Laserdisc-The godfather of ALL consumer optical disc media

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  • Using the Laserdisc player as transport for playing CD's and sending the digital signal out to an external DAC is well known for having beneficial effects on the sound.
    Don't forget the transport was designed to play discs that are much larger and heavier than CD's. So of course it is absolutely LOAFING when playing a 5"Compact Disc,as opposed to a 12" Laserdisc!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
    edited January 2016
    I have it plugged into the AVR...
    Bypassed the AVR and the Pre.
    I'm sure I'm adding a little distortion but what is R&R
    without a little distortion. :)

    I'm really liking it. Maybe I'll just play redbooks on the LD player
    for a while. :D
  • I have it plugged into the AVR...
    Bypassed the AVR and the Pre.
    I'm sure I'm adding a little distortion but what is R&R
    without a little distortion. :)

    I'm really liking it. Maybe I'll just play redbooks on the LD player
    for a while. :D

    Okay @rednedtugent
    I'm confused here
    You said you have it plugged into the AVR and then you said you bypassed it and the pre
    ???????????
  • scottyboy76
    scottyboy76 Posts: 2,905
    edited January 2016
    @scottyboy76
    Does the CLD99 have an AC-3 RF out?

    Not sure It would be worth it to me to acquire a demodulator.
    humpty dumpty was pushed
  • @scottyboy76
    Does the CLD99 have an AC-3 RF out?

    It surely does my friend, as of right now, not sure what that's for but about to look it up.

    @scottyboy76
    The AC-3 RF out sends the FM modulated Dolby AC-3 (*what Dolby Digital used to be called. Dolby used to have a BAD habit of changing format names repeatedly and then scratching their heads and wondering why consumers were confused*) to an AC-3 RF demodulator. Once demodulated from the FM carrier,the raw Dolby AC-3 signal could be decoded to its 5.1 channels.
    The reason for all of this is that the only way to get the Dolby Digital signal onto the Laserdisc was to encode it into the analog channels (*which were AFM-drop the "A" from the AFM and what do you have? FM-YES the same thing they broadcast over the air*)by modulating the digital bitstream onto the FM carrier that they used for the analog channels. In order the decode the 5.1 channel Dolby Digital soundtrack you need to have a Laserdisc player with an AC-3 RF out to send the signal to either a receiver or preamp that had a built in RF demodulator. Or an external RF demodulator that sends the raw Dolby Digital signal to your receiver or preamp to decode.
  • what I meant was I was using the "pure" out sound mode of the AVR and
    HT Bypass on the Pre. I just stepped back in the house so let's try it again!
    :D
    I have it plugged into the AVR...
    Bypassed the AVR and the Pre.
    I'm sure I'm adding a little distortion but what is R&R
    without a little distortion. :)

    I'm really liking it. Maybe I'll just play redbooks on the LD player
    for a while. :D

    Okay @rednedtugent
    I'm confused here
    You said you have it plugged into the AVR and then you said you bypassed it and the pre
    ???????????

  • @scottyboy76
    Does the CLD99 have an AC-3 RF out?

    Not sure It would be worth it to me to acquire a demodulator.

    Well it's a value judgement of course (*and such things are VERY personal *)
    I'm using a Meridian RF demodulator that I got on eBay.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
    edited January 2016
    Good. It's got some punch!
    I'm using a step above generic RCA cables too as it is a ways from the AVR...
  • What player do you have again?
  • just a lowly CLD-S104.
  • Oh yeah I had one 20 years ago.
    Very reliable and not a lot of money.
  • gp4jesus
    gp4jesus Posts: 1,969
    My first LD player was a Pioneer . After a few months of messing w/ICs etc trying to "fix" brightness, I talked them into giving me full price trade-in on a Dennon that played both* sides versus single for the Pio. Here's the interesting part: same transport, different DACs, WAY better SQ! Sadly that feature* stopped working a few years ago but my sons LOVE watching SWs episodes 4-6 on our "new**" second AV system.
    ** for another day
    Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out 8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out *soldered LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & “Plugged*” Mids - 981, connected w/MP Premiere ICs Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s *Xschop's handy work
  • I discovered rather late in the game why thw Pioneer Elite players cost so much more than the regular Pioneers. Much better EVERYTHING!!
  • StantonZ
    StantonZ Posts: 439
    edited January 2016
    Using the Laserdisc player as transport for playing CD's and sending the digital signal out to an external DAC is well known for having beneficial effects on the sound.

    I do this...and have an RF demod for AC-3 (had to go external when I upgraded my AVR last year). The sad thing is: while audio still sounds great, I'm reduced to composite out for video (which my AVR up-converts to 4k via HDMI), so I'm really wasting a big part of why I bought the CLD-99 way back when; the only way I can use S-Video out is direct to my projector (which I never take anymore).

    Yamaha RX-A2050 AVR (5.0.2); LG OLED77C2 4K TV
    (4) Polk Monitor 10B's w/SoniCaps, Mills, and RDO-194 tweets (R/L F/R)
    (2) Polk RC80i (Top Middle)
    Polk CS300 center channel
    Analog: B&O TX2 Turntable, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1
    Digital: Pioneer CLD-99 Elite LD, Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-Ray
    Bedroom: Arylic Up2Stream AMPv3 driving Polk Monitor 4's w/peerless tweets
  • @StantonZ
    Remember the Luminance (*Black & White-brightness information*) and the Chroma (*Color information*) are combined on the Laserdisc. So whether or not there are any benefits to using S-Video depend ENTIRELY on the color decoder in either your player or the display device. Otherwise it's really no different than watching composite video. S-video was created for VHS and Beta, because on videotape the Chroma and Luminance are recorded seperately and must be recombined upon playback. Just make sure you're using a good video cable.
    Which RF-demodulator are you using?
  • @StantonZ
    Remember the Luminance (*Black & White-brightness information*) and the Chroma (*Color information*) are combined on the Laserdisc. So whether or not there are any benefits to using S-Video depend ENTIRELY on the color decoder in either your player or the display device. Otherwise it's really no different than watching composite video. S-video was created for VHS and Beta, because on videotape the Chroma and Luminance are recorded seperately and must be recombined upon playback. Just make sure you're using a good video cable.
    Which RF-demodulator are you using?
  • StantonZ
    StantonZ Posts: 439
    @StantonZ
    Which RF-demodulator are you using?

