 3D support).

craigpsu

I actually agree with you on the 3D front, I am not sure how much it will catch on. There are still a ton of people out there that do not have HDTVs and still some channels that are not really broadcast in HD. I just don't see it catching on that quick, and I honestly don't know how much I will get into it. Of course the only time I have ever seen it was in a Theater a year or so ago so I can't say for sure I will be pursuaded otherwise. But on another note, I would like a good CD player for music so maybe I will go out and get a Uni or good dedicated CD player. Especially since my PS3 is the newest thick one that does not support SACD among other formats. I really wish I had or there was some more competition for a digital server/transport that could read any disc format and convert it to lossless files. Then I could store my cds as a third backup and use them when I wanted to look at the artwork. I really like the idea of having all your music right in front of you to listen to whatever you want at the click of a button. And of course be able to listen to the whole library from any room in the house is nice, especially when people come over.

wutadumsn23

dvran wrote: »

Use the PS3 for the next couple of years till the 3D players come down in price and become the standard. No sense in spending $500 on an Oppo and then buy a 3D player again in 2 years.

While I agree that 3D isn't worth buying into. IMHO, the good news is if it does become the standard, the PS3 will be able to play 3D content. Sony has already announced that a firmware update will be coming sometime down the road to allow it to play 3D discs.

-Jeff