Blu Ray player that plays audio well?

Trickdick

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Hi

I am merging my hifi and Home cinema systems. I currently have a Panasonic BDP110 Blu Ray player.

Now that I no longer have my dedicated CD player, I've been looking at Universal disc players.

Will something like the Denon BDP1611UD be a marked improvement in audio quality over the Panasonic, or will I need to spend considerably more before I notice an improvement in audio and video.

Thanks for your help!
 
depends what connections you use. imho if you are just using digital there isn't going to be much difference with any player.
 
Players with a set of analogue outputs are usually the way to better audio...
 
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Players with a set of analogue outputs are usually the way to better audio...

Thats a bit of a generalisation all depends on what equipment you have.
 
Thats a bit of a generalisation all depends on what equipment you have.

My point of view is based on what I have noted on these forums, so not a generalisation. I list of the kit in question would, I concede, be useful.
 
The question is what will be doing the digital to analogue conversion. If your receiver has better DACs use a digital connection if the player has better DACs use analogue.
 
depends what connections you use. imho if you are just using digital there isn't going to be much difference with any player.
I'd normally agree with this, but in many cases there are digital signal processors between the disc and what actually gets streamed to your AV receiver (I doubt it's a bit-for-bit copy of what's recorded on the CD).

I've so far owned 2 DVD players (a cheap Samsung and Sony) and my current BD player (also a cheap Samsung), and they sound surprisingly different to each other when playing CDs via my Sony AV receiver. I'd say the Samsung BD player surprised me in sounding substantially better than the other two.
 
I'd normally agree with this, but in many cases there are digital signal processors between the disc and what actually gets streamed to your AV receiver (I doubt it's a bit-for-bit copy of what's recorded on the CD).

I've so far owned 2 DVD players (a cheap Samsung and Sony) and my current BD player (also a cheap Samsung), and they sound surprisingly different to each other when playing CDs via my Sony AV receiver. I'd say the Samsung BD player surprised me in sounding substantially better than the other two.

You fail to mention how you'd connected the player up to your amp? There's no golden rule as far as this is concerned and it will vary from one set up to another. It is always one components DAC being better or worse than another on one hand and then the distortion associated with the analogue signal. It is basically finding the best route and this route willvary from one setup to another.
 
I own an OPPO BDP93 and this player is supposed to have above average DACs onboard. I've both stereo analogue and an HDMI connection to my Yamaha RXV2065 and I actually prefer the audio that results from letting my amp's Burr Brown pcm1796 DACs do the conversion. There's no doubting the quality of the Cirrus CS4382A onboard the player, but I actually like the warm, rich sound associated with the Burr Brown chipset.

It is as much a matter of personal taste as it is a matter of generally accepted criteria for audio quality.


One man's meat is another man's murder.
 
You fail to mention how you'd connected the player up to your amp? There's no golden rule as far as this is concerned and it will vary from one set up to another. It is always one components DAC being better or worse than another on one hand and then the distortion associated with the analogue signal. It is basically finding the best route and this route willvary from one setup to another.
SPDIF on all of them outputting 2-channel 44.1KHz PCM to the amp.

What I'm trying to say is that using the same amp (and therefore DAC) for all my players, the players still fudge around with the raw PCM data before it gets streamed over SPDIF or HDMI. They do not sound the same.
 
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Thank you for your replies.

I am planning to connect the Panasonic BDP110 blu ray player to my Yamaha RX-A2010 reciever via HDMI.

I have previously listened to my music via a Musical Fidelity CD/Pre Amp/Power Amp combination.

I realise that my current blu ray player will be something of a compromise compared with my previous system, but wondered if any noticeable improvement could be had for a modest outlay?

Thanks
 
Rather than buying another player some have brought a stand alone DAC, IMO though with your receiver I can't see any player or DAC making much difference. I think you kind of have what you have, a dedicated stereo setup is going to be the best way to get any improvements. Another option might be a stereo amp to power your front channels and a suitable cd player, but probably too expensive though.

Most receivers have a pure direct mode which turns off the display etc and helps with stereo playback.
 

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