    Answered same question earlier in this thread...asked by you :#

    Yamaha RX-A2050 AVR (5.0.2); LG OLED77C2 4K TV
    (4) Polk Monitor 10B's w/SoniCaps, Mills, and RDO-194 tweets (R/L F/R)
    (2) Polk RC80i (Top Middle)
    Polk CS300 center channel
    Analog: B&O TX2 Turntable, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1
    Digital: Pioneer CLD-99 Elite LD, Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-Ray
    Bedroom: Arylic Up2Stream AMPv3 driving Polk Monitor 4's w/peerless tweets
  • Ah yes the B & K
    I forgot as it was last month. Sorry
  • Tower Records used to carry lot's of Laserdiscs
  • Watching The Wiz on Laserdisc
  • Today just for the halibut I decided to see if I could hear the difference between my Pioneer Elite DVL-91 Laserdisc player and my Oppo Digital BDP-103 Blu-ray player.
    I heard a difference straight away much to my surprise. The bass was MUCH BETTER defined and more present and audible on the Laserdisc player than it was on the Blu-ray player. Also the Blu-ray player was brighter sounding and the bass was woolly and undefined. Not to mention less audible with the very low organ peddle notes.
    Then I remembered something important that would likely explain the differences I was hearing.
    JITTER
    I remembered the fact that HDMI connections are known to carry a lot of Jitter (*tiny digital timing errors that can have deleterious effects on the sound*) and the Pioneer is sending it's AC-3 RF out,as well as its digital out to a Meridian 519 Dolby AC-3 RF demodulator. Which has a reclocking circuit to reduce jitter. All of the differences I was hearing I have read in various equipment reviews over the years could easily be attibuted to high jitter in the HDMI connection!!
    I had gotten used to streaming ripped CD's from my computer or back up hard drive to the Oppo (*and putting up with the gaps inserted between run on tracks and the woolly,undefined bass that I was getting*) Once I played a couple of organ discs and switched back and forth between the two players,that led to pulling out a whole bunch of other CD's of all musical genre's once again. Now I'm like a kid in a candy store who found a new toy that I've had all along! !


    y12hek86u689.jpg
  • Been listening since yesterday and loving the newfound bass. The one drawback is that the soundstage is just a tad narrower playing CD's on the Laserdisc player. Not as big a difference there as in the bass though!
  • StantonZ
    StantonZ Posts: 439
    I heard a difference straight away much to my surprise. The bass was MUCH BETTER defined and more present and audible on the Laserdisc player than it was on the Blu-ray player. Also the Blu-ray player was brighter sounding and the bass was woolly and undefined. Not to mention less audible with the very low organ peddle notes.

    I often use my LD as a transport for CD's because they simply sound better than any other source. However, I do that less and less now that moved onto FLAC files on a USB drive (directly connected to my AVR). I also agree there seems to be a bit more "bass" in (some) movie AC-3 streams, but I often attribute it to either data rates or simply a better (LD) mix.
    Yamaha RX-A2050 AVR (5.0.2); LG OLED77C2 4K TV
    (4) Polk Monitor 10B's w/SoniCaps, Mills, and RDO-194 tweets (R/L F/R)
    (2) Polk RC80i (Top Middle)
    Polk CS300 center channel
    Analog: B&O TX2 Turntable, Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1
    Digital: Pioneer CLD-99 Elite LD, Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-Ray
    Bedroom: Arylic Up2Stream AMPv3 driving Polk Monitor 4's w/peerless tweets
  • @StantonZ
    I heard the same thing on movies on Laser and thought I was imagining it until I did this comparison,especially with DTS Lasers.It feels good to know that your hearing still works doesn't it?
    StantonZ wrote: »
    I heard a difference straight away much to my surprise. The bass was MUCH BETTER defined and more present and audible on the Laserdisc player than it was on the Blu-ray player. Also the Blu-ray player was brighter sounding and the bass was woolly and undefined. Not to mention less audible with the very low organ peddle notes.

    I often use my LD as a transport for CD's because they simply sound better than any other source. However, I do that less and less now that moved onto FLAC files on a USB drive (directly connected to my AVR). I also agree there seems to be a bit more "bass" in (some) movie AC-3 streams, but I often attribute it to either data rates or simply a better (LD) mix.

  • ht68uzxndzqx.jpg
    30-count'em THIRTY YEARS that I have owned this Compact Disc. I have listened to it COUNTLESS TIMES on god only knows how many systems. This was quite literally one of the first three Compact Discs that I purchased when I got my first CD player in 1986 and I just heard something tonight that I cannot recall having ever heard before!!!!!
  • o.k. This time I'll put you on the spot.
    This is better than your OPPO for CD's? :*
  • Oy
    NOW he gets tha pernt aftah powsting THREE pickchuhs of Compact Discs?!?!
    Such a blonde schmuck ya